John Litch will, 21 March 1781
Here is a transcription of the will of John Litch of Granville dated 21 March 1781 proved 1 December 1784:
In the Name of God Amen, the twenty first day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & eighty one, I John Litch of Granville, in the County of Annapolis & Province of Nova Scotia yeamon, being mindful of my latter end, but of perfect mind & memory, thanks be given to God; calling into mind ye mortality of my body & knowing it is appointed for all men to die, do make & ordain this my last will & testament; that is to say principally & first I give & recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it, & my body I recommend to the earth, to be buried in decent Christian burial, at the discretion of my Executrex, nothing doubting, but at the general resurrection, I shall receive the same again, by the mighty pour of God~
And as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give Devise & dispose of ye same in the following manner & form~
Primis, I give & bequeath to my Dearly beloved Wife Abigail Litch all & singular my household goods, Debts, & moveable effects, after my just Debts & funeral charges are pay’d, by her fully to be possessed & injoyed; together with ye improvement of my Lands, messuages & tenements, till my youngest son Washington shall arrive to twenty one years of age, or in case of his Death, till my youngest child that lives, shall be of age; for ye purposes of his own support & providing for my children during their minority, as well to inable her to pay of the Legacies hereafter mentioned~
Item, I give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Lydia, fifteen pounds of good & lawful money of this Province of Nova Scotia, to be raised & levied out of my goods & moveable effects, & pay’d by my Executrex (----) mentioned, at ye time that my said Daughter shall be Eighteen years old~
Item, I give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Rebeccah fifteen pounds of ye currency aforesaid, to be raised. Levied & pay’d as aforesaid, when my said Daughter Rebeccah shall be eighteen years old~
Item, I give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Elisabeth fifteen pounds of ye currency aforesaid, to be raised, Levied & pay’d as aforesaid, when my said Daughter Elisabeth shall be eighteen years old~
Item, I give & bequeath to my three beloved Sons Manasseh, James, & Washington, the whole of my lands, messuages & tenements, or real estate, to be equally injoyed & possessed by them, reserving the improvement of one third part of my said real estate, for ye use & benefit of my Wife Abigail Litch, during the time she shall continue my Widow, my three before mentioned sons, also paying to each of my before mentioned Daughters, the sum of Eight(y?) pounds currency, at the time that my three sons before mentioned shall come into ye possession of the whole of my said real estate~
Item, It is my will & desire that my said Wife should be the Guardian of my before mentioned six children, till they be of age, & that my said Wife be solely benefited by their labour during their minority unless she see fit to bind some, or any of them out or (----) to some master or masters, to learn a trade, or to receive such Denotions from their said Master, or Masters as is customary in such cases~
Item, I do hereby constitute, make & ordain my beloved Wife Abigail Litch, Executrix jointly with Asarelah Morse clerk, Executor of this my last will & Testament. And I do utterly Disallow, revoke & disanull, all & every other former Testament, Wills, Legacies & bequests, & Executors, by me in any ways before nam’d, will’d & bequeathed, notifying and confirming this & no other to be my last will & testament.
John Litch
In witness whereof I have here unto set my hand & seal, the day & yeare above written, sign’d, seal’d, published & Declared by the said John Litch as his last will & testament, in the presence of us the subscribers-
Robert Sproul
Moses Shaw
Jacob Woster
Jane Sproul
And as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give Devise & dispose of ye same in the following manner & form~
Primis, I give & bequeath to my Dearly beloved Wife Abigail Litch all & singular my household goods, Debts, & moveable effects, after my just Debts & funeral charges are pay’d, by her fully to be possessed & injoyed; together with ye improvement of my Lands, messuages & tenements, till my youngest son Washington shall arrive to twenty one years of age, or in case of his Death, till my youngest child that lives, shall be of age; for ye purposes of his own support & providing for my children during their minority, as well to inable her to pay of the Legacies hereafter mentioned~
Item, I give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Lydia, fifteen pounds of good & lawful money of this Province of Nova Scotia, to be raised & levied out of my goods & moveable effects, & pay’d by my Executrex (----) mentioned, at ye time that my said Daughter shall be Eighteen years old~
Item, I give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Rebeccah fifteen pounds of ye currency aforesaid, to be raised. Levied & pay’d as aforesaid, when my said Daughter Rebeccah shall be eighteen years old~
Item, I give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Elisabeth fifteen pounds of ye currency aforesaid, to be raised, Levied & pay’d as aforesaid, when my said Daughter Elisabeth shall be eighteen years old~
Item, I give & bequeath to my three beloved Sons Manasseh, James, & Washington, the whole of my lands, messuages & tenements, or real estate, to be equally injoyed & possessed by them, reserving the improvement of one third part of my said real estate, for ye use & benefit of my Wife Abigail Litch, during the time she shall continue my Widow, my three before mentioned sons, also paying to each of my before mentioned Daughters, the sum of Eight(y?) pounds currency, at the time that my three sons before mentioned shall come into ye possession of the whole of my said real estate~
Item, It is my will & desire that my said Wife should be the Guardian of my before mentioned six children, till they be of age, & that my said Wife be solely benefited by their labour during their minority unless she see fit to bind some, or any of them out or (----) to some master or masters, to learn a trade, or to receive such Denotions from their said Master, or Masters as is customary in such cases~
Item, I do hereby constitute, make & ordain my beloved Wife Abigail Litch, Executrix jointly with Asarelah Morse clerk, Executor of this my last will & Testament. And I do utterly Disallow, revoke & disanull, all & every other former Testament, Wills, Legacies & bequests, & Executors, by me in any ways before nam’d, will’d & bequeathed, notifying and confirming this & no other to be my last will & testament.
John Litch
In witness whereof I have here unto set my hand & seal, the day & yeare above written, sign’d, seal’d, published & Declared by the said John Litch as his last will & testament, in the presence of us the subscribers-
Robert Sproul
Moses Shaw
Jacob Woster
Jane Sproul
