Will of John ABELL (1781); St. Mary’s County, Maryland This file was contributed by Judith Burger. ************************************************************************ * 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. ************************************************************************ John Abell of Sam Signed: February 20, 1781 Proved May 15, 1781 The last Will of John Abell of Sam State of Maryland (to wit. In the Name of God amen. I John Abell of St. Marys County being in health of body, and of sound and perfect mind, memory and understanding but considering the uncertainty of this life, in order to provide for a better, have thought proper to make this my last will and Testament in manner and form following, and first of all, I bequeath my soul to God, and my body (at his will and pleasure) to the Earth to be buried in as decent and Christian like manner as to my Executors hereafter named shall shall seem meet, and as to what worldly Goods, which the Lord has been pleased to laud me, I have thought proper to dispose of in the following manner. ~~~ Item. I give and bequeath unto my son Zachariah Abell, all that Tract of Land he now lives on, Called Abells Scuffle, and one other Tract adjoining to it Called small stripe, likewise a Negro Girl by the name of Pegg, which he hath at present in his possession, to him his heirs and assigns forever, which I think is his full part of my estate. ~~~ Item. I give and bequeath my two sons, Arthur & Henry Abell, to be equally divided between them, all that tract or parcel of Land known by the name of Pauls grief, which I now live on, and part of another Tract Called Abells hope to them their heirs and assigns forever. ~~~ Item. I give and bequeath unto my son Arthur Abell one negro wench Called Stormy, & one negro boy called Clem, to him his heirs and assigns forever ~~~ Item I give & bequeath unto my son Thomas Abell, one negro girl named Rachael and one negro Girl named Susanna, to him his heirs and assigns forever ~~~ Item. I give & bequeath unto my son Henry Abell, one negro man named Ned, and one negro Girl named Jane, to him, his heirs and assigns forever. ~~~ Item. I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, one negro man named Henry, and one negro wench named Bett, and one negro Girl named Sall, and one gray mare which is at present your Riding mare, to her her heirs & assigns forever. My will and desire is, that all the residue of my estate, should be equally divided, after my wifes receiving her lawful part, between my three Sons, Viz. Arthur, Thomas and Henry Abell. Lastly. I constitute ordain nominate and appoint my loving wife Ann Abell, and my three Sons, Arthur, Thomas, and Henry Abell my hole and sole Executors of this my last will and Testament, Ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and Testament, In witness hereof I have put my hand and Seal this twentieth day of February, one thousand seven hundred and Eighty one ~~~ John Abell, of Sam. (((Seal))) Signed Sealed published and Declared by the Testator to be his last will and Testament, to which we subscribe our names as witnesses, in his presence, and at his request, also we in the presence of each other ~~~~~~~ Sam.l Abell, Sen Samuel Abell, youngest Cuthbert Fenwick On the back of the foregoing was as follows, to wit ~~~~~ Saint Marys County, to wit, the 15th day of May, 1781. Then came Ann Abell Arthur Abell, Thomas Abell and Henry Abell, executors of John Abell, late of Saint Marys County, deceased, and made oath on the holy evangels of almighty God, that the above and within instrument of writing is the true & whole will of the said deceased, that hath come to their hands or possession and that they do not know of any other. ~~~ Certified per Jeremiah Jordan Regr. Wills Saint Marys County Ss the 15th Day of May 1701. Then came Samuel Abell senr. And Samuel Abell yst. Two of the three subscribing witnesses to the aforegoing last will and Testament, of John Abell (of Saml) late of Saint Marys County, deceased, and severally made oath on the holy evangels of almighty God, that they did see the 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 sodoing, he was to the best of their apprehensions of sound and disposing mind, memory, and understanding; and, that they respectively subscribed their names as witnesses to this to this will, in the presence, and at the request of the Testator, and in the presence of each other; and also that they did see Cuthbert Fenwick subscribe the same. ~~~ Certified By Jeremiah Jordan Regr. Wills ******************************************************************************** ******************************* Transcribed by Judith A. Burger March 9, 2001 from a photocopy of the original court record, JJ 1, 172-173 obtained from Norma I. Dawson, Register of Wills, Saint Mary's County, Maryland. The photocopy was good and the writing legible. I made no corrections of any kind.