The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-01-01
OLD WILLS,


Yesterday . guileless representative oil
this paper was nosing around in the vault
Of tie County Clerks office among the
mualy tpmbs, when his inq1isitive optics
rested upon q venerable volume bearing
ing the title, Records OF wills, No. l.
l~777.lsO9." There must be something. Of
interest within the covers OF that book,
thought the e. r. The time covered wit
messed the kindling OF the first fires OF the
Revolution, and saw the colonies trans
formed from servile dependencies into a
nation OF thirteen STATES. Many oil the
testators whose last wishes were recorded
on the yellow leaves Of tho aged book per
haps had seen the men who were the
Summers Of the OounCilso Of State, and some
who brought the might and strength oil
| Achilles into the field Of action.
Oae hundred and three Of tho most
eyentiul wears in the history OF the world
have passed away since the ink dried on
the fiat page OF this volume, and though
some dimmed by corroding time, it Is ial
brighter aud iresher than thu memory Of
the stirring events Of the period IL which
| the pen traced the characters. The clerk,
too, who did the work has long since been
gathered to his fathers, full OF years and
honors. And as the reporter gazed on the
pages with q feeling somewhat akin &c
reverence for antiquity, he thought Of the
beautiful linea written on an old letter,
which u as follows:
"Ah, thou dearly loved old latter,
Thou AIT crumbllug Into dGstj
Asthe hand that wrote thee has done,
As the hand now writing must
The writer certainly having no persona
experience with the forms OF villa, or ex,
pert knowledge or theory as to the Legal
strength Of the instruments he glanced at,
yet, even to hia unprSctlced eye, some ap.
peared to be weak in their oTthographica.
construction, while the architecture
structure OF others eeemed strong
enough TO wilh3tand the assault
LOT a Philadelphia lawyer, whose &c
umen is alleged to be more acute
than other meLlbers Of the profession
who have not the advantage OF locality In
their favor. an
the first will recorded Is dated May Is.
l777, Among ito many peCuliarities oil
language and photography, odd forms oil
the latter are most striking, For Instance,
"BuiTalow" creek, ''serVays," "lawtull.'
These mistakes eau hardly be excused as
following the old style of spelling, nor
can they be laid to The idiosYnCracies oil
the schOolmNster. Another Testament
made a year later, covers u whole page
without relieving tho %monotony by a sin'
Go mark of punctuation. The opening
language OF the will exhibits peculiar re-
~ligious zeal aud christian faith, and the
%apeciel directions regarding the dispOsi'
ton Of the body, gives us q sort Of 6Imy
idea that In those days there were Other
modes OF burial than putting in the
ground. The command, however, Is
Imperative for an orthodox funeral,
The language referred to says; I'm the
name OF God, amen, I, - oil Ohio,
county being very sick and weak In body
hut Of perfect memory, thanks be given
INTO God, calling into mind the mortality
Of my body and knowing that it Is appoint
ed for all men once TO die, DO make and
ordain this my last will and testament
That 10 TO say: Principally and trst oil alr
| give and recommend my soul Into the
hands Of Almighty God that gave 1t, and
nv body | recommend to the earth to be
buried in decent Christian burial at the
direction OF my executors, nothing doubt.
ing but at the general resurrection shall
~reCeive tho same again by the mighty
power OF God" Then followed the deyises
which arc OF no special interest.
The frequent appearance OF the names
OF Ebene2er Zane aud Col. Sheppard, per
sons Familiarity identified with the history
OF the early settlement Of Wheeling, ae
witnesses or aa holding certain property
or Valuables Of the iestators, shows that
they were the men Of prominence and IN
tegrity they were held TO DO by the
writer's OF the history Of those times, and
that they enjoved to q high degree the
confidence OF all.
Another will, taking the pages at ran.
dom, was drawn upin the glorious year o.
l776 a few montha after the famous dec.
l~arglion which promulgated to the world
the independence Of the American colo
nics, which must have been an exciting
time indeed. The same ~precaution as y
directions for 'idecent and genteel burial
IL noticed in this as 10 most all OF the early
Instruments, and where also the word
heirs - spelled "hears."
Another testament opens In tho follow
ing resigned and philosophical language:
L. - being very click in body, but
Of good and Rouud memory, thanks be IA
Almighty God for all the blessingsthat he
Is pleased to bestow upon me, and calling
to remembrance the uncertain estate oil
thia trnnsitory life and thpt all flesh must
yield to death, do make, &C., &c" Con
%tinuing the Language OF tho testator Ia PEI
Culiarly s%criptural and suggestive. "Be'
ing penitent and very sorry from the bot
ton Of my heart for my BinB past ana most
humblY desiring forgiveness lor the same
| give and commit my soul unto Almighty
God, my Savior and Redeemer, In whom
and By the merits Of Jesus Christ, | trust
and believe assuredly TO he saved; and
that my sonl with my body ct the general
day of resi- rreGti0n shgll G'lsp again with
Joy and through the meritR o., Christ's
death and passion possess and Inherit the
kingdom OF Heaven prepared Tor bis elect
and chosen, and my body to DO buried,
&c, &C." AL these forms, no doubt, en-
tered into the wills OF earlier days, but In
the present age not 80 much attention IL
paid to these details which make them, oil
COURSE, rare reading.
There are many other pe~Culiarities,
which, IL time allowed, We might mention,
All the tes'ators whose villa VIC eXam'
inGl lived in the primitive days oil the
country that has since been 80 fully
rounded out. They have long SINCE paid
the debt Of nature and are dus. OF the
earth.
nOit dl the harvest to their sickle yield;
Their furrOW Mt the stub Orn globe has nTnkOi
Nov Iocuni did they drive their team R.n.ld. 4,
How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy sirOkeV
EQUALtZ NTIOH AND APPRAL9,