6th April 1889
Last Will of Mary Ann Billing
Widow of Thomas Brown
From records of Notary Philippe Huot
No. 9460
Quebec Archives Microfilm #4M01-5213

On this day, the sixth of April one thousand eight hundred and eighty nine, before the undersigned Notary Public for the Province of Quebec and the witnesses hereinafter named, all residing at the City of Quebec, personally came and appeared Mary Ann Billing, of the Parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier, widow of the late Thomas Brown, in his life time of the same place, Farmer, who made and dictated her last will and testament as follows, that is to say:

I give and bequeath unto my daughter, Mary Jane Brown, wife of Adam Wright, a sum of three hundred dollars together with my feather bed, two pairs of double blankets, and two quilts and two pillows.

I give unto my son John Brown two hundred dollars.

I give and bequeath unto my son Benjamin Brown the sum of three hundred dollars, two tables which are in my sewing room, my wardrobe, my three covered cupboards, my clock, one chest of drawers (the largest), all my delft and cooking utensils and the bed and bedding he is now using and my sofa.

I give and bequeath unto my son Andrew Brown my horse, cattle, my iron plough, my mowing machine, one cow and all other cows and the sheep which I may have and possess at the time of my death.

I give and bequeath unto my son James Brown my large three-deckered kitchen stove and a kitchen table and I do hereby ratify the gift I have already made to him of four cows and two heifers.

I give and bequeath unto my two sons, Benjamin Brown and Andrew Brown, share and share alike between them all my rights, claims, shares and interests in the woodland situated in the Seigniory of St. Ignace bought before Mtre. Cinq-Mars, N.P., the third day of June eighteen hundred and sixty eight, said lot now known under the number eight hundred and eighty six upon the Official Plan and Book of Reference of the Cadastre of the Parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier, subject however and on condition that they will allow my other son Curtis Brown to cut upon said land all the firewood necessary for his use and this as long as he will remain in the house which he is now occupying.

And as to the rest of the cash money and of other moveable effects which I may die possessed of and which are not included and disposed of in and by my present will, I wish and direct that after my funeral and other legitimate expenses be paid, the same be equally divided between my four sons, William Brown, Thomas Brown, Curtis Brown & James Brown and my daughter Margaret Brown, wife of James Montgomery, share and share alike.

I do hereby nominate and appoint as Executors of this my present last will and testament, my son, Benjamin Brown, and William Hornby, my brother-in-law, and I do hereby expressly revoke all former wills and codicils at anytime heretofore by me made, declaring the present to be my only true last will and testament.

It was thus made and dictated by the said Mary Ann Billing, widow of Thomas Brown, Testatrix, unto the said Notary and witnesses, on the day and year first above written and the present last will having been read over in full to the said Testatrix by Mtre. Philippe Huot in the presence of Messrs. Jean-Baptiste Rivard Dufresne, Advocate, & François-Xavier Maheux, Clerk in the Archives Office, both of Quebec, witnesses expressly called for the Execution hereof & who were present all the time, she declared to well understand the same and persisted therein as containing her true last will & testament.

Done and executed at the said City of Quebec in the Office of the said Philippe Huot, on the day and year first above written, under the number nine thousand four hundred and sixty of his record, in testimony whereof the said Testatrix hath signed with and in the presence of the said Notary and of the said witnesses, who have also signed in the presence of the said Testatrix and in the presence of each other, after the reading thereof according to law and the observance of all the formalities required for the validity of wills.

Two marginal notes approved are good.

Mary Ann Billing, her signature;

J.B.R. Dufresne, his signature;

F.X. Maheux, his signature;

P. Huot, N.P., his signature

Transcribed by Gerald Neville, 2011

Note by Patricia Balkcom:  Mary Ann died 4 years later at the reported age of 66 years.