1st May 1837
Last Will of Jeremiah Donovan
From records of Notary Roger Lelievre
No. 15,658
Quebec Archives Film #4MO1-4895

On this day the first of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty seven at the request of Jeremiah Donovan of the Parish of St. Catherine at the place called Jacques Cartier, farmer, We the undersigned Notaries public duly admitted and sworn of and for the Province of Lower Canada residing in the City of Quebec, went to the residence of him the said Jeremiah Donovan at the Hotel Dieu of Quebec in the Ward of the Patients, where being we found the said Jeremiah Donovan in the said ward being sick in bed, nevertheless sound of mind, memory, and understanding as appeared to us said notaries by his actions and words and the same Jeremiah Donovan considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the hour thereof, did make, publish, declare and dictate word for word to the said notaries this last will and testament in manner following, That is to say, the said Jeremiah Donovan recommends his soul to God, his Creator, and desires that his body be buried at the direction of his executors herein after named.-

The said Testator directs that all his just and lawful debts be paid.

The said Testator doth give and bequeath all, each and every his movables, goods, wares and chattels, sum or sums of money or otherwise, which he may now possess and become possessed of in future without any reserve whatsoever, the same may be found in the Province of Lower Canada or elsewhere unto Mary Saurin, his beloved wife.

The property of his land and tenements which he may now possess and become possessed in the future, without and reserve, restriction, or limitation wheresoever the same may be found in the Province of Lower Canada or elsewhere, the said Testator doth give and bequeath unto his children which the said Testator doth hereby make and constitute his universal legatees. The said legatees of the said immoveable property to have, hold, use and enjoy the said lands and tenements & real estate in full property from the day of his decease and the said Testator doth bequeath unto Michael Donovan, his son, his watch.

And the Testator doth hereby nominate and appoint executors to his Last Will and Testament Denys Donovan and Thomas [Donovan], hereby annulling, cancelling, abrogating, and making void all former will or wills by him the said Testator heretofore made and executed and the said Testator authorizes his said executors to sell the immoveable property bequeathed to said children should they find a reasonable price and to leave in the hands of the purchaser of the said land the purchase money to their majority of said children with interest, which interest shall be payable yearly to his said wife on account of supporting his said children and of the said executors think proper to place the purchase money at the Savings Bank, the said Testator leaving all that to their discretion.

Thus done, made, dictated, and named word by word by the said Testator to Roger Lelièvre in the presence of his confrere notary and the said Last Will and Testament having been read and reread to the said Testator, which he declared well to understand as being his Last Will and meaning, being willing and ordering that his said last will be executed according its full form and tenor and the said Testator has to these presents duly read and reread according to Law set and subscribed his name and signature together with us said notaries in faith and testimony of the premises.

Three marginal notes approved and one hundred eighteen words erased as null.

Jeremiah O’Donovan, his signature

C. M. DeFoy, his signature

R. Lelièvre, his signature

Transcribed by Gerald Neville, January, 2011

Note by Patricia Balkcom:  Jeremiah must have recovered from this illness as he had a son in 1845.