Will of Zachariah WILLIS (1875), Caroline County, Maryland File contributed for by Sandra L. Willis . *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. *********************************************************************** Zachariah Willis Last Will and Testament Made 28 May 1875 Recorded 3 January 1890 Caroline County Maryland Liber JBS-1, Folio 131-133 I Zachariah Willis of Caroline county in the State of Maryland, being in usual health of body, but of perfect sound disposing mind, memory and understanding, considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof, and being desirous to settle my worldly affairs and thereby be the better prepared to leave this world when it shall please God to call me hence, do therefore make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament in the manner and form following that is to say ~ Item 1st It is my will and desire that my well beloved wife Mary B. Willis have all my estate both real and personal during her natural life, and that she have the whole and sole benefit of the same during her natural life, except as hereinafter devised, and she shall not be responsible for any unavoidable waste or wear and tare of the same. ~ Item 2nd It is my will that my said wife pay out of the proceeds of my personal Estate or rents of my Real Estate, unto my son Leonard Willis the sum of One hundred dollars, to be at the expiration of one year after my death, and also to pay to my grand son Herbert Willis, son of my son Leonard, the sum of One hundred dollars, to be paid or secured to be paid to him or his guardian, after the expiration of one year from the day of my death. Then it is my will that after my just debts and funeral charges are paid, and the legacies as aforesaid, that at the death of my said wife that what then remains of my personal estate together with my Real Estate be equally divided between my following named sons, namely Richard P. Henry F. Francis A. and James S. Willis share and share alike. And lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint my two sons, namely Henry F. Willis and James S. Willis to be whole and sole executors of this my last will and testament revoking and annulling all former wills by me heretofore made, ratifying and confirming this and none other to be my last will and testament, the twenty eighth day of May, one thousand eight hundred & seventy five. Zachariah Willis (Seal) Signed, sealed, published and declared to be by Zachariah Willis the above named testator as and for his last will and testament, In the presents of us, who at his request, in his presence, and in the presence of each other, subscribed our names as witnesses thereto ~ Willis Corkran Silas Nichols Nathan Corkran Lavenia W. Corkran Caroline county to wit: The 3rd of January 1890. Then came Willis Corkran, and did solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that the aforegoing instrument of writing is the true and whole will and testament of Zachariah Willis, late of Caroline county, deceased, that hath come to his hands or possession and that he doth not know of any other will of a later date or of any codicil made by the said deceased. Cert. By Jas. B. Steele Regt. Of Wills For Caroline county ~ Caroline county to wit: The 3rd of January 1890. Then came Willis Corkran and Nathan Corkran, two of the subscribing witnesses to the aforegoing last will and testament of Zachariah Willis, late of Caroline county, deceased, and did severally, solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that they saw Zachariah Willis, the above named testator, sign and seal the said will, that they heard him publish, pronounce and declare the same to be his last will and testament, that at the time of his so doing he was, to the best of their respective apprehensions, of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding, and that the respectively signed their names as witnesses to the said will in the presence of Silas Nichols, another of the attesting witnesses thereto, who they saw sigh his name, but who has since died, and also in the presence of Lavenia W. Corkran, another of the attesting witnesses, and in the presence of each other ~ Cert. By Jas. B. Steele Regt. Of Wills For Caroline county