WILL OF EDWARD BROCK 1714
Will of Edward Brock - of " Brock Hall" - Prince George Co, Maryland.
1714
Maryland: In the name of God Amen:
I, Edward Brock of Prince George's County, planter being weak and indisposed
in body but of sound and perfect memory, praised be God, therefore bearing in mind the frailty of life and the uncertainty
of death, do make, ordain and constitute this to be my last will and testament in manner and form following, that is
to say:
IMPRINMIS: I give and bequeath my body to the earth from whence it came to be decently buried by my executor
hereafter named, and as for such parcel of worldly goods as it hath pleased God to bestow upon me, after my just debts
and funeral charges are paid and satisfied, my will and intent is to dispose of the same in manner following:
ITEM:
I give and bequeath to my grand daughter Mary Nicholls and to the heirs of her body lawfully begotten, all that piece or
parcel of land - being part of Brock Hall which lies on the east side of a branch called Collington in the county aforesaid.
ITEM:
I give and bequeath to my grand son Matthew Mogbee (sic) and to the heirs of his body forever one hundred acres of land
- the other part of Brock Hall aforesaid - lying on the west side of Collington the said hundred acres to begin at the
white oak and North West corner tree of Brock Hall and to run thence until it intercepts the East North East line of Brock
Hall such a course as will contain the said quantity of land.
ITEM: I give and bequeath to my grand son Brock Mockbee
and to his heirs forever my plantation I now live on and all the land thereto adjoining lying on the south side of the
Back Branch and bounding eastward on the land before bequeathed to his brother Matthew and further my will and intent
is that if my grand daughter Mary Nicholls should die without heirs of her body aforesaid the land hereby to her devised
shall go to her brother Matthew and his heirs as aforesaid then the land hereby to him devised shall, with what he may
have inherited from his sister, to my said grand son Brock and his heirs forever and if it shall please God that all of
my grand children above named shall depart this life without issue as aforesaid then all the land herein before devised
shall go and fall to my grand children of my daughter Offutt or to such of them as shall be surviving and their heirs
forever to be divided equally between them.
ITEM: I give and bequeath to my grand sons, Edward, William, James and Thomas
Offutt and my daughter Mary his wife [sic] and to their heirs together all my remaining part of my said tract called Brock
Hall lying on the north side of the Back Branch aforesaid to be equally divided among them and in case of death of any
one or more of the said sons of my daughter Offutt, my will and intent is that the part or portion of land to him or
them hereby bequeathed shall go to my other grand son John Offutt and his heirs forever and in case of his decease without
heirs aforesaid to be divided equally among his surviving brothers herein before named to them and their heirs forever
and further my will and meaning is that all my grand sons aforesaid shall be capable to enter upon and hold the several parcels
and portions of land hereby the them bequeathed at the age of one and twenty years and not before.
LASTLY: I do
give my negroes, stock of cattle and hogs and all my personal estate to be continued and kept upon the plantation for the
carrying on and improvement of the same - without waste of the land and timber under the management of my executors
hereafter named for the benefit and education of my two grandsons Mathew and Brock Mockbee til they arrive at their several ages
of one and twenty years as aforesaid and then to be equally divided between them.
I do appoint William Offutt my
son-in-law to be my full and sole executor of this my last will and testament to do and perform the same in manner and form
aforesaid and
I also appoint my loving friends Alexander Beall and John Gerard to be overseers of this my will
and to take care to see the same be truly performed and also in case of decease of my executor before name before my grandsons
Mogbee (sic) arrive at their several ages of one and twenty years as aforesaid to enter upon the lands and to take into
their custody care and management the negroes, stock of cattle, hogs, etc. before devised to them and to manage the
same as trustees for my said grand children last named to the intent and uses aforesaid til they arrive at the several
ages as aforesaid.
I do hereby also revoke and annul all former and other wills heretofore by me at any time
made. In witness whereof I have to this my last will and testament set my hand and affixed my seal this five and
(blot) day of March in the tenth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lady Queen Anne, anno domini.
Edward Brock {seal}
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the testator to be his last will and testament. Mareen
Duvall, Senior Ninian Beall John Wall
Back of this will was endorsed June the 19, 1714. Then came
Mareen Duvall and Ninian Beall and John Wall being the within three witnesses to the will and did make oath before the Holy
Evangelists and Almighty God, that they were present at the time and place and did see the within Edward Brock which is
now deceased sign, seal and acknowledge the within written to be his last will and testament and at the same time he
was in his perfect senses to the best of their knowledge.
Sworn before me Benjamin Berry. Dept Comisory? Prince George's
County Maryland: These are to certify that whereas Mr. Edward Brock last of Prince George's County deceased hath
thought fit to nominate and appoint William Offutt, executor of his last will and testament and the said William Offutt
for divers reasons do by these presents renounce and relinquish and make void and null the said executorship and pray that
the same may be granted unto William Nicholls and his Wife being the next kindred as witness my hand and seal this 19
day of June 1714.
William Offutt (seal)
Signed sealed in the presence of us
Joseph "X" Storry Phill
Gotting, Junior.
Commisy General - to the Honorable Wm. Bladen Esqr. George's (sic) County before me Benj. Berry
Dept. Comns. Pr. June the 19th 1714 the within acknowledged.
|