Chenango County ,Smyrna NyArchives Wills.....Knowles, Henry February 18, 1871 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ny/nyfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Dianne Delitto DianneD@aol.com January 16, 2011, 10:27 am Source: Sampubco Written: February 18, 1871 Recorded: April 18, 1877 Transcribed from SAMPUBCO copy by Dianne Delitto Chenango County, NY State Will Book Vol. T, page 391 Surnames: Knowles, Peckham, Carpenter, Boss At a Surrogate’s Court, held at the village of Norwich in and for the County of Chenango on the 16th day of April 1877. Present, Hon H. G. Prindle, Surrogate. In the matter of proving the Last Will and Testament Henry Knowles, deceased. On the day and at the place aforesaid, Benjamin Knowles, executor, named in the Last Will and Testament of the said Henry Knowles, deceased, appeared before the said County Judge acting as surrogate and offered the said last will and testament for proof and probate as a will of real and personal estate and no one appeared to oppose such proof and probate thereupon the executor produced satisfactory proof by affidavit of the due service of the citation heretofore issued in the matter requiring the heirs at law and next of kin to the said deceased to attend such proof and probate on this day as follows: personally March 26, 1877 Chas H. Knowles, Susan A. Knowles, Edward A. Knowles, and Abram I. Knowles; March 15, 1877 Francis P. Knowles and Amelia A. Knowles; March 10, 1877 Henry A. Knowles, Susan H. Peckham, Robert Knowles, and Sarah Carpenter and March 15, 1877 Chas E. Boss; George A. Thomas Special Guardian of Charles H. Knowles, Susan A. Knowles, Edward A. Knowles, and Abram S. Knowles appeared in person. And thereupon the said executor offered the following proof of the said last Will and Testament by subscribing witnesses to wit: Chenango County , James R. Boss of the Town of Smyrna , in the said County being duly affirmed and examined before H. G. Prindle, County judge of said County, acting as Surrogate thereof doth depose and say that he was acquainted with Henry Knowles, now deceased; that he was present as a witness and did see the said Henry Knowles subscribe his name at the end of the instrument in writing; now produced and shown in this deponent, bearing date the 18th day of February in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy one purporting to be the Last Will and Testament of the said Henry Knowles, deceased; that the said Henry Knowles at the time of making such subscription declared the said instrument to be his last Will and Testament and requested this deponent to sign his name as witness thereto; that thereupon the deponent did sign his name as a witness at the end of the said instrument. This deponent further says that the said Henry Knowles at the time of he so executed the said instrument was a citizen of the United States of full age of sound mind and memory, in all respects competent to devise real estate and not under any restraint and that said deponent saw Benjamin Knowles, the other subscribing witness to said instrument at the end thereof, as a witness, in the presence of the said Henry Knowles and at his request. SUBSCRIBED AND AFFIRMED TO BEFORE ME THE 16TH DAY OF APRIL 1877} James R. Boss (signed) H.G. Prindle (signed) Surrogate Chenango County, SS Benjamin Knowles of the town of Smyrna in the said County being duly affirmed and examined before H.G. Prindle, County Judge of said County, acting as Surrogate thereof doth depose and say that he was well acquainted with Henry Knowles, now deceased; that he was present as a witness and did see the said Henry Knowles subscribe his name at the end of the instrument in writing; now produced and shown to this deponent on the 18th day of February, in the year of one thousand eight hundred and seventy one, purporting to be the Last Will and Testament of the said Henry Knowles, deceased; that said Henry Knowles at the time of making such subscription, declared the said instrument to be his last Will and Testament, and requested deponent to sign his name as a witness, at the end of the instrument. This deponent further says that said Henry Knowles at the time he executed the said instrument was a citizen of the United States, of full age, of sound mind and memory, in all respects to devise real estate and not under any restraint, and that the deponent James R. Boss, the other subscribing witness to said instrument, sign the said instrument at the end thereof, as a witness, in the presence of the said Henry Knowles and at his request. Benjamin Knowles (signed) SUBSCRIBED AND AFFIRMED BEFORE ME, THE 16th DAY of April 1877. H.G. PRINDLE (Signed) Surrogate. The foregoing proofs and examinations were taken by and before me, the County Judge, acting as Surrogate aforesaid, at my office in the town of Norwich in the County of Chenango aforesaid, on the 16th Day of April A.D. 1877 and the depositions of James R. Boss and Benjamin Knowles are the only subscribing witnesses to the said instrument, were by them respectively subscribed, after having been carefully read over to them; and I, the said County Judge, acting as Surrogate as aforesaid, being satisfied upon the proof taken before me, as aforesaid, that lawful service of the Citation heretofore issued in the matter, to attend the proving of the Last Will and Testament before me, on this day, has been made by all the heirs at law and the next of kin to the said Henry Knowles, deceased; that the said Will was duly executed; that the said testator at the time of executing the same, was in all respects competent to devise real estate and personal estate and not under restraint. And I, the said County Judge acting as Surrogate, as aforesaid, being satisfied of the genuineness and validity of such Will, do adjudge and decree by virtue of the power and authority in me vested by law, that said Will and Testament was duly executed, and is a valid Will; and do further order and decree that the said Will and Testament and the proofs and examinations taken in respect to be the same be recorded; and that said last Will and Testament be and same hereby is admitted to probate and established as as a Will and Testament of real estate and personal estate. H.G. Prindle (signed) Surrogate In the Name of God, Amen! I Henry Knowles, of the town of Smyrna in the County of Chenango, State of New York being of sound mind and memory and considering the uncertainty of this frail and transitory life do therefore make, ordain, publish and declare this to be my last Will and Testament - that is to say: First, after all my lawful debts are paid and discharged, I give and bequeath to my children Henry A. Knowles, Susan H. Peckham, Mary A. Peckham, Robert Knowles, Benjamin Knowles, Letitia L. Carpenter, Sarah Carpenter, and my grandson Charles E. Boss to share equally and any property both real and personal excepting a note of $400 four hundred dollars, with interest on the same, which I give and bequeath to my son Abram A. Knowles’ heirs and assign, said note I hold against my son Abram. Likewise I make constitute and appoint Robert Knowles and Benjamin Knowles to be executors of this my last Will and Testament hereby revoking all former wills by me made. On witness whereof, I execute subscribed my name and affixed my seal the eighteenth day of 2nd month in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy one. Henry Knowles (signed) The above written instrument was subscribed by the said Henry Knowles in our presence and acknowledged by him to each of us; and he at the same time declared the above instrument so subscribe to be his last Will and Testament; and we, at his request have signed our names our respective places of residence. James R. Boss, Smyrna, Chenango County, NY Benjamin Knowles, Smyrna, NY Chenango County, SS: I hereby certify that the foregoing is a correct record of the last Will and Testament of Hnery Knowles, deceased and of the proofs thereof and that said Will and proofs have been recorded this 16th day of April 1877. H.G. Prindle (signed) Surrogate Surrogate Court, Chenango County, SS: In the matter of the goods, etc. of Henry Knowles, deceased. I, Robert Knowles of Smyrna in the County of Chenango and State of New York, the executor named and appointed in and by the last Will and Testament of Henry Knowles, late of Smyrna in Chenango County, deceased, do hereby renounce the said appointment and all right and claim to letters of testament of the said last Will and Testament or to act as executor thereof and pray the Surrogate of the County of Chenango to accept and record this my renunciation. Dated the 28th day of April, 1877. Robert Knowles (signed) Chenango County, SS: On this 28th day of April A.D. 1877, before me personally came Robert Knowles, to me personally known to be the same person described in and who executed the foregoing renunciation and acknowledged the execution thereof. F.E. Dinenick, Justice of the Peace. Chenango County, SS: I hereby certify that the foregoing is a correct record of the renunciation of the executor of the last Will and Testament of Henry Knowles, deceased and that said renunciation has been recorded this 22nd day of June 1877. H.G. Prindle (signed) Surrogate File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ny/chenango/wills/knowles851gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/nyfiles/ File size: 9.6 Kb