JUNE 1, 1843
Last Will & Testament of HENRY
WILHELM
In the name of God, Amen.
I, Henry Wilhelm of Baltimore County and State of Maryland, being sick
and weak, in body, but of sound mind, memory and understanding, praised be to
God for it, and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the
time thereof, and to the end I may be the better prepared to leave this world
whenever it shall please God to call me hence do therefore make and declare
this my last Will and Testament in manner following, that is to say:
First and principally I commend my soul into the hands of
Almighty God my Creator hoping for free pardon and remission of all my sins,
and to enjoy everlasting happiness in the heavenly kingdom through Jesus Christ
my Saviour, my body I commend to the earth at the discretion of my Executors
hereinafter named.
I will that all my past debts as shall be by me owing at my
death, together with my funeral expenses and all charges touching the proving
of or otherwise of this my will, shall in the first place out of my personal
Estate and effects be fully paid and satisfied, and from and after payment
thereof and subject thereto, then my will is that my dear wife, Catherine, have
all the furniture that was in the room commonly called her room on the 18th day
of April last, which has since been moved out of said room. Also two cows, and one good horse of the
stock, the carriage and harness, two copper kettles, the clock and ten bushels
of good wheat and ten bushels of corn.
I further will and bequeath that my wife have one third of
all the proceeds of the residue of my personal estate and the land that is to
be sold to be paid unto her by my Executors hereinafter named in current money,
as soon as the said Executors shall sell the same and collect the amount
thereof. It is also my will that my
wife have the small house called the cellar house on the home place together
with a garden and potato patch, stabling for her horse and one cow, and a
sufficiency of fire wood to be hauled to her door. Peter B. Wilhelm to furnish the same, and also a sufficiency of
hay and feed for said cow and horse, and the said Peter B. Wilhelm to have
privilege to work said horse when his mother does not want him for her own use.
I further will that each of my children namely, Jacob,
Henry, Mary who is intermarried with Henry Kone, Daniel, and Elizabeth who is
intermarried with Robert Wright, shall pay unto my wife each Twenty dollars per
year after my death during her natural life.
I further will, that my son Peter B. Wilhelm pay my wife Ten dollars per
year during her natural life, the lands willed to the children to be bound for
the payment for the same during her natural life, severly to be
collected by distress or otherwise if not punctually paid.
I further will that my black girl named Beck, belong to my
wife during her natural life or until she, the said black girl, arrives to the
age of forty years, and if my wife departs this life before the said black girl
arrives to the age of forty years, she is then to be sold by my Executors and
the proceeds thereof to be equally divided between all my children share and
share alike. And at the age of forty
years it is my will she shall be set free and should the said black girl have
children it is my will that they shall all be set free when they shall arrive
at the age of thirty five years.
It is also my will that my son Daniel B. Wilhelm have my
black boy named John until he is thirty five years old, then to be free.
It is my further will that my black boy named Asel shall
belong to my sons Henry B. Wilhelm and Peter B. Wilhelm until he is thirty five
years of age to work year about alternately with them but that Peter B. Wilhelm
to have him the first year, and at the age of thirty five years, it is my will
he shall be free. And it is my will
that neither Henry B. Wilhelm nor Peter B. Wilhelm is to sell their titles in
said boy without the consent of both and that each shall find him in clothing
during the time he is in their service.
I further will that my Executors give up the note or
obligation I hold against my son Jacob B. Wilhelm at my death, and also that
they give up unto my son Daniel B. Wilhelm all the notes or obligations I hold
against him my son Daniel B. Wilhelm, except four notes given by my son Daniel
B. Wilhelm to me bearing the date the 9th day of May 1843, for Fifty dollars
each which is to come into the common stock when paid.
And I further will that my son Henry B. Wilhelm have the
plantation where Lyzander Mccullough now lives as soon as the said Mccullough's
lease is expired to take possession thereof and to occupy the same and if the
said Henry B. Wilhelm shall behave soberly and study for the term of five years
from my death, it is my will that my Executors shall then make and execute a
good and lawful deed clear of all encumbrances unto him the said Henry B.
Wilhelm, his heirs and assigns forever, for the said land and premises as
though I was personally present and had done it myself. But if the said Executors is of the opinion
that the said Henry B. Wilhelm will waste and destroy said property, and (can
show good grounds for said opinion) then they are by this my last Will and
Testament to apply to the proper authority and have a trustee or trustees
appointed to take charge of the same for the use of himself, his wife, and
children during his natural life, and at his death to be the right title and
estate of his heirs and their assigns forever.
And that his wife shall have her right of dower in the same during her
natural life or widowhood. The same
land or farm is now valued by me to Five hundred and fifty dollars. To the said Henry B. Wilhelm, the rent to be
collected from the said Lyzander Mccullough by my Executors, and come into the
common stock.
And I have heretofore conveyed unto my son Jacob B. Wilhelm
one plantation valued to Three hundred and fifty dollars; and I have conveyed
unto my son Daniel B. Wilhelm one plantation valued to Four hundred dollars.
I now will and bequeath unto my son Peter B. Wilhelm one
plantation where I now reside, containing one hundred and thirty two acres and
three quarters of an acre, more or less agreeable to a survey made by Enoch
Dorsey, March 3, 1843, which I value to Five hundred and fifty dollars. And there is a valuable saw mill on the land
I now will to Peter B. Wilhelm, and my son Jacob B. Wilhelm getting no part
therein nor in the negroes. It is my
will that my son Peter B. Wilhelm pay unto my son Jacob B. Wilhelm One hundred
dollars in four equal annual payments clear of interest, the first payment to be
made in three years after my death, and the others annually thereafter, to be
paid out of his own funds and not out of my estate.
I also will and bequeath unto my daughter Mary who
intermarried with Henry Kone the plantation where Peter B Wilhelm now resides
containing Eighty five acres three quarters of an acre and twenty perches more
or less agreeable to a survey made by Enoch Dorsey the 2nd day of March 1843
which I value to Five hundred dollars.
I further will and bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth who
intermarried with Robert Wright all the land that I purchased from Donaldson
and Evans, Trustees for Thomas H Gist's heir, except six acres of woodland
adjoining my other wood lot including as much old field as will make a road
along Ebaugh's line to Coopers corner, containing One hundred acres one quarter
of an acre and three perches more or less valued by me to Five hundred dollars.
I further will that my wife have privilege of a room up
stairs in the house that I will unto Peter B. Wilhelm for to put a bed in and
that she have free intercourse to and from the same for to lodge herself or her
friends when she thinks proper, the said lands and premises before mentioned to
be the right, title and estate of the before mentioned parties their Heirs and
Assigns forever agreeable to the foregoing Will and the restrictions and
exceptions therein mentioned. I further
will that my wife have one other bed besides the one included in the furniture
that was in her room.
It is further my will that Jacob B. Wilhelm and Daniel B.
Wilhelm give unto their mother a written obligation severly binding
themselves and their respective Heirs to pay unto her each Twenty dollars per
year during her natural life as before mentioned before they shall receive any
part of the estate more than the premises which hath heretofore been conveyed
unto them by me.
I further will that all the residence of my personal
property be sold by my Executors according to law except the part willed by me
to my wife, and the two black boys willed by me to Peter, Henry, and
Daniel. And also all the residence of
my real estate not heretofore mentioned and willed shall be sold within two
years after my death by my Executors at public sale who is hereby vested with
full power and authority to convey the same to each and every person purchasing
as though I was personally present and had bone it myself.
I further will that the balance of my personal property not
herein willed when sold and the money collected that my Executors shall pay the
amount to my children that hath got the least value of my real estate shall
have the proceeds of the personal property, when the necessary expenses are
paid, provided there is enough to make them equal agreeable to my valuation
they shall pay so far as it will reach towards making them all equal, according
to my valuation as aforesaid; and when the land is sold by my Executors they
shall make them all equal. And what
ever is over and above making them equal after taking out the proper expenses
shall be equally divided share and share alike among all my children before
mentioned.
The intent of this my last Will and Testament is that the
two black boys namely John and Asel shall not come into the common stock, but
to be the right, title and estate of Peter, Henry, and Daniel as before stated.
And lastly, I make and ordain my two sons Peter B. Wilhelm
and Daniel B. Wilhelm Executors of this my last Will and Testament revoking all
other Wills heretofore made by me.
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Signed, sealed, and acknowledged by the Testator in the
presence of us, and in the presence of each other, as his last Will and
Testament this first day of June 1843.
Henry Kidd
Jacob M. Hampsher
Solomon Heckman
Baltimore County: On the 10th day of August 1843 came Henry
Kidd, Jacob M. Hampsher, and Solomon Heckman, the three subscribing witnesses
to the foregoing last Will and Testament of Henry Wilhelm late of said County,
deceased and made Oath on the Holy Evangel of Almighty God that they did see
the Testator sign and seal this Will, that they heard him, publish, pronounce
and declare the same to be his last Will and Testament, that at the time of his
so doing he was to the best of their apprehensions of sound and disposing mind
memory and understanding, and that the subscribed their names as witnesses to
this Will in his presence, at his request, and in the presence of each other.
Sworn to before the Subscriber Register of wills for
Baltimore County.
D.M. Perine
(Transcribed by Steve Pearce January 30, 1992)
(wilhw43)