Last Will and Testament of Nicholas Rice (Whitehaven)

NOTE:

Spellings have not been changed.
Age, along with wear and tear, have taken their toll on this original document. There was a hole about the size of a dime roughly two and one-half inches from the right side and one-quarter from the top of the page. Both left and right edges of the document were severely worn, frayed, and torn. Text along both side edges had been smudged through the years and was difficult, if not impossible to read. There was some tape damage where repair was attempted many years ago. The file (front) side of the document had suffered dramatically from exposure. The text was extremely hard to read and portions could not be discerned at all.

In the Name of God Amen I Nicholas Rice of y^e County of Sommerset in y^e Province of Maryland being of parfect mind & memory but sick & weak in being praise be given to y^e allmighty for doe ordaine & appoynt this my last will & testament to be as followeth after beyond offring of my soule to y^e allmighty from whome I received it being in y^e merrits of my Lord & Saviour Jesus christ for y^e redemption of [torn edge] beleeving y^e resurrection of my soule & body to [hole] [torn edge] at y^e Day of Judgm^t, and my body to y^e earth from whence it was from to be decently buryed at ye discretion of my Executors hereafter mentioned as for my worldly estate I bequeeth as followeth

I give & bequeeth unto Elizabeth hardy y^e Daughter of Robert Hardy one cow to be delivered to her as soone as may be after my passage I give & bequeeth to Phillip Ascues three children each of them a sow to be delivered as above said

my will is y^t my made [sic] Mary Bishop be allowed yearly & every yeare from my said Execut^rs hereafter nominated, six hundred pounds of tobacco cut [tape damage] y^e land [-----] for y^e terme of her life as part of a mainteynance

I give & bequeeth all y^e rest of my personall Estate y^t is to say goods Cattoll chattells movable & unmovable moneys debts bills bonds together with all my lands tenements houses or buildings together with all my servants rights priviledges in & to y^e above premisses in as large & ample manner as I myself have injoyed the Land to Richard Crocket & John Evans [smudge] to them & their heyres for ever & ever to be equally divided between y^e said Richard & John & theyr heyres without y^e mollestation & interuption of any Person or Persons y^t shall lay any claime to y^e Land or to any part [torn edge] it is my will & testament [-----] by y^e Land [hole] [torn edge] Richard Crocket & John Evans Execut^rs of y^e Land [hole] disallow revoake and disanull all former wills as Doth [hole] my hand & seale this fift day of January one Thousand six hundred sevty & seven

signed sealed & deliveredThe Mark of
in y^e presence of                                                                                Nicholas NR Rice
            Tho: Daniell
            Tho: W Willson
                  his marke

By virtue of a Comission to me Direct if a Judg^t for probate of wills & granting Administracions I hold are humbly [torn edge] that on y^e 15^th day of march [torn edge] this Thomas Daniell on [-----] [torn edge] last will & testament of Nic^h Rice [torn edge] did Swar^e that he Saw Nic^h Rice [torn edge] [Seale] it : on y^e 18^th of y^e Sam^e [month of] March Thomas Wilfen mad^e [torn edge] [-----] Sam^e : To Richard Crockett [torn edge] John Evan were [-----] [-----] [smudge] [-----] [-----] [-----] & in Comon forme [smudge]
Capt David Browne & Wills & [torn edge]
James Dashile Sworne
in Comon forme appraisole of [smudge]

Source:

Somerset County, Maryland, Somerset County Register of Wills (Wills, Original) 1664-1709, Liber EB 5: 136 (MSA no. C1817-1, accession no. 10,137-1-1/85 (10,137-1-9), location 1/51/2/1), will of Nicholas Rice, 1677; Maryland State Archives, Annapolis.

Last Will and Testament of Nicholas Rice (Whitehaven) (Original)

5 January 1677

Transcribed by Tom Dunaway

Source: