Will: Garrett Van Sweringen, 1698; City of of St. Mary's, St. Mary's County, Maryland. Maryland State Archives, Hall of Records, Annapolis, MD, Prerogative Court Wills 6, pp. 210-211. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Barbara Long Emery. USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. _________________________________________________________________________ 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 the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the State and County Table of Contents. In the name of God, amen. I Garrett Vansweringen of ye citty of St. Mary's in St, Mary's county,haveing consideredly Many Yeares I have Lived in this World and therefore but a Little time to remain and for Reason of the Uncertainty When this tyme shall be Expired I doe hereby Will and require that When it Should be ye Will of God to Call me out of this Mortall Life My body shall be buried if God Doth permitt According to ye custom of ye Roman Catholique Church and ye Priest That shall bury me I doe give him One Thousand Pound of Tobacco and further I doe require My Executors herafter named to take Care that dureing ye Ensueing Year Mass shall be done for me Soly at all ye Later Days St. Josephs day, St. John ye Evangelist, St Mary Magdaline in Holy Week at all Saints days and in ye Christmas hollydays further That all my Just debts shal be paid and doe therefore appoint and Nominate My Wife and My son Joseph Vansweringen Exrs. of my Will and this My Testament to doe and act as here shalbe mencond And My Now dewelling house and Land thereunto belonging also ye Councill Roomes and Coffee house and Land thereunto belonging I give unto my two sons Joseph and Charles Vansweringen For them and their Heires for Ever but in case of Any of them should Come to dye then ye houses and land fall to ye Surviving Brother herebefore Names and if both should Come to Dye then it shall fll to my Girles gotten by my Liveing wife the...only equally that is to be Understood that are and were not married, or unprovided and Shall be unmarried after my decease and in Case any of them should So come to be in Possession of Any of the aforenamed Land and houses and Shall Come to dye without issue then ye forenamed Land Should returne againe to those that are Unmarried and to them that shall have issue in the Nature as before but their Issue dying shall ye said Land returne again to those yet have issue or be unmarried I doe alsoe require that my Wife doe Alsoe remaine in Possession of All my Estate Moveables and unmoveables dureing her Life that if she shall remaine unmarried, but in Case she should Come to Marry that then her Exershp shall Cease and My Son Joseph shall only remaine ye only Executor of my Will and Testament and allow According to Law to my wife one third of my Estate but remaining unmarried she shall Continue in Sole Possession of all as if I was my Selfe Alive for ye good of our children and doe hereby Absolutely Debarr all persons not being of My Blood to meddle or Concern themselves With any of my children or there Estate but What shalbe by ye Election of My son Joseph with ye advise of Mr. John Hall of St. Innegoes the Unaged Children will be C...ed with their brother Joseph be their Guardian I will that....weekes after My Decease My Estate shalbe Appraised and not Undervallued as ordinarily in this country is Done but to ye Reall Value Silver Plate Brass Copper Pewter Ledd in Quantity and Quality or other...my Wife shall Remaine Unmarried I doe empower her over all nothing Excepted to remaine inmolessed either by Children or Sonns in Law, Provideing she shall not distribute more to ye one than to ye other and that noe Portcon shalbe given to any of them dureing My Said Wife her Life to put herself to Want and beggary ye rest of my Younger Children only by ye Way of assistance ye necessarily should require in part pay of their Porcon or Sheare but if my Wife should come to dye then those children that are left unmarried Shall remain under ye Guardianshipp of Their Brother Joseph to take Care of them till they Come to be Married but if said Joseph Should doe them any injustice which God forbidd then ye offense shall be refered to Mr. John Hall herafore named Mr. Charles Carrolle, Mr. Charles Egerton, Mr. Thomas Georing or any two of them and their settling upon ye matter shall difinitise Either for ye said Joseph to ramain their Guardian or to Make Elecon of any of those Aforenamed instead of him and their porcon Must and Shall be given them on Yeare after they are married if they remaine alive and not otherwise for if any of these Children aforenamed Comes to dye their porcon shall remaine amongst their Sisters herbefore named and not to ye two brothers haveing ye Land Except issue if they should be married and have issue before ye Expiracon of ye Year or being bigg With Childe but ye aforenamed Brothers shall alsoe have an Equall Share out of ye moveables estate ye day of My departure but not to p...tend any share of ye porcons of these girles that should Come to dye but shalbe Equally divided to ye Sisters that are Unmarried, and further if my Son Joseph Should Come to dye and if mother remaines Alive then shall ye Executorshipp remain in her and in all Power as is Layd before at large, but if my Wife also should Come to dye then ye Children shall chuse one or more Guardians Out of ye aforenamed whom are hereby desired to see my Will performed and in testimony that this is my Last Will and Tesamt Have I herunto Signed Sealed with my hand this the 25th day of March 1698 But as I have sd my Wife to remain Exer if my son Joseph Should Come to dye is allways understood unmarried but if Married the Children shall have Guardians as afrsd in order to shake off ye Yoke of a father-in-law Further if it doth appreare any Gift Given in my Lifetime to any of my children of Vallue therof shalbe allowed to ye other Children Aportionable. Signed Sealed Published and declared Signed Gare Vansweringen\by sd Garrett Vansweringen as his last will & testamt ye 25 day of October 1698 in the presence of us Nicholas Croutch, Willm Aisquith, Thomas Grunwin, Thos. Sinnodd And at ye bottom of ye foregoeing Will was Written....Endorsemts following vist Then came mr. William Asquith and Mr. Thomas Grunwyn two of ye Wittnesses to this Will and made oathe that they did see Garrett Vansweringen ye Testator Signe Seale Publish and declare the within & above written to be his last Will and Testament and the sd Garrett was at ye isuing therof Was of Perfect and Sound Mind & Memory. Kenelm Cheseldyn March 20, 1698. Then did Mr. Nicholas Crowtch another of ye Wittnesses above have deposed. Kenelm Cheseldyn.