Will of William S. L. ABELL (1859); St. Mary’s County, Maryland

This file was contributed by Judith Burger.

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William S. L. Abell
Signed: March 1, 1859
Proved: March 22, 1859

Last Will and Testament of
William S. L. Abell
In the name of God, Amen. I William S. L. Abell of Saint Mary’s County being in 
bad & declining health but of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding 
and being desirous of settling my worldly affairs and be the better therefore to 
leave this world when it shall please God to call me hence do therefore make & 
publish my last will & testament towit.
Item ~ after the payment of all my just debts & funeral charges, I will devise & 
bequeath to my Daughter Elizabeth Ann Medley the wife of Lewis Medley one negro 
Girl named Maria to her & her heirs forever.
Item. The rest and residue of my Estate Real, personal and mixed, I will and 
bequeath unto my beloved wife Elizabeth Abell to her & her heirs forever ~~ and 
I do hereby constitute and appoint my beloved wife Elizabeth Abell whole & sole 
‘Executrix’ of this my last will and Testament revoking and annulling all other 
or former, wills heretofore made by me ratifying and confirming this and none 
other to be my last will & Testament.

In Testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name and affix my seal this first 
day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty Nine

W. S. L. Abel (((seal)))

Signed, sealed, published
and declared by William
S. L. Abell the Testator and for his
last will and Testament, in our
presence who at his request and
in his presence & in the presence
of each other have subscribed
our names as witnesses hereto
Tho W. Gough
Gusty Greenwell
Mary E. Van Reswick

Filed 22nd March 1859
St. Mary’s County towit. the 22nd day of March 1859.
The last will & Testament of Wm S. L. Abell late of St. Mary’s County deceased 
being this during the recess of the Orphans Court presented to me for probat & 
Lewis C. Medley a son in Law assenting thereto and no objection being made or 
caveat filed against the same, I James T.M. Raley Register of Wills for St. 
Mary’s County proceed to take the probat thereto accordingly.
Certified by James T. M. Raley Reg of Wills
for St. Mary’s County

Saint Mary’s County Sct. The 22nd day of March 1859. Then came Thomas W. Gough & 
Gusty Greenwell two of the three subscribing witnesses to within last will & 
testament of Wm S. L. Abell late of St. Mary’s County deceased and severally 
made oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God, that they did see the Testator 
herein named sign & 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 will in the presence~ and at the request of the Testator and 
in the presence of each other and also that they did see Mary E. Van Reswick the 
other witness to this will subscribe the same in the presence and at the request 
of the Testator.
Certified by J. T. M. Raley Reg of Wills
for St. Mary’s County
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Transcribed by Judith A. Burger April 18, 2001 from a photocopy of the original 
court document, JTMR 1, 40-41, obtained from Norma I. Dawson, Register of Wills, 
Saint Mary’s County, Maryland. The photocopy was good and the writing was 
legible. I made no corrections of any kind.