Thursday, May 5, 2011

Treasure Chest Thursday - the Will of Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)

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It's Treasure Chest Thursday, and I'm going to take a break from the Isaac Seaver Civil War Pension File transcriptions.

I checked the voluminous Genea-Musings archives, and found that I haven't posted Isaac Seaver's will. 

Isaac Seaver died testate, and his probate papers are in Worcester County (MA) Probate Records, Probate Packet B-27905, accessed at the Worcester County Courthouse in Worcester, Massachusetts. 


His will reads:

"Know All Men by These Presents, that I, Isaac Seaver of Leominster, in the County of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do make and publish this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me at any time heretofore made.

"First. I hereby appoint Hamilton Mayo of said Leominster, the executor of this will.

"Second. I give my beloved wife Alvina M. Seaver, the sum of Twelve Hundred Dollars; also all my household furniture and housekeeping effects of every name and nature.  This legacy is given by
me in lieu of all her rights in my real estate and personal property.


"Third.  I give and bequeath to the child or children of my deceased son, Benjamin, the sum of one Dollar.

"Fourth.  All the rest and residue of my estate I give, devise and bequeath in equal shares to my children, Juliette G. Bryant, Frank W. Seaver, Elizabeth L. Blanchard, and Nettie M. Seaver.

"Fifth.  I authorize and empower my said executor to sell my real estate at public or private sale, and to pay from the proceeds thereof the above legacy to my wife, dividing the residue among my children above mentioned.

"In testimoney whereof, I hereunto set my hand and seal, and publish and declare this to be my last will and testament, in the presence of witnesses named below, this twenty-eighth day of February, in the year nineteen hundred and one."
...................................................... Isaac Seaver  (seal)


This is the earliest will in my files that is typewritten.  My guess is that a secretary at Hamilton Mayo's law office typed it from a handwritten draft.  Isaac Seaver signed it on 28 February 1901, less than two weeks before his death on 12 March 1901. 

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