The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-29
SOME QUEER WILLS.
restators Very Particular Aoont DIS
,7os,ng of Their Tobacco and house
hold Goods.

hold Goods.
From the Baltimore Herald.
p,t for the air of mystery and solemnlty
- surrounds it there would be little In
the average court OF justice 10 atCIace SEe
aaS,,al visi or, and yet ma y romance Is
"a 10, 10 beo11, or ended, and some OF the doc
81 ,,in1+s stored away carefully in vaults and
lIIIoeses of huge shelves would make queer
Ieo o5;ncy This is particularly true OF the
So.1+ where the administrations upon the
oeta+es of the dead are acted upon, where
Ills are fled and letters granted.
Tn q winding stairway, above the record
o44ce on st. Paul street, the vi itor is ush-
ON INTO spacious room. Surrounding
81 walls. on all sides, upon tables, in racks
=, Nv the center, he sees piles upon piles OF
--orks Even the titles are of interest
TJere are copies of the wills of those long
100 dead: inventories or the goods ana
ohattaIs which they could not take with
tbann left behind; administration accounts,
md what not. The orphans court OF Bal
4jr1ore is an old institution. Older by far
- most of the courts of the city There
are records which show that 1t has been In
Inar tion since 1915. almost since the build
;lr, ~ the first house in old Baltimore town.
60 fiat date thousands of estates have
~ administered upon. until there are now
CIV large volumes in which are recorded
80 wills of those who have passed to that
s,boune from whence no traveller returns"
From 1875. when the first will was fled,
until 1921, a lapse of f1fty-six years, but one
record book was necessary to keep these
wills. After that, as the population OF the
vard county increased, and, as a matter
If course, the death rate became larger,
,oora books were needed, and now, and in
fact for thirty years, one book is required
for each year Some of these old wills are
curious things The dictlon, chirography
end general makeup are as far removed
from the present as the age in which they
we're written is from this blessed nineteenth
century.
THE FIRST WILL.
recorded was that of Thomas Todd It was
executed in 1915, and probated in Book l,
NAV 80, 1917. His chief bequeats were the
proceeds of eighty-seven hogsheads of to-
beccoto be equally divided tetween his four
daughters. Each also received a breeding
mare and a feather bed. The testator was
anparently a man of considerable wealth,
since he bequeathed 700 acres of land on the
Chester river to his brother. When this
will was admitted to probate Philip Calvert
was governor general of Maryland and
Judge for the probation of wis., a term
synonymous with our present judge of the
orphans court.
John Newton, who died shortly after
ward, after set ling no his worldly affairs,
makes this rather UNIQUE provisio i'll his tes-
lament Il appoint Miles Gibson my exec
utor and will that he SHALL have all sutch
debts and sums of tobaccos as in any wales
duw to me and my pistol" The will Of
Thomas Eager was executed April II, 1908
After Dequeathing large sums and lands to
other pei sons he generously remembers his
wife by giving her his silver cup and a
negro boy named Toby. Among other be-
quests of Quinton Parser, u no died in 17l4,
is this II give to MISS Margaret Penroy
one FODDER bed cOrtiOns and follions ami all
what thereunto belongs to the said bed"
Thomas Copells will was executed May
49, 1903. Thomas had gcdson named
Thomas Greenfield, Jr., of whom he was
very mindful, because he bequeathed him
zone two-years heater, with all the female
increase to him and his Hayers for ever, be-
sides giving to Mr.. John Kimbali ''or gold
ring Of tenn shillings price in token of my
love end my gum"
On December Z, 17Os, Thomas Preston
"beestows teen pounds upon my grand
daughter, Catrine Skats, toward bringing
Of her up to larnngn
Samuel Stand fer couldn't write his
name, SO was compelled to make his mark,
but be managed to make an inventory of
all be possessed in tue f flowing concise
will; 81 bequeath to my doghter Sarah one
AdllO VI Iuo pulOol dul DIdSS GuO one ROOu
feather bed with pair of blankets aud
rugg, one pair of mill stones and Tower
cows, SIX yowes, three sows, one set iron
WodgeS, one great iron pott, one small ditto,
one gray horse and a spayed colt"
Elizabeth Stone left to Sarah Hinton a
white pettIcoat three cups, an apron and a
pair OF shoes and stockings.
ALL BREATHE DEEP PIETY.
One noteworthy fact about these old an
Cf C,,t.s fe 81 ,
largely made up of slaves and tobacco
Scarcely will is recorded in which colored
pers ms are disposed of as 80 much cattle,
ana hogsheads OF tobacco left in lieu of its
equivalent III money. Another interesting
IacV IS the suhmlsSlveness with which those
VINO make their wills on their dea beds
DOW to the divine decree. There are none
"nl DO not breathe the deepest piety and
resignation, with confident expressions in
Vhe beAet IN the resurrection of the
mortal part Of man at the last day.
me pIety OF the people is evinced by the
frequency with which scriptural surnames
are used. Families are often to be found in
Nulch every member bears thu name of
sonie prophet, priest or king, taken from
ytOHcal lore. Take, for ms ancs, that of
y iran Davis, who died in January. 1860.
ne mad ten children, and all but one had a
name name taken from the Bible. They were
I%oyh0n, William, Uriah Shadrack, Ne
suaA' Obednego, Rachel, Marie aud Susan
.au Doubtless the first three named
Thought little of the old gentleman's piety,
no"eVer, since he left them but a shilling
ag though styling each one his beloved
o't ne rest Of his large landed property
di,j5q IeaIhed TO the other children, to be
uIy'qed share aud share alike.
oonn Cottreli made his will in 1865. He
tba very explicit in giving directions about
o sIo FSyment OF his debts, even though It
90 uti Ake Inc whole Of his property TO do
s,a,. eI e was not unmindful of his wife
n, ne bestowed upon her three negroes
fnr, i,taIner bed that she brought, and the
'..He mat came with it.p 10 show his
iogv,y ABOUT his money matters, the fol-
will "a S'duse from his will is appended: II
Rsven Iu Dequeath to my son-in-law, Luke
are say, Ivy I.ttle gun, provided my effects
Ia r''''JIent TO pay my debts. If not she is
10 De sold by my executors Tbers Is ~, 70
n,ssaN ' V snow whether Luke came into
P'pfsession OF his little gun or not
ri-,aie"ts IN hose days seemed 10 bava tho
e ,su' 70 shape the careers of their children
Tso after death had claimed the sire
s+r,n. McCool wanted his Children in.
AZ Nv N the three RS until thew arrived
eYnra.e age OF fourteen years, after which no
boin,I Stipulated that Joseph should be
s,nI,S 70 a halter and Adam TO a black-
in t6o IN, Iue boys were not allowed any saw
prono. ',al' or, and the widow. if she had n
furf ,esafd Tor the memory Of her de-
F0uSe, doubtless obeyed his behests
Tbeeo 49, some LATER WILLS.
lariiIoa are out few samples OF the necu-
timn.s,ai W Do met with in perusin1 the
mo ."'H'u pages Of the rpcords D..