| 28th October 1882 Will of Sarah Duffy Widow of John Nevin | From records of Notary Paul Picard No. 458 Quebec Archives Original Records |
On this day, the twenty eight of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty two (1882), Before me the undersigned Notary Public for the Province of Quebec in the Dominion of Canada, residing in the parish of St. Ambroise of La Jeune Lorette and the witnesses hereinafter named and subscribed,
Personally came and appeared Sarah Duffy, widow of the late John Navin, residing at the residence of James Rolph, farmer of the parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier, the said Sarah Duffy being in weak bodily health but of sound mind, memory, and understanding as to us appeared by her manner and conversation hath requested of the said Notary to receive and reduce into writing this, her Last Will and Testament which I, the said Notary, in the presence of the said witnesses have taken down as dictated to us by the said Sarah Duffy as aforesaid word for word and as follows, that is to say,
Iº I recommend my soul to God asking him to give me the everlasting beatitude by the merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour.
IIº I wish that after my lawful and just debts shall have been paid and satisfied with which I hereby charge my Executor hereinafter named a sum of money be paid to the Curé of the parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier to be by him employed for the saying of one hundred low masses of “requiem” for the repose of my soul.
IIIº I give and bequeath unto Bridget Margaret Corrigan, daughter of James B. Corrigan, of the town Cedarburg, County of Ozaukee in the State of Wisconsin the sum of one hundred dollars if she remains in the convent of the Good Shepherd and not otherwise.
IVº I do hereby give and bequeath unto (Kate) Catherine O’Neil, wife of Garret Kindlen, butcher, formerly of the parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier, now residing in the parish of St. Sauveur of Quebec all the remainder of my real and personal property and all moveables that I may possess of & to have and to hold the said remainder of my property hereby given to the own proper use, behoof, and benefit of her, the said Catherine O’Neil as aforesaid and in full and absolute property from the day of my death.
Vº And for the execution of the present, my Last Will and Testamnet I do hereby nominate and appoint the Reverend Father John O’Farrell, Curé of the Parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier in favor of whom, I do, in conformity to the Law and Custom of this Province hereby deseize and divest myself of all my property for the ends hereof hereby revoking all other wills, testaments or codicils that I may have made prior to the pressure to which alone I do adhere as containing my true intentions and Last Will.
Thus done and dictated word for word & published and declared by the said Sarah Duffy aforesaid for & as her Last Will & Testament to and in the presence of the said Notary and James Rolph and James Hicks, farmers of the Parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier, witnesses expressly called for the effect hereof at the residence of the said James Rolph on the day and year first above written under the number of four hundred and fifty eight of the original deeds of the said Notary.
In faith and testimony whereof the said Testatrix having declared not to know how to write or sign her name when requested so to do as to these presents first duly read according to law, set and made her mark of a cross in the presence of the said Notary and of the said witnesses who have also hereunto set and subscribed their respective names & signatures.
Words erased are null. Marginal notes approved are good.
Sarah Duffy, her mark; James Hicks, his signature; James Rolph, his signature; P. Picard, Notary, his signature
Transcribed by Gerry Neville – May 2011
Notes by Patricia Balkcom: In her first will, 15 years earlier, Sarah left her estate to her sister-in-law, Ann Navin and Ann’s children. Ann died about 1881 before this second will was written. Sarah now leaves all of her estate to her two nieces (Bridget Margaret Corrigan – daughter of Ann Navin) and Catherine O’Neill Kindelan (daughter of Judith Duffy, sister to Sarah). It is obvious that Sarah was especially close to Bridget and that as a child, Bridget lived with Sarah for a period of time, even though her family had moved to Wisconsin. It is also obvious that Sarah and her husband, the late John Navin, were very religious, as they left money to the church for masses and Sarah stipulated that Bridget must remain in the church to receive her inheritance. Sarah died 2 months after writing this will.