Will of John Horn ABELL (1799); 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 Horn Abell
Signed: April 16, 1799
Proved: March 3, 1801

John Horn Abell
his last Will
In the name of God Amen. I John Horn Abell of Saint Mary's County,in the State 
of Maryland being Sick and weak in body but of Sound and perfect memory thanks 
be to God for it. I do hereby order this writing to be my last Will and 
Testament ~~ I give my Soul to the almighty God, that gave it me and my body to 
the earth to be buried at the discretion of my Executor hereafter named by me ~~ 
Item I give & bequeath unto William Bennet and his heirs half the ground the 
Wind Mill stands on half the mill being his right, he helping to keep up the 
gates and paths for her use the right of the Land being as long as the Mill can 
be Kept in repair and know longer ~~ Item I give and bequeath unto my Sisters 
Child, Winifred Dunbar & her heirs one negro man named Adam & if she should die 
without heirs of her body then the negro to return to her younger sister and her 
heirs ~~ Item I give & bequeath unto my Sisters Son John Abell Dunbar, all the 
rest of my Estate Real and personal to his and his heirs lawfully begotton of 
his body and if he should die without heirs then the home plantation and what 
Land I bought of William Richardson to fall to his brother Edward Dunbar, and 
his heirs, and the Land I Bought of Robert Ford and Sim Stiles to William Dunbar 
and his heirs, and I do constitute and appoint John Abell Dunbar my whole and 
Sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament, signed sealed proclaimed and 
declared to be my last Will and Testament this 16th day of April one thousand 
Seven hundred and ninety nine ~~
John Horn Abell (((Seal)))

In the presence of
Joseph Sanner Senr
Henry Taylor 
William Hammett 

On the back of the aforegoing was the following, towit;
Saint Mary's County, towit: the 3rd day of March 1801. Then came John Abell 
Dunbar and made oath on the holy Evangels of almighty God, that the within 
instrument of writing is the true and whole Will and Testament of John Horn 
Abell late of Saint Mary's County deceased, that hath come to his hands or 
possession and that he does not know of any other ~~
Certified by Jeremiah Jordan reg. wills
for Saint Mary's County

Saint Mary's County Ss. The 3rd day of March 1801. Then came Joseph Sanner Senr. 
Henry Taylor & William Hammett the three Subscribing Witnesses to the within 
last Will and Testament of John Horn Abell last of Saint Mary's County deceased, 
and severally made Oath on the holy Evangels of almighty God, that they did see 
the Testator therin named Sign & Seal this Will and that they did hear him 
publish pronounce and declare the same to be his last Will & Testament that at 
the time of his so doing he was to the best of their apprehensions of Sound and 
disposing mend memory and understanding. And that they respectively Subscribed 
their names as Witnesses to this Will in the presence and and at the request of 
the Testator and in the presence of each other ~~
Certified per Jeremiah Jordan reg wills
for Saint Mary's County

********************************************************************************
*******************************
Transcribed by Judith A. Burger March 15, 2001 from a photocopy of the original 
court record, JJ 2, 272-273, 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. This same will is recorded in JJ 2, 312-313 
word for word with the exception of the last sentence which reads "this 14th day 
of April one thousand seven hundred (blot) ninety nine", and the spelling of 
some of the words differ. The first will was transcribed due to the fact that 
the writing was easier to read.