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 1875 probate record for Frederick Sovereen (1786-1875) of Windham township, Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada:
The transcription of this probate record is (handwritten, a clerk's copy):
[page 202]
In the goods of Frederick Sovereen
deceased Probate
Be it known that on the nineteenth day
of July in the year of
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
seventy five, the last
will and testament of Frederick
Sovereen late of the township of Wind-
ham in the County of Norfolk yeoman,
who died on or about the
fourteenth day of June in the year of
our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and seventy five at the said
Township of Windham, and
who at the time of his death had a
fixed place of abode at the township
of Windham in the said County of
Norfolk in the Province of Ontario
was proved and registered in the said
Surrogate Court, a true
copy of which said last will and
testament is hereunder written
and that the administration of all and
singular his personal
estate and effects rights and credits
of the said deceased, and
in any way concerning his will was
granted by the aforesaid
Court to Jacob Sovereen of the township
of Middleton in the County
of Norfolk Esquire, James Whitside of
the same place Esquire,
and John Kitchen of the township of
Windham in the said County
of Norfolk Esquire, the Executors named
in the said will. They
having been first sworn well and
faithfully to administer the
same by paying the just debts of the
deceased and the legacies
contained in his Will so far as they
are thereunto bound by law
and to exhibit a true and perfect
inventory of all and singular
the said estate and effects rights and
credits, and to render a just
and true account of their executorship
whenever required by law
so to do.
(signed)
Clarence Chapelje
{seal} Registrar of the Surrogate Court
of the County of Norfolk
I Frederick Sovereen of the township
of Windham in the County
of Norfolk and Province of Ontario in
the Dominion of Canada
Yeoman, being of a sound and disposing
mind and ????
my thanks be to my Heavenly Father for
this and all other of His
mercies I do make write and publish
this as my Last Will
and testament.
I Will unto my son Alexander Sovereen
his heirs and assigns
forever all that portion of my
homestead farm lying Westerly
of the main road which crossed my said
homestead farm, the
said parcel of land being composed of a
North Westerly part
of the South half of Lot number twenty
one and the Northerly
part of the South half of Lot number
twenty two, both in the Ele-
venth concession of said Township of
Windham in the
County of Norfolk and Province
aforesaid, containing by
admeasurement sixty three acres and one
half of an acre
of land be the same more or less.
I also Will unto will unto my said son
Alexander Sovereen
his heirs and assigns forever that
Westerly part of the Easterly
division of said lot number twenty one
in said eleventh con-
[page 203]
In the goods of Frederick Sovereen
deceased. Probate
cession of said Townshjip of Windham
containing by admea-
surement eighteen acres and one half of
an acre of land be the
same more or less, bounded as follows
that is to say, commen-
cing on the Southerly limit of the
North fifty acres of said lot
number twenty one owned by Michael
Beck, at the intersection of
the Easterly side of the main road
established across my said
farm thence bounding on the Easterly
side of said road South
(about) seven degrees West seventeen
chains and seven links to a
stake set, thence North seventy eight
degrees and thirty minutes
East eleven chains and thirty four
links to a stake set, thence North
(about) seven degrees East seventeen
chains and seven links to
a stake set in the Southerly limit of
said land of Michael Beck
and thence South seventy eight degrees
and thirty minutes
West eleven chains and thirty four
links to the place of begin-
ning, to have and to hold said parcels
of land with the ap-
purtenances unto my said son Alexander
Sovereen his
heirs and assigns forever.
I will unto my Executors and Trustees
hereinafter, or the
survivor or survivor's of them in fee
simple, all the rest
residue and remainder of my homestead
farm being
composed of that part of my homestead
farm lying East
of the Brantford road (excepting
therefrom the Eighteen and a
half acres devised to my son
Alexander), said parcels
of land devised to my Executors and
Trustees being com-
posed of the great Southerly part of
Lot number twenty
one and a South Easterly part of Lot
number twenty
two in said eleventh concession of said
Township of Windham
containing in all one hundred and
thirteen aces of land
be the same more or less, this devise
made to my Executors
and trustees in trust that as soon
after my demise as in
their opinion a fair value can be
obtained for the same
shall and do sell the said lands
devised to them upon such
terms of payment as will best promote
the interests of my es-
tate and shall divide the proceeds
arising from such sale
as follows.
First pay to my son William Lewis
Sovereen or in the Event
of his previous demise to pay the same
to those to whom my said son
William in his Will may direct, or in
the Event of his failing
to leave a devise in writing then to
the Heirs of the said William
Lewis Sovereen two thousand and sixty
dollars of the proceeds
of the sale of my said homestead farm,
and shall and do
therefrom pay to my granddaughter Mary
Catherine Carlyle
or her heirs the Same to be for the
sole use benefit, and
under the absolute control of my said
granddaughter, as if
she was under the absolute
control unmarried woman
the sum of six hundred dollars and
shall do and after
[page 204]
deducting all reasonable and proper
costs and charges at-
tending the sale of said Estate shall
divide the then residue
arising from such sale equally between
my sons William Lewis
Sovereen and Alexander Sovereen or
their Heirs share and
share alike. That is, if either or
both of my sons should die
before receiving their portion then the
children of such deceased
Parent to Inherit their Father's
portion unless such deceased
Father shall by Will have directed
otherwise then the
direction of such Will to prevail, and
in order fully to
carry into effect this part of my Will
to the best advan-
tage I give to my Executors and
trustees full power to
and authority to give such terms of
payment as will best
promote the interest of my estate to
give and to take hold
renew discharge change or say the
security for balance
of the purchase money in such manner as
to them shall
deem best I Will unto my sons William
Lewis Sovereen
and Alexander Sovereen their heirs
executors or adminis-
trators equally all such mortgages as I
may die possessed
of (it is my wish that my son William
shall have the
mortgage given me by Thomas Barker). I
give to my Execut-
ors full power to assign to my sons
respectively the mortgages
securities the mortgages
securities that may fall to each of
my said sons or if that cannot be
conveniently done then
my Executors to collect in and divide
the monies equally
between mt said sons (after deducting
all reasonable costs
and charges connected therewith). I
will that the Gold
coin I may die possessed of (being now
about sixty dollars)
shall be equally divided between my two
sons and my Grand-
daughter Mary Catherine Carlyle. I
will that my household
furniture and personal property shall
be divided accord-
ing to the Memorandum accompanying this
my Will.
I give to my Executors and Trustees
full power and aut-
hortiy to make all such conveyances and
to take hold
review foreclose discharge or change
all such securities
as may be necessary in order to carry
into effect this my
Will . To have and To hold the lands
as conveyed by
them unto the purchaser or purchasers
thereof His her or
their Heirs and Assigns forever. I
will that all my just
debts funeral and testamentary expences
be paid out of
my estate should my homestead Estate
revert to my Exe-
cutors on account of failure in payment
by the purchaser
then and in such case I give to my
Executors and Trus-
tees or the survivor of them full power
and authority to resell
and reconvey the same as fully and
amply as by the first con-
veyance made by them, and to take
security thereon as in the
first instance.
I Will that what I have heretofore
given to my granddaughter Mary
Catherine Carlyle shall be hers
absolutely and in addition to
said six hundred dollars herein devised
to her.
[page 205]
In the goods of Jacob Sovereen
deceased. Probate
Lastly, I hereby Will to my Executors
and any other estate real
and personal nor hereinbefore
mentioned, of which I may die
seized in trust that they will convert
the same into money and
after deducting all reasonable
expenses, divide the residue
requally between my sons William and
Alexander, or
their heirs.
And I hereby nominate constitute and
appoint my ne-
phew Jacob Sovereen of the township of
Middleton Esquire
and James Whitsides of the same place
Esquire, and my most Es-
teemed neighbour John Kitchen of the
township of Windham
in said County and Province Esquire
Executors and Trus-
tees of this my last Will and
Testament,
Hereby revoking all former Will or
Wills, or writings of
the nature of a Will by are heretofore
made:
Hereby I ??fixing and confirm ??? this
and this only
as my last Will and Testament.
As witness my hand and seal to this my
last Will
and Testament / the same having been
first carefully read
over to me / this fourteenth day of
November eighteen hun-
dred and sixty eight.
his
(signed) /
Frederick X Sovereen {seal}
mark
Signed sealed published }
and declared by said tes- }
tator Frederick Sovereen }
as and for his Last Will }
and in presence of us and }
of each other. }
(signed / Thos W. Walsh }
(signed / Agnes Cluie }
The source citation for this record is:
Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada, Probate Records, ca 1839-1931; Indexes, 1842-1967, Surrogate's Registers, Books F-G, 1870-1880: pages 202-205, Frederick Sovereen will and court records; on FHL Microfilm US/CAN 522,630 (accessed 5 February 2014).
Frederick Sovereen is my 4th great-grandfather. He married Mary Jane Hutchinson (1792-1868) in 1810, and they had four children, William Lewis (1811-1892), Mary Catherine (1813-????), Alexander (1814-1907), and Jacob (1817-1909). Their daughter, Mary Catherine Sovereen, married Allen Smith, and they had a daughter, Mary Catherine Smith (1835-1879), who married John Carlyle (1825-1897). That is the Mary Catherine Carlyle in the will of Frederick Sovereen.
My connecting ancestor is Alexander Sovereen (1814-1907), my third great-grandfather, who married Eliza Putman (1818-1895), and had my second great-grandmother, Mary Jane Sovereen (1841-1874), who married James Abraham Kemp (1831-1902).
I found this probate record on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on 5 February 2014.
Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver
