The transcription of this four page document is:
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
I, MARY K. SEAVER, being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do hereby
make, publish and declare the following as, for and to be my last Will and Testament,
hereby revoking any and all wills by me heretofore made, that is to say:
1. I hereby direct my executor, hereafter named, to pay all my just debts
and funeral expenses as soon after my decease as is practical.
2. It is my desire that the old Seaver homestead remain in the Seaver family.
It is my will that this property, known as Number 1718 Richmond Road, Dongan Hills
Staten Island, New York, and situated in Block 3532, as Tax Lot 1, be devised to my
nephew, NAUGHTAN R. SEAVER, for his use for life with instructions to him to pay the
taxes, assessments and upkeep of the same; upon his death, to descend to the male
children of CLETUS A. SEAVER who survive him, share and share alike, to be theirs ab-
solutely and forever. These premises are described as follows:
ALL that certain piece or parcel of land with the buildings and improvements
thereon situate, lying and being in the Fourth Ward of the Borough and
County of Richmond, City and State of New York, bounded and described as
follows:
BEGINNING at a point on the southeasterly side of Richmond Roas, as widened,
267.34 feet, more or less, along said Richmond Road southwesterly from the
intersection of said southeasterly side of Richmond Road, with the south-
westerly side of Dongan Hills Avenue, as laid down on certain map entitled
"Map of Buel Park, Dongan Hills, Fourth Ward, Borough of Richmond, New York
City, surveyed September 28th, 1922, by John S. Van Horne, and attached to
a certain deed recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Richmond
in Liber 552 of deeds, at page 467, running thence South 56 degrees 03
minutes 54.8 seconds East a distance of 95.21 feet; running thence South
33 degrees 56 minutes 05.2 seconds West a distance of 120 feet; thence
North 56 degrees 03 minutes 54.8 seconds West a distance of 107.16 feet
to the said southeasterly side of Richmond Road as widened; thence North
39 degrees 36 minutes 32.4 seconds East a distance of 120.59 feet along
said Richmond Road as widened to the point or place of beginning.
3. I bequeath to my nephew, NAUGHTAN R. SEAVER, the corner what-not and
marble-top table in the parlor of 1718 Richmond Road, if he desires them.
4. I bequeath to my dear friend and nurse, KATHERINE MARTIN, the sum of
Five Hundred ($500.00) dollars.
5. I give, devise and bequeath the land and buildings at 1591 and 1593 Rich-
mond Road, now occupied as a funeral chapel and a restaurant to my nephew, CLETUS A.
SEAVER to be his, absolutely and forever. It is my wish that the funeral business
there conducted be always known as "Seaver Funeral Chapel", and that, if sold, be sold
with that provision. This land is described as follows:
BEGINNING at a point formed by the intersection of the southerly side of
Four Corners Road and the westerly side of Richmond Road; running thence
alobg the said westerly side of Richmond Road 143 feet 7 inches to land
now or formerly of Joseph Buttner; running thence North 70 degrees 20
minutes a distance of 151 feet, 6 inches to the Easterly side of Flagg Place
130 feet to the southerly side of Four Corners Road; thence southeasterly
along said southerly side of Four Corners Road 71 feet 2 inches to the
point or place of be[g]inning. Excepting that part thereof taken by the
City of New York in proceedings to widen Richmond Road.
6. I give and devise to my two said nephews, CLETUS A. SEAVER and NAUGHTAN
R. SEAVER, share and share alike, all that land with the improvements thereon, situated
on the southeasterly side of Richmond Road and which lies between the southwesterly
side of Dongan Hills Avenue and the Northeasterly line of land of the Seaver Homestead,
as delineated in paragraph 2 of this will, and which land is known as Block 3532, Lot
2, on the present tax maps of the Borough of Richmond, to be theirs absolutely and for-
ever.
7. I hereby give and devise unto my nephew, CLETUS A. SEAVER, house and lots
adjacent thereto, known as Number 30 Cromwell Avenue, Dongan Hills, Staten Island, New
York.
8. I hereby give and devise unto my niece, MILDRED AGNES SEAVER CASAZZA
premises No. 25 Seaview Avenue, Dongan Hills, and No. 352 Clark Avenue, Richmond, both
on Staten Island, the last named being at the corner of Stoke Avenue, together with all
land owned by me used in connection with or adjacent to each of said buildings.
9. I hereby give, and devise to my niece HELEN MARIE SEAVER HANLEY, premises
No. 30 Colfax Avenue, Grant City and No. 1788 Richmond Road, Dongan Hills, both on
Staten Island, together with all land used in connection or adjacent to each of
said buildings.
10. I bequeath to my two nieces, HELEN MARIE SEAVER HANLEY and MILDRED AGNES
SEAVER CASSAZZA, all my furniture, except that hereinbefore reserved to NAUGHTAN R. SEAVER,
all my bric-a-brac, dishes, vases, jewelry and personal effects, and all other items
comprising contents of 1718 Richmond Road. Should they fail to agree between themselves,
my executor hereinafter named, shall decide which articles shall be allocated to each.
11. All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, real or personal, of
whatsoever kind or wheresoever situate, of which I may die seized or possesses, I here-
by give, devise and bequeath to my two nephews, CLETUS A. SEAVER, and NAUGHTAN R. SEAVER
and to my two nieces, HELEN MARIE SEAVER HANLEY and MILDRED AGNES SEAVER CASSAZZA, share
and share alike, to be theirs absolutely and forever.
12. Should any of my nieces and nephews, or their heirs contest this, my last
will and testament, they shall forfeit their legacy, and in lieu thereof, receive the
sum of $200.00, and the legacy or devise which they would have received, shall become
part of the residuary estate and be divided equally among the remaining beneficiaries
therein mentioned.
13. I hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my nephew, CLETUS A. SEAVER,
executor of this my last Will and Testament, with full power of sale, limited, however,
to the residuary estate, to serve without bond for the faithful performance of his
duties as such.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 22nd day of
March in the year one thousand nine hundred and forty-seven.
M.K. SEAVER MARY K. SEAVER L.S.
Subscribed by MARY K. SEAVER, the Testatrix named in the foregoing Will, in
the presence of each of us, and at the time of making such subscription, the above In-
trument was declared by the said Testatrix to be her last Will and Testament, and
of each other, signed our names as witnesses thereto.
WILLIAM L. FLAKE, Jr. Residing at 630 Victory Blv'd, Staten Island, N.Y.
DANIEL T. DEMPSEY Residing at 1715 Richmond Rd., Dongan Hills, S.I.
FREDERICK J. SPENDER Residing at 6 Leeds St., Oakwood Hgts., S.I. N.Y.
CODICIL
CODICIL TO LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT
I, MARY K. SEAVER, do make, publish and declare the following to be a codicil
to my last will and testament, that is to say:
I hereby revoke the bequest of FIVE HUNDRED ($500.00) dollars contained in
the Fourth clause of my will dated March 22, 1947, and in place thereof the following
shall be substituted:
FOURTH: I bequeath to my friend and nurse Katherine Marin the sum of ONE
HUNDRED ($100.00) DOLLARS.
I hereby ratify and affirm my said last will and testament in every other
respect.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF at the end of this Codicil to my last Will and Testament
I have subscribed my name and affixed my seal this 27th day of January, in the year one
thousand nine hundred and forty-eight.
MARY K. SEAVER L.S.
Subscribed my MARY K. SEAVER, the testatrix named in the foregoing Codicil
to her last Will and Testament, in the presence of each of us, and at the time of
making such subscription, the above instrument was declared by the said Testatrix to
be a codicil of said Testatrix and in her presence, and in the presence of each other, signed
our names as witnesses thereto.
Daniel T. Dempsey residing at 1715 Richmond Rd., Dongan Hills, S.I.
Frederick J. Spender residing at 6 Leeds St., Oakwood Hg'ts., S.I. (6), N.Y.
COUNTY OF RICHMOND, SS:
Recorded the preceding will and testament and codicil thereto of Mary
K. Seaver, late of the County of Richmond, deceased, together with an order admitting
the same.
Which said Record is signed and certified by me pursuant to the provisions
of the Surrogate's Court Act this third day of January in the year of our Lord one
thousand nine hundred and forty-nine.
JOHN C. BOWMAN, Surrogate
The source citation for this will is:
New York Surrogates Court, Probate files, Richmond County > "Wills, Vol. 48-49, 1945-1949 (images 436 to 438 of 581), Mary K. Seaver will, written 22 March 1947, approved 3 January 1949, "New York, U.S., Wills and Probates, 1659-1999," digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 September 2023); Original data is from New York County, District and Probate Courts filmed by FamilySearch..
Mary Katherine Seaver (1862-1948) was born 25 January 1862 in Staten Island, New York, the daughter of Patrick and Maria (Naughton) Seaver. Mary K. Seaver died 3 November 1948 in Staten Island. She had no husband or children, so the estate devolved to her siblings or their surviving children.
Of the nine children of Patrick and Maria (Naughton) Seaver, only Lawrence A. Seaver (1868-1937) married and had children. Lawrence married Mary J. Delaney (1871-1908) on 27 December 1899 in Staten Island, and they had four children:
*. Naughton R. Seaver (1900-1979).
* Cletus A. Seaver (1902-1980), married Mary Hoolihan (1902-1982).
* Helen Marie Seaver (1903-????). married Hanley.
* Mildred Agnes Seaver (1905-2009), married Charles L. Casazza (1897-1978).
Now I wonder WHY Mary K. Seaver reduced the sum of the legacy given to Katherine Martin or Marin, who was her friend and nurse, from $500 to $100.
Mary Katherine Seaver (1862-1948) is not my Seaver relative - she descends from Patrick and Julia (McGlynn) Seaver who migrated from Ireland to New York in the 1840s and settled on Staten Island.
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NOTE: 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."
Read other transcriptions of records of my ancestors at Amanuensis Monday Posts.
Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver
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