Will of Charles Gore 1837

Last Will & Testament of Charles Gore of Baltimore county, Dated 11 Dec 1837, Probated 2 Jan 1838

In the name of God, Amen, I Charles Gore of Baltimore County in the State of Maryland being sick and weak in body, but of sound and disproving mind, memory and understanding; considering the uncertainty of the time thereof and being desirous to settle worly (sic) 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 Almighty God, and my body to the earth, to be decently buried at the descretion of my Executor hereinafter named: and after my debts and funeral charges are paid, I will as follows.

ITEM. I devise and bequeath unto my wife Mary the privilege of holding and occuping the place whereon I now reside. That whereof all that part of land called Pitt containing about two hundred and five acres more or less, a tract of land called Kitch containing about fifty acres more or less; a small tract of land called Hard Times, containing one acre and a half; all the before mentioned lands lying ajoining each other; also part of a tract of land called The Unexpected Discovery containing about one hundred and twenty seven acres more of less, the whole of said lands situated in said county, and it is my will that my said wife hold and occupy the whole of the before mentioned lands and premises with all the buildings and improvements thereon until my youngest surviving son arrives to the age of twenty one years; then the whole of said lands and premises to be sold and after my said wife's third is taken out the remainder of the purchase money to be equally divided between my three sons or the surviving one or two of them; But if the said Mary my wife should marry before the surviving youngest son as aforesaid arrives to the age of twenty one years then the whole of the aforesaid land and premises to be sold within one year after such marriage and the money arising from said sale to be divided as aforesaid between my three sons namely Christian, Charles and Samuel or the surviving part of them; and my wife her third part of said money as aforesaid. And it is further my will that all the remaining part of my real estate shall be sold as soon as convenient after my death by my Executor hereinafter named and I hereby authorize and empower my Executor to give good and sufficient deeds and conveyances to the purchasers for the same. It is further my will that my said wife may take one third part of my personalty estate at the appraisement, the balance to be sold, save and except the following property, my black man Abraham to be free at my death, and my black woman Maranda to serve my wife until the beginning of the year eighteen hundred and fifty one, if my wife remains a widow, if she should marry before that time, then the said Maranda to serve my surviving sons the balance of her time as above named. It is further my will that my black man Sie (?) to be sold for the term of six years to serve from the day of my death, but not to be sold to go out of the state of Maryland, then to be free. It is further my will that the brick, pine boards, s_ _ _lling and shingles to remain on the home place where I now reside to improve it. It is further my will that my Executor pay out of the money arising from the sale of the aforesaid property the legacies hereinafter devised and the balance said Executor is to pay to my wife to be applied to building a dwelling house on the place near where I now live.

ITEM. I devise and bequeath unto my daughter Margaret Sweeny wife of John D. Sweeny four hundred dollars to be paid in two years after my decease by my Executor and no more.

ITEM. I devise and bequeath unto my daughter Naney McCullough, wife of William McCullough one note of bond drawn in my favor against said William McCullough for six hundred dollars to be delivered to said Nancy or her husband in one year after my death, also my Executor to pay to said Nancy McCullough two hundred dollars, one hundred in one year after my decease and the other hundred two years after my decease and no more.

ITEM. I devise and bequeath unto my son Christian the sorrel three year old colt.

AND LASTLY I do hereby institute and appoint Joseph Cooper to be sole Executor of this my last will and Testament revoking and annulling all former wills by me heretofore made ratifying and confirming this and none other but this to be my last Will and Testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afixed my seal this eleventh day of December in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty seven.

Charles Gore (seal)

Signed, sealed, published and declared by Charles Gore the above named Testator as and for his last Will and Testament in presence of us, who at his request, in his presence, and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto:
Zachariah Alban
Jesse Downs
John (his mark) Wisner

Baltimore County So. on the 2nd Day of January 1838 came Zachariah Alban, Jesse Downs and John Wisner the three subscribing witnesses to the aforegoing last Will and Testament of Charles Gore late of said county deceased and made Oath on the Holy Evangely of Almighty God that they did see the Testator sign and seal this Will, that they heard him publis 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 apprehension of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding and that they subscribed their names as witnesses to this Will in his presence, at his request, and in the presence of each other. Sworn to in Open Court.

Test. D. M. Terine, Register if Wills for Baltimore County

Contributed by Roma Seward
Source: Liber 16 : Folio 428, Baltimore County Wills, Hall of Records, Annapolis, Maryland