Will of Thomas Reeves
St. Mary’s County, Maryland
Will Book TA1 Page 266-268
Written 14 Dec 1751
Recorded 13 Jan 1752
The Last Will of } In the name of God Amen, I Thomas Reeves of St. Marys
Thomas Reeves } County, being of sound mind do make, and ordain this my
Last Will and Testament in manner, and form following, that is to say first I commend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, and my body I commit to the earth, to be decently buried at ye discretion of my Executors hereafter named & astouching ye disposition of all my Temporal Estate I give and dispose thereof as followeth, I will that my debts and funeral Charges, shall be paid and discharged ~ Item I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Mry (sic Mary) Reeves ye use of the plantation I now Live on during her natural Life (sic) ~ Item I give and bequeath to my beloved wife ye use of all my negroes during her naturall Life ~ Item I give to beloved wife ye use of all my hogs & Chattles, and stocks of all sorts, with all my moveables and household furniture during her natural Life ~ Item I give and bequeath to my Grandson John Hobson a parcel of Land Lying one (sic on) ye South Side of the Road beginning at a Scrub White Oake, being a bounder of William Knots it being a part of a Deed of my fathers and a part of my fathers will, I do give him & his Eeirs (sic) Lawfully begotten of his body forever & running with ye parth (sic path?) call by ye name of Tompsons parth (sic path?), and Runing with ye said parith (sic) as fur (sic far) as the Land goes from thence to ye beginning tree of wails (sic Walles) as in dijcon (sic?) being a part of Wails (sic Walles) dijion (sic?) and from thence to a poplar and from thence up to a marked post and from thence to William Knots by bound tree being a hundred Eakers (sic acres) of Land more or Less ~ Item I give and bequeath to my beloved daughter Elisabeth Thomas, my Dwelling plantation being all the rest of the Land not given away being upon ye north side of ye said Rode, and if my Grandson John Hobson, Should ever ofer to *istlist (?) my foresaid Daughter Elisabeth Thomas of any of the aforesaid Land it is my will and desire, that my Daughter should Enjoy his part of the aforesaid mentioned Land ~ Item and I also I (sic) give and bequeath to my said Daughter one, plantasson (sic plantation) a part of Besston (?) which formerly held by Edmon Farr I give and bequeath to her & her Ears (sic heirs) Lawfully begotten of her body for ever and I also desire, that my said Daughter, Should not felch or cut any timber of ye said Land given my Grandson or clare (sic clear) any more ground ~ Item I give and bequeath to my Daughter Elisabeth Thomas one negro man called Tanner, and one negro woman called Sarah, and also an (sic) negro gall called Abbogall & also negro boy called Tenk & their increase to her and her ears (sic heirs) Lawfully begotten of her body forever ~ And it is my will that if my Daughter should Dye without any Lawfull heirs, that my Grandson John Hobson should enjoy her part of her estate ~ Item I give and bequeath to my Grandson John Hobson, one negro man called Moses and also negro boy called Jarard, and also negro gall called Torey and her Encrease, to him & his h eirs Lawfully begotten of his body forever, and it is my will and desire, that if my Grandson John Hobson, Should die without any Lawfull Eairs (sic heirs) of his bodey my will is that my forementioned daughter should injoy (sic) his part of his Estate ~ Item I give and bequeath to my Daughter Elisabeth Thomas, one Chist (sic chest) of Drawers, and a small Black walnut Tabell ~ Item I give and bequeath to my Grandson John Hobson, one deske and also a maple Tabel and also a Gune (? gun) ~ Item I give and bequeath to my aforesaid Daughter, two thurds of all my Hoggs and Chattles and stocks of all sorts, and alls two thurds of all my movables & household furniture ~ Item I give and bequeath to my Grandson John Hobson one thurd part of all my hogs & Chattls & stocks of all sorts & also one thurd of all my moveables, and household furniture, and it tis my will that my Grandson John Hobson, should pay one thurd of the Charges ~ Item I give and bequeath to my Cusson (sic cousin) Susanah Reeves Senr one cow and calf ~ Item I give and bequeath to my sun in Law Thomas Hobson one Ewe & Lamb ~ Item it tis my will that if my Daughter Elizabeth Thomas Should die without Ears (sic heirs), and also my Grandson John Hobson should die without Earis (sic heirs), Lawfully begotten of tharee (sic) bodeys that Thomas Reeves Junr the son of my Brother William Reeves, Should injoy (sic) thare Estate both moveables and immovabols (sic), I give to him and his Earis (sic heirs) Lawfully begotten of his body forever ~ Item I also apoynt Thomas Reeves and John Maddox bouth as trustees to Such, that my Grandson John Hobson to so that he should not basol (sic?) and fool away his estate til he do arrive to the years of twenty and one years ~ I do hereby make and appoint my Daughter Elisabeth Thomas as full and sole Executor of this my Las Will & Testament & I do hereby Revoke disannul & make void, all former will and Testaments by me heretofore made either by word of mouth or in writing, In witness whereof I the said Thomas Reeves to this my Last Will and Testament contained in one sheet of paper I have set my hand and seal this 14th day of December in the year of our Lord 1751
Signed, Sealed, and published Thos. Reeves (seal)
and declared in presence of us
John Maddox } St. Marys Cs ~January the 13th - 1752 ~
Bass Barber } then John Maddox Baptist Barber and George
Gorge (mark) Thompson } Thompson the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing will being duly & Solemnly Sworn on the holy Evangels of almighty God depose and say that they Saw the Testator Thomas Reeves sign the foregoing will and heard him publish and declare the same to be his Last Will and Tesetament that at the time of his so doing he was to the best of their apprehension of sound & disposing mind and memory, and that they subscribed their Respective names as witnesses to the said Will in the presence of the said Testator and at his Request.
Sworn to before me ~ Tho Aisquith Depty Comissy
of St. Marys County
Feby 4th 1752 ~ Then the de**ash (?) widow }
made her Election and Stands to the Will }
Certified by me, Thos Aisquity Depty Comissy of St. Marys County