The Will of Bernard Graham

September 13, 1818

(Source: 1 Will Book, #643, pp. 442-43, Register of Wills, Westmoreland County, PA)

 

“In the name of God Amen, I Bernard Graham of Unity Township Westmoreland County and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania being sick of body but of sound mind memory and understanding blessed be God for his mercies.  Do make and ordain this to be my last Will and Testament.

 

*First I commend my Soul to God who gave it and my body to be buried in a decent and christian like manner at the discretion of my Executors herein after named.  I will and allow that all my just debts & funeral expenses be paid as soon as convenient after my decease and what remains of my estate I will and bequeath of the same in the following manner viz I leave and bequeath to my beloved wife Jane either room in this house I live or the Boys to build her a comfortable cabin or house on the place in case they should not agree to live together and the Boys to provide a sufficiency of fuel at the door and the two girls Mary Ann and Mary to live with their Mother in the large room upstairs the one I intended for them but should it not be so use they can live in it agreeable then the house to be built as before mentioned for the use aforesaid.  I leave also to my wife Jane her bed and beding her chest of drawers & her side saddle wheel and two chairs together with ten bushels of wheat six bushels of corn & six bushels of buckwheat to be paid to her yearly & every year by the said Boys during her natural life also a milk cow & two sheep & to be found summer and winter on the place.

 

*I leave and bequeath to my two sons George and Richard the place I live on jointly as tenants in common.  I leave to my son James one dollar and to my son William one dollar which together with what he has already got to be full of his share of his estate and to my son Robert I leave four hundred dollars to be paid when he comes to the age of twenty one by my two sons who enjoys the place and to my two Daughters, Mary Ann and Mary I leave four hundred dollars to be paid to each them be the said George and Richard.  And should any of the Girls get married I will that she shall get one hundred dollars at that time and one hundred yearly thereafter then next following until the whole of the four hundred dollars be paid and at the expiration of seven years from this date I allow that the said George and Richard shall have their titles vested in themselves to the land and the said Girls be paid their shares respectively.  The remainder of my personal estate after what I have mentioned above I allow to be disposed of at public sale and after paying what debts I owe the remainder to be equally divided between my four children George, Richard, Mary Ann and Mary and ten dollars to my wife to buy her a dress.

 

*And lastly, I nominate my trusty friends John Brindle & John Morrison to be the Executors of this my Last Will and Testament hereby ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament.  In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the thirteenth day of September eighteen hundred & eighteen.  No. B.  It is to be further understood that my two Daughters Mary Ann and Mary shall be paid the interest of their respective shares from my decease until they are paid what is herein before allowed to each of them and half a bushel of flaxseed sowed for my wife during her life.

                                                                                                          Bernard Graham (Seal)

Signed sealed and delivered pronounced and declared in presence of us.  Geo. Smith, Hugh Gallagher, John Brindle.

 

     Westmoreland County S.S. Before me this subscriber Register in and for said County personally came George Smith Esqr, Hugh Gallagher and John Brindle the subscribing Witnesses to the foregoing Will who being duly sworn did depose and say that that they saw the within named Bernard Graham sign the same and declare it was his last will & testament that at the execution there he was as they believe of sound mind memory & understanding that they signed as Witnesses in the presence of the Testator and at his request.

Geo. Smith

Hugh Gallagher

John Brindle

Sworn the 7th day of October A.D. 1818                                              

Before me Robt Montgomery Register.         

                                            

Recorded same day & Letters Testamentory issued to Executors.

 

(Type verbatim, with the exception of *paragraphs added for readability, by Barbara Beck-Ramsay, 4th great-granddaughter of Bernard Graham, on March 23, 2003)