Monday, April 28, 2014

Amanuensis Monday - Post 216: Probate Records of James A. Kemp of Norfolk County, Ontario

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday."  John offers this definition for "amanuensis:" 

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is the will and probate court records for James Abraham Kemp (1831-2902) of Delhi, Norfolk county, Ontario, Canada.  

The images of the two pages from the Norfolk county, Ontario Surrogate Court records are:




The transcription of the will and other probate papers for James A. Kemp is:

[Page 584 (stamped)]

1                    James A Kemp deceased

2  This is the last will and testament of me James A Kemp
3  of the village of Delhi in the County of Norfolk and Province
4  of Ontario cause this twenty fifth day of March in the
5  year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and two,
6  I revoke all forms, wills or other testamentary disposi-
7  tions by me at any time heretofore made, and declare
8  this only to be and contains my last will and testament;
9  I direct  all my just debts funeral and testament-
10 ary expenses to be paid and satisfied by my Executors
11 hereinafter named as soon as conveniently may be
12  after my decease.

13 I give, devise and bequeath all my real and personal
14 estate of which I may be possessed in the manner fol-
15 lowing, that is to say, to my daughters Sarah Elizabeth,
16 Minnie and Georgianna and to my son James Alex-
17 ander I bequeath to each five dollars, and the remainder
18 I bequeath to my son Ernest Frank provided he maintains
19 his mother comfortable while she remains my widow.
20 All the residue of my estate not hereinbefore disposed of,
21 I give devise and bequeath unto
22 And I nominate and appoint my son Ernest Frank
23 Kemp to be Executor of this my last will and testament.
24 In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the day
25 and year first above written.
26                                                James A. Kemp"

27 Signed published and declared by the said James A
28 Kemp the testator as and for his last will and testa-
29 ment in the in the presence of us who both present together at
30 the same time in the presence at his request and in the
31 presence of each other and hereunto subscribed
32 our names as witnesses,
33 " ? ? Boughis                          James A Kemp"
34 " J. P Wilson"

[page 585 (stamped)]

35                         James A Kemp deceased

36 Canada                                      Province of Ontario
37 In His Majesty's Surrogate Court of the County of Norfolk,
38 Be it known that on the eleventh day of December in the
39 year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and two,
40 the last will and testament of James A Kemp late of the
41 village of Delhi in the County of Norfolk and Province of Ontario
42 Carpenter, deceased, who died on or about the nineteenth day
43 of September in the year of our Lord one thousand nine
44 hundred and two at the village of Delhi in the County
45 of Norfolk and who at the time of his death had a fixed
46 place of abode at the said village of Delhi in the said 
47 County of Norfolk  was proved and registered in the said
48 Surrogate Court a true copy to publish said last will and
49 testament is hereunder written and that the administra-
50 tion of all and singular the property of the said decea-
51 sed and any way concerning his will was granted
52 by the aforesaid Court to Alfred Edward Franklin Kemp 
53 (Executor in said will as Ernest Frank Kemp)
54 of the village of Delhi in the County of Norfolk, labourer,
55 the sole Executor named in the said will, be the said
56 Alfred Edward Franklin Kemp  having been first sworn
57 well and faithfully to administer the same by pay-
58 ing the just debts of the deceased and the legacies con-
59 tained in his will so far as he is hereunto bound by law
60 and by distributing the residue (if any) of the property
61 according to law and to exhibit under oath a true
62 and perfect inventory of all and singular the said pro-
63 perty and to render a just and true account of his Ex-
64 ecutorship whereas, thereunto lawfully required.

65                                   ???????? ???????
66                                   Registrar of the Surrogate Court
67  { seal }                      of the said County of Norfolk.

The source citation for this probate record is:

Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, Probate Records, ca 1839-1931; Indexes, 1842-1967, Surrogate's Register, Book L, 1899-1903: pages 584-585, James A. Kemp will and court records; on FHL Microfilm US/CAN 522,633 (accessed 5 February 2014).

James Abraham Kemp was married twice.  He married (1) Mary Jane Sovereen (1844-1874) in 1861, and they had five children:

*  Sarah Elizabeth Kemp (1862-1946), married 1889 Andrew John Cropp (1863-1918).
*  Seymour Kemp (1864-1877).
*  Malvina Marylis "Minnie" Kemp (1866-1929), married James Henry Trembley (1865-1918)
*  Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952), married 1898 Charles Auble (1849-1916).
*  James Alexander Kemp (1872-1934), married 1892 Bertha Anice Fuller (1874-1951).

James A. Kemp married (2) Melissa Wilson (1840-1902) in 1876, and they had one child:

*  Alfred Francis Edward Kemp (1880-1953), who married Ellen Elliott (1882-1956).

I struggled to decipher some of the words in the court registrar's handwriting on the images above.  I think I got it mostly right.

The probate records were accessed in February 2014 at the Family History Library in Salt Lake city, and the microfilm images were scanned to a flash drive.

I thought it was interesting that he used Melvina's nickname "Minnie" and called his youngest son "Ernest Frank" rather than "Alfred Francis Edward."  The family usually called this son Frank rather than Alfred or Francis or Edward.  I wish that he had named the spouses of his surviving children, but the first names are fairly distinctive.

James Abraham Kemp is one of my second great-grandfathers through his daughter Georgianna (Kemp) Auble.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/amanuensis-monday-post-216-probate.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

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