Will of James FRENCH (1733); St. Mary’s County, Maryland This file was contributed by Sheila . ************************************************************************ * 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. ************************************************************************ THE LAST WILL OF JAMES FRENCH dated March 4, 1733, p. 26-27 In the name of God, Amen, I, James French of St. Mary's County ___being weak in body but of sound mind and memory, blessed be God, do make this my last Will and Testament in form as follows: ____I give and bequeath unto my beloved grandson, John French, to him and his heirs forever, one hundred and ten acres of land, meaning the plantation I now live upon being part of (Hopton) Park. Item: I give and bequeath fifty acres of land to be laid out on the West side of my land and also on the west side of a Branch unto my well beloved grand child, Mary Leake, wife of John Leake, to her and the heirs of her body lawfully begotten forever. Item: My Will is that my good and trusty servant, James Kirby, shall be free from servitude on the day of my death. Item: My Will is after all my just debts are paid, all that remains of my personal Estate be equally divided amongst all my grandchildren. Item: I constitute and appoint my said grandchild, John French, my whole and sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament, in Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal on this fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord, 1733. James French (Seal) Signed, sealed & published to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of: John Thompson James + Ruil Elizabeth + French March 17, 1733 John Thompson and Elizabeth French, two of the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing Will, being duly and solemnly sworn on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God, depose and say that they saw the Testator, James French, sign the foregoing Will and heard him publish and declare the same to be his last Will and Testament that at the time of his doing so he was to the best of their apprehension of sound and disposing mind and memory and that they subscribed their respective names as witnesses to the said will in the presence of John French, grandson and heir at law, which same, John French did not object to the ____of the said Will. Sworn to before me Tho. Aisquith, Dep. County Clk. of St. Mary's County. (Source-published in "The Brian-Bryan-O'Brian Family of Colesburg, Hardin County , Kentucky" by Joseph L. Corbett) (James French, s/o Martin French, was born about 1650 in Galway, Ireland, transported to Maryland 1671. Married Elizabeth Meekin, d/o William Meekin and Margaret Beard. Ref. Colonial Settlers of St. Clement's Bay 1634-1780, St. Mary's Co, MD by Sister Mary Louise Donnelly)