LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF EDWARD COLE, VOLUME 14, PAGES 644 THRU 646 MARYLAND STATE ARCHIVES, HALL OF RECORDS, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 1717 IN THE NAME OF God Amen. I Edward Cole Senior of St. Marys County being now in good bodily health & of Sound & perfect Senses & Memory Thanks be to Almighty God for all his Benefits & Considering the Uncertainty of this transitory Life we live in doe think it Expedient & Necessary to Settle & Dispose of all such temporall benefits which pleased Almighty God hitherto to Endow me & with & in order thereunto doe make this my last will Renouncing Revoking Making Voyd any Will or Wills heretofore by me made either Verball or in writing but this to be Effectually taken for my last will & Testament in Manner & formes following vids. Imprimis First & Principally I give & bequeath my Soule to Almighty God that gave it & firmly & Constantly believing that through the Meritorious death and Passion of My blessed Saviour Jesus Christ I shall receive full pardon & Remission of all my past Crimes and Sins & my Body I bequeath to the Earth from whence it Came to be buried in Decent manner according to the Discretion of my Exectr and Exectrx hereafter specifyed. 1st Items I Will & Desire that all such Debts which of Right I owe to any parsons may be Discharged & paid in some Reasonable time after my Decease--Especially to Capt. John Hyde or his assignes if any due. 2dly Items I give & bequeath unto my beloved Wife Elizabeth Cole & her assignes forever one Negro man Called George & his wife called Bess now att Madenbower, any one Chest of Drawes which she shall please to make choice off, of the two Chests of Drawes which I now have with as much of the rest of my Estate as shall come to her thirds. 3dly Items I give & bequeath unto my beloved son Edward Cole one shill Sterl to be paid in some Convenient time after my Decease which said Shilling is to be all that he shall have out of my Estate more than he has already had for his part he having Recd his full part except this Shill already. 4thly Items I will & Desire that if after my Decease any Goods comes in from Captain John Hyde or his assignes Consigned to me or that doth any wise Concerne the said Hydes & my merchandising I Desire & will that my Son Edward Cole shall have the Disposeall of them & be paid for his Trouble & Cares & the profitt & Gaine of the said Cargoe or Goods to be added to my Estate. 5thly Items I Will & Desire after my decease if any Goods be in the store be them more or less I will & Desire that my Son Edward Cole have the Disposeall of them as of the other before menconed & that he may have Liberty to come & Dispose of the same when he shall have his Sett Dayes & as soon as my Decease I will & Desire that my son Edward Cole take the Key of the Stores & the Goods into his possession & cares. 6thly Items I give & bequeath all my wearing apparell my Wiggs only Excepted to be Distributed to Such poor people as my Exectr or Exectrx shall think fitting & Convenient. 7thly Items I will & Desire that after the Discharge of my just Debts that then the Remaining part of my Said Estate as well Quick as Dead be equally Divided amongst my six Children vid Elizabeth Heard Robert Cole Honour Spalding Ruth Mattingly Susanna Jenkins & Mary Jenkins. 8thly Lastly Item And for the Executing Effecting & fulfilling of this my last Will & Testament I nominate Constitute & appoint my well beloved wife Elizabeth Cole & my beloved Son Robert Cole to be true and lawfull Exectr and Exectrx to the true performance of this my last Will & Testament to see that nobody hereabove menconed be any wise wronged as ye shall answer the same at the Day of Judgement As Witness my hand & seale this Sixteenth Day of Aprill Anno Domini 1717. EDWD (his marke) COLE (Seale) Sealed Signed & Delivered in the Presence of us Clemt Gardiner Joseph Power James Thompson The aforegoing Will was thus Endorsed December the 20th 1717. Then came Clement Gardiner & Joseph Power Two of the Witnesses to the within Will & made Oath they saw the above named Edward Cole Seale Signe & Deliver the Same as his last Will & Testament. WM AISQUITH, Dept Comry =========================================================================== File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Elizabeth F. Randolph efrpac@mocty.com 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.