| 19th April 1850 Will of William Grant Husband of Honora Fitzgerald | From Notary Records of Alex-Benjamin Sirois Duplessis No. 3697 Transcribed from Quebec Archives Film #4M01-5752 |
On the nineteenth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty, before the undersigned Notary Public duly admitted and sworn in and for that part of the Province of Canada heretofore constituting the Province of Lower Canada residing in the City of Quebec and the witnesses hereinafter named personally came and appeared William Grant of the Parish of Ste. Catherine of Fossambault in the County of Portneuf and District of Quebec hereof, who being in apparently good health of body and a sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding, blessed be the Almighty God for the same, hath declared unto us the said Notary and witnesses that considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time hereof, wished to make his last will and testament and accordingly he did make, declare and dictate the same word for word unto us the said Notary and witnesses in manner following:
1º The Testator doth recommend his soul to unto the hands of Almighty God, his Creator and Saviour, and his body he commits to the earth to be interred in a manner suitable to his condition at the time of his decease.
2º The said Testator doth will and direct that his just debts, funeral expenses and wrongs be fully paid and satisfied by his Executrix Testamentary as soon as possible after his decease.
3º The Testator doth give and bequeath unto Eleonora [Honora] Fitzgerald his wife the enjoyment usufruct of all his property moveable and immoveable of whatever description or value they may be at the time of his decease to be by her enjoyed during her life time.
4º The said Testator at the decease of the said Honora Fitzgerald, his said wife, doth give and bequeath the said property moveable and immoveable to his son John Grant of the said Parish of Ste. Catherine, Farmer, to be by him enjoyed in full property as his own instituting the said John Grant his sole and universal legatee.
5º The said Testator for the execution of his present last will and testament doth nominate and appoint the said Honora Fitzgerald his said wife, annulling and cancelling by these presents all former wills, testaments and codicils he may have made previous to the execution of his present last will and testament.
Thus done and dictated word for word by the said Testator unto Alexandre Benjamin Sirois, Notary, in the presence of Antoine Juchereau Duchesnay, Esquire of the Parish of St. Roch of Quebec, and Pierre Bouchard of the said Parish of Ste. Catherine, Joiner and Farmer, witnesses called for the execution of this said last will and testament. The same having been read in full twice over to the said Testator by the said Notary in the presence of the said witnesses, he the said testator declared that he had perfectly heard and understood the same and found it to contain his true will and intention, therefore persisted therein and the said Testator declared unto us the said Notary and witnesses that he does not know how to write or sign his name, the said Notary and witnesses have hereunto set and subscribed their names and signatures under the number three thousand six hundred and ninety seven in faith and testimony of the premises.
Two marginal notes approved are good. Twelve words erased are null.
Ant. Duschesnay, his signature;
Pierre Bouchard, his signature,
A.B. Sirois, N.P., his signature
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NOTE by Gerald Neville: In the original will, William Grant’s wife is referred to as “Eleonora”. I have used “Honora” because it is the name used in most church records.
Transcribed by Gerald Neville, 2011
Notes by Patricia Balkcom: William Grant died on 16 February 1851 and was buried in Ste. Catherine’s Cemetery on 18 February 1851. It states he was about 63 years of age.