Will of Thomas Courtney Reeves
Charles County, Maryland
Will Book 15, Page 159-162
Written 4 Aug 1825
Recorded 5 Dec 1825
In the name of God amen I Thomas Courtney Reeves of Charles County in the state of Maryland being of indifferent health but of sound & disposing mind memory & understanding considering the certainty of death & the uncertainty of the time thereof & being desirious (sic) to settle my worldly business & thereby be better prepared to leave this world do therefore make & publish this my last will and Testament in manner & form following that is to say (First & principally I commit my soul into the hands of Almighty God and my body to the earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executrix hereafter named and as for what worldly goods it has pleased God to bless me with I devise & bequeath them as follows -
Item I give & bequeath to the Revd. Enoch Fenwick or whatever other Priest that maybe pastor of this congregation at the time of my death the sum of one Hundred Dollars to be paid immediately after my death. Item I give & bequeath unto miss Sarah Jenkins who now lives with me the sum of five Hundred Dollars to be paid her Immediately after my death out of my estate & also three negroe Girls by name Amy Adeline & Teresa to her and her heirs forever. Item I give & bequeath unto Marsham Queen & Mary Gardiner his sister the use of all that Tract of Land now occupied by him which belongs to me containing five hundred & Thirty three acres more or less during their natural life at their death I give & bequeath said Tract of Land to Joseph Valentine Queen & to Thomas Michael Queen sons of the aforesaid Marsham Queen to them & their Heirs forever also, I give & bequeath unto Sarah Queen to Jane Queen & to Maria Queen the use of the said farm or tract of Land as a place of residence & home during their single life. Item I give & devise unto my beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves all the land lying on the north west side of the road leading from Bean Town to William Stuarts being part of the land I purchased of Alexander Hamilton & Ignatius Middleton where Jacob Robey formerly lived to her and her Heirs forever; Item I give & devise unto my cousin Doctor James Reeves all the Land * hold between the road leading from Bean Town to William Stuarts as aforesaid & the road leading from Bean Town to William Cookes to him & his heirs forever. Item I give & bequeath unto my said cousin Doctor James Reeves one negro woman Rachel & all her children that are now in his possession & whatever further Issue she may have to him & his Heirs Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves during her natural life the use of the following tract of land beginning at a bounded Hickory a boundary of Pye's Hardship and the first boundary of that part of the mistake willed by my Aunt Elizabeth Askum to the Revd. Francis Neale & standing near the gate leading to my mill thence with a straight line to a willow oak Tree Standing at the branch side near my still house thence with said branch till it intersects a small ditch leading from a spring not far from my Tobacco house called the Gum Spring thence with a straight line to that part of the road leading from Bean Town to William Cookes where the northern enclosure of my orchard intersects the said road thence with the said road until it intersects the branch line of that part of Pye's Hardship & purchased of John B. Montgomery thence with the meanders of said branch line till it intersects the Land I purchased of Franceis Middleton, a part of Pye's Hardship thence with the out lines of said Land till it Intersects the land willed by my Aunt Elizabeth Askum to Revd. Francis Neale thence with the said Land to the beginning containing all the land I purchased of Francis Middleton part of John B. Montgomery & part of the mistake and at her death I give and devise the said Tract or parcel of Land to the most Revd. Ambrose Mareschal Archbishop of Baltimore to him & his Heirs forever. Item I give & devise to the said Ambrose Mareschal three negroes Roger Cabb & Pries (?), two of my best beds, bedsteads & bed furniture via: two bolsters two pillars, two pair of Sheets two summer and winter Counterpanes & two paid of blankets half a dozen chairs half the kitchen furniture one desk now standing in the room occupied by the pastor of this congregation, one book case the best dining Table & my Rig (?) Item I give & devise to the Revd. Francis Neale after the death of my beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves all that tract or parcel of Land south of the road leading to Mr. George Gardiners and beginning at the branch which leads to my mill & running along said road as far as my land extends in that direction to him and his heirs forever. Item I give & devise to miss Matilda Boarman of the monastery of Mount Carmel near Port Tobacco the sum of Two Hundred dollars to be paid immediately after my death Item I devise & bequeath to my beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves all the rest and residue to my real Estate to her & her heirs forever. Item I give & bequeath to my said beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves the use of all the rest and residue of my personal Estate during her natural life and at her death one half of said personal Estate I give & bequeath to Thomas Semmes living near Brian Town and the residue to Elizabeth Puttinick (?) to Susannah widow of Wilson Reeves to Sarah Reeder to Rebecca Burridge and to Alexander Middleton to be equally divided between them and I moreover appoint & enjoin the said Thomas Semmes to make the division of this last mentioned part of my personal Estate after the death of my beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves in the best & most equitable manner in his power. Item I give & bequeath to my beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves my carriage & carriage Horses. Item I give & devise to my nephew Charles Boarman negroe women Judith & harriot with her children. And lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint my dear & beloved wife Elizabeth Reeves to be my sole executrix of this my last will and Testament revoking and annulling all former wills and Testaments by me heretofore made ratifying & confirming this and none other to be my last will and Testament. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this fourth day of August in the year of our lord Eighteen Hundred and Twenty five.
Thomas Courtney Reeves (Seal)
Signed Sealed published and declared by Thomas Courtney Reeves the above named Testator as and for his last will and Testament in the presence of us who at his request & in his presence & in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto George Gardiner John Gardiner & William Stewart - witnesses
At the foot of the aforegoing will it is there written to wit -
Charles County Sct. December 5th 1825 Then came John Gardiner & William Stewart two of the subscribing witnesses to the within last will and Testament of Thomas Courtney Reeves late of Charles County deceased and Severally made oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God that they did see the Testator therein named signed & seal this will and that they heard him publish pronounce & declare the same to be his last will & Testament that at the time of his so doing he was to the best of their apprehension of sound & disposing mind memory & understanding & that they together with George Gardiner the other subscribing witness to the said will respectively subscribed t heir names as witnesses to this will in the presence and at the request of the Testator and in the presence of each other.
Test William D. Merrick, Regr of Wills
Charles County Sct. Decr 5th 1825 Then came Elizabeth Reeves Executrix of Thomas Courtney Reeves and made oath on the Holy Evangely (sic?) of Almighty God that the aforegoing Instrument of writing is the true and whole will & Testament of Thomas Courtney Reeves late of Charles County deceased that hath come to her hands or possession and that she doth not know of any other.
Test William D. Merrick, Regr of Wills
I hereby certify that Elizabeth Reeves widow & James Reeves the next of kin to the deceased were present at the time the above and aforegoing probate was taken & being asked, made no objection to the taking of the same.
-- (?) Sides Wm. D. Merrick Regr of Wills
for Chas County
Decr 6th, 1825