Will of William Loch WEEMS (1782): Prince George’s County, MD Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Anne Agee ************************************************************************ 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. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** Last Will and Testament of William Loch Weems In the name of God, Amen; I, William Loch Weems of Prince George County in the state of Maryland, being of sound mind and disposing memory, considering the uncertainty of this life, do make this my last will and testament. Directing in which manner all the real and personal estate which almighty God has bestowed upon me shall be distributed after my decease. Whereas my dearly beloved wife has always behaved so prudently and well since our marriage as to intitle her to duty & obedience from the children She has brought me, in order to prevent their being otherwise, so far as in my power I hereby give to her the same power nature has given me over them & therefore I give her during her single state profits arising annually from my whole estate to do with as she pleases she supporting in a decent manner our children, and if any of our children should marry or otherwise misbehave so as to merit it from her, I leave it to her power to disinherit such a child & give what I hereby leave to those that do not misbehave, not doubting, but that she will as her children marry if with her consent give them on marriage so much as she can conveniently spare of what I leave them but if she should choose to marry I then and in that case leave my children free and clear from the power I have invested her with over them and give her over and above her marriage settlement of five hundred pounds currency the sum of five hundred more, a handsome chariot and four horses, also her choice of any two of my slaves to wait on her And then I give as follows, viz., To my son Nathaniel Chapman Weems and his heirs forever all my land in Prince George County and his choice of any three Negro men, three Negro women & four Negro children in my estate and in case the moneys I have in different loans should be so established that it is worth six thousand pounds specie and my present number of slaves not decrease that then I give him ten more, five of which to be working Negroes, and a sixth part of all my stock of horses, cattle, sheep & hogs, all my household furniture except five beds & furniture and all my silver plate. If he chooses to keep that and to pay to each of his brothers and sisters as they marry or arrive at the age of twenty-one his brothers and eighteen for his sisters; six silver table spoons and six tea spoons, tongs and strainer, otherwise the whole to be equally divided. I give to my son James William Loch Weems all my lands in Calvert County to him and his heirs forever and ten Negroes, six of which to be able working hands, one sixth part of all my stock of horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs, one bed and furniture, six silver table spoons & six tea spoons and tongs and strainer to be paid him by his brother Nathaniel Chapman Weems, or to have one sixth part of all the plate I have & in case the Moneys left me by my dear deceased father as well as what I have of my own should be established as aforesaid and my Slaves not decrease, then I give him five more. I give to my son John Weems all my lands in Virginia to him and his heirs forever & ten Negroes, all of which to be able working hands, one sixth part of all my horses, cattle, sheep, and hogs, and one bed and furniture the same quantity and quality of plate as to his brother & to be paid as unto him, otherwise one sixth part of all plate I leave, and in case the monies above mentioned should be as established as aforesaid and my Negroes not decrease I then give him ten Negroes more, two of which to be able working hands & the sum of two thousand five hundred pounds. I leave all the rest of my estate to be sold at public vendue and the monies arising therefrom to be equally divided amongst my three daughters, also my lot of land at Annapolis to be sold in the same way and the money divided in the same manner & in case either of my daughters should die before marriage, her part to be divided between the other two and in case two of them should die, the surviving sister take the whole unless the monies I have of my own & likewise what my dear deceased Father by his last will and testament left in the different loans, & in my power to dispose of amongst my children as I thought proper, should be so established that it is worth six thousand pounds specie then and in that case, none of my real estate is to be sold & then give to each of my daughters one thousand pounds specie, one Negro boy and one Negro girl, one bed and furniture and a gold watch to each & in case of the death of either or two of them, then, her or their part to go to the survivor or survivors as above directed as also the plate aforementioned and the remainder of my estate to be divided as above mentioned amongst my three sons and in case my son James William Loch Weems should die before he arrives to the age of twenty-one years or without will or without issue as my son Nathaniel is so much better provided for in lands than my son John I then give my land in Calvert County to my son John Weems & in case my son John should die for the same reason I give my lands in Virginia to my son James William Loch Weems on his brother John’s death without will or issue or before he attained twenty-one years and their personal estate to be divided equally between the surviving brothers, and if my son Nathaniel Chapman Weems died without issue or will my lands given him would descend to James William Loch Weems as heir at law. In that case, James William Loch Weems shall give up to his brother John Weems all the land in Calvert County and keep his brother Nathaniel Chapman Weems’ personal estate or divide his land equally with his brother John. Lastly I desire to be decently buried along side of my child who lies by my dear deceased Mother & that none of the family put on mourning for me & appoint my dearly beloved wife sole executrix of this my last will and testament desiring she will discharge my just debts out of my estate and duly perform what I have herein requested. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this third day of March Anno Domini 1782. William Loch Weems Signed, sealed, published, and declared by the said William Loch Weems as his last will and testament in the presence of us who have hereunto set our names as witnesses thereto in the presence of the Testator at his request and in the presence of each other. Thomas Rowse Isaac Walker, Jr. Stead Lowe Prince George’s County, to wit: the 15th day of August 1783. Then came Isaac Walker & Stead Lowe, the two subscribing witnesses to the within last will and testament of William Loch Weems late of Prince George’s County, deceased, and severally made oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God that they did see Testator therein named sign and seal this will and 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 apprehension of sound and disposing mind, memory, and understanding and that they together with Thomas Rowse the other subscribing witness respectively subscribed their names as witnesses to this will in the presence and the request of the Testator and in the presence of each other. Certified by Hugh Lyon, Deputy Comm. Prince George’s County Maryland