Will - John CARR

Dated 01 Aug 1795

In the name of God Amen. I, John Carr of Anne Arundel County in the State of Maryland, being sick and weak in body but of a sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof, and being desirous my worldly affairs and thereby be the better prepared to leave this world when it shall please God to call me home do therefore make and publish this my Last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say. . .

First and principally, I commit my soul into the hands of the Almighty God and my body to the Earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executrix herein after named and after my debts and funeral charges are paid, I advise and bequeath as follows:

Item - I give and bequeath the whole of my personal estate unto my wife Rachel Carr during her widowhood and no longer and on the day of her marriage or death which may happen first, then my will is that the whole of my personal estate should be equally divided between my four children except my negro man Tom which I leave as a legacy unto my son William.

And lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint my wife Rachel Carr to be whole and sole Executrix of this my last Will and Testament, revoking and annulling all former wills by me heretofore made or said to be made ratifying and confirming this and none other to be my last Will and Testament. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affix my seal, this first day of August, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety Five.

Signed John Carr

Signed, sealed published and declared by the aforesaid Testator John Carr to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at his request and in his presence hath subscribed our names as witnesses thereto:
Witnesses: Cuningham Drury
Samuel Busey

At the foot and on the back of this aforegoing Will, are the following Probated notes:
Anne Arundel County )
6 day of October 1795 )

Then came Rachael Carr the Executirx appointed in this written Will and made oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God that this instrument of writing is the whole truth and last Will and Testament of John Carr late of Anne Arundel County deceased, that had come to her hands and possession and that she doth not honor of any other.

Sworn before: J.W. Gassaway Ray, Reg. of Wills, A.A. Cty.

Anne Arundel County )
6 day of October 1795)
Then came Samuel Busey one of the subscribing witnesses to the written last Will and Testament of John Carr late of Anne Arundel County, deceased and made oath on the holy Evangels of Almighty God that he did see the Testator therein named, sign and seal this Will and that he heard him publish 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 his apprehension of a sound disposing mind and memory and understanding and that he, together with Cuningham Drury, the other subscribing witness respectively, subscribed their names as witnesses to this Will in the presence and at the request of the Testator and all in the presence of each other.
Sworn before: J.W. Gassaway, Reg. Wills, A.A. Cty.

Contributed by Evelyn Windhaus