Will of Thomas Blackburn Craufurd Prince Georges County, Maryland 1844 Contributed for use in USGENWeb Archives by Susan Wetzl USGENWEB NOTICE; Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from submitter PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. _____________________________________________________________________________ Will of Thomas Blackburn Craufurd Resident of Prince Georges County, Maryland Made July 22, 1844 In the name of God, Amen: I Thomas B. Craufurd of Pringe Georges County, in the State of Maryland, being apprehensive of death but of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding and being anxious before I die to settle and dispose of all my estate by last will and testament do therefore make and publish this as my last will and testament: In the first place I desire all my just debts and funeral charges to be paid by my executor hereinafter named and after this payment I will and desire as follows: I will, devise and give unto George Thomas Craufurd, my natural son by Elizabeth Taylor now about eight years old, the one half of my entire landed estate to be laid off to him so as to include the dwelling house and all the outhouses attached thereto at Greenwood wherein I now reside, to him the said George Thomas Craufurd his heirs and assigns in fee simple forever. Also I will devise and give the other morety or half of all my landed estate to Mary Elizabeth Craufurd, Sarah Jane Craufurd and Anna Victoria Craufurd my natural daughters and children by the said Elizabeth Taylor, to be equally divided between then share and share alike to them their heirs and assigns forever as tenants in common. I give and bequeath to the said George Thomas Craufurd my aforesaid son the one half of all my negros and other personal estate of every description whatever including debts due to me and every other description of personal property whatever to him the said George Thomas Craufurd his Executors, administrators, and assigns. The other half of my negros and other personal estate of every description as aforesaid whatsoever I give and bequeath unto the aforesaid Mary Elizabeth Craufurd, Sarah Jane Craufurd and Anna Victoria Craufurd, my aforesaid natural children and daughters by the said Elizabeth Taylor to be equally divided among them share and share alike. And whereas in all probability the said Elizabeth Taylor may be now pregnant with child by me I further will and desire that in case such child shall be born after my death, that then and in that event said child shall have an equal share with my aforesaid daughters in all that half of my real and personal estate which I have herein before devised and bequeathed to them. I further will and desire and do hereby direct that Elizabeth Taylor, the mother of my aforesaid children shall live and have her home at Greenwood with the aforesaid children so long as she shall live single and unmarried. And lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint my friend Thomas F. Bowie to be sole Executor of this my will and testament and guardian to my aforesaid children for and until they shall repectively arrive to full age. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my sign and mark (not being able to write my name in consequence of a parylitic attack in my right arm by which I have lost the use of it) and affixed my seal this twenty second day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty four. Thomas B. Craufurd SEAL (HIS MARK) Signed, Sealed , published and declared by Thomas B. Craufurd as and for his last will and testament in our presence and at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other we have subscribed our names as Witnesses thereto. Benjamin L. Gantt W. Bowie Brooke G. B. Stone Prince Georges County, April 4, 1848 Then came Benj. L. Gantt & George B. Stone, two of the subscribing witnesses to the within will of Thomas B. Craufurd, late of said county deceased and made oath on the Holy Evangely of Almighty God that they did see the testator herein named sign and seal this will and 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 apprehensions of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding and that they together with W. Bowie Brooks, the other subscribing witness respectively subscribed their names as witnesses to this in the presence of the testator at his request and in the presence of each other. Sworn Before Jas. Harper, Reg: of Wills for PG Cty