| 27th September 1868 Last Will of Honoria McDonough (Widow of Christopher Flanagan) | From records of Notary Jean-Baptiste Pruneau No. 9051 Quebec Archives 4M01-5696 |
Before the undersigned Notary Public for that part of the Province of Canada hereafter called Lower Canada and now the Province of Quebec residing in the City of Quebec in the said Province personally came and appeared Dame Honoria McDonough, widow of the late Christopher Flanagan, residing in the Township of Stoneham, in the County and District of Quebec, who being bodily sick in her bed, but perfectly sound in her mind, memory and understanding, as appeared unto the said Notary and the two witnesses hereinafter named, by her discourse and proposals declared unto the said notary and witnesses that considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the hour thereof, she was desirous of making her solemn will and testament which she requested the said notary to write down and while she dictated unto the said Notary in the presence of the said two witnesses in the manner following, to wit:
1º Firstly, I recommend my soul to Almighty God and commit my body to the earth to be interred after my decease in a manner suitable to my condition.
2º Secondly, I do will and ordain that all my debts be paid and my wrongs satisfied by my Executor Testamentary hereinafter named.
3º Thirdly, I do hereby give and bequeath unto Dame Margaret Whelan, my granddaughter, wife of Matthew A. Hearn, Esquire, Advocate a good milk cow to be delivered immediately after my decease by my universal legatee hereinafter named.
4º Fourthly, I do hereby give and bequeath to Miss Ellen Whelan, my other granddaughter, the sum of forty dollars and a feather bed and a quilt, the same to be paid and delivered as soon as possible after my decease.
5º Fifthly, I hereby give and bequeath to Misses Ellen Flanagan, widow of the late Patrick Whelan, my daughter, the sum of one hundred and twenty dollars, to be paid to her by equal payments of the sum of forty dollars a year till full payment but under the understanding that my Executor Testamentary hereinafter named shall be at liberty to pay the forty dollars a year to the said widow Whelan according to her wants by small payments as he the said Executor Testamentary may think proper for the best advantage of her the said widow Whelan.
6º Sixthly, I do give and bequeath to Richard Flanagan, my grand son, thirty acres of land to be taken in the Lot No. Three in the Third Range of the said Township of Stoneham along side & next to Lot No. Two in the said Third Range and also fifty acres of land in the said Lot No. 2 in the said Third Range along side and next to the one above thirty acres above given and bequeathed and intending that the said Richard Flanagan, my grand son, may enjoy and dispose of the said two parts in the said Lots No. Two and Three above mentioned in full property and for ever.
7º Seventhly, I do give and bequeath to George Flanagan, my son, in order to reward him for the good care he took of me since so many years, all and every my true properties moveable and immoveable, real and personal, whereof I may die possessed, for and by him the said George Flanagan to enjoy of all my said properties without any exception as he may think proper for ever, hereby naming him the said George Flanagan my universal legatee of all my said properties & revoking all other wills.
8º Eightly, I do hereby name and appoint the person of the said George Flanagan my said universal legatee to be the Executor Testamentary of my present Will & Testament.
It was thus dictated by the said Honoria McDonough unto J.-B. Pruneau, Notary, in the presence of James Adams and John Bleaks, both of the said Township of Stoneham, Farmers, and these presents having been duly read and read over again by the said J.-B. Pruneau in the presence of the said two witnesses to the said Honoria McDonough she declared that she well heard and understood the same and persisted therein.
Thus done and passed at the residence of the said Honoria McDonough in the said Township of Stoneham, on the twenty seventh day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty eight under the No. nine thousand and fifty one.
And the said Honoria McDonough has signed with the said Notary and witnesses these presents having been duly read & read over again according to the law.
Four words struck out are null & void.
Honora McDonough, her signature
James Adams, his signature
John Bleaks, his signature
J.-B. Pruneau, his signature
Transcribed by Gerald Neville, April 2011
Notes by Patricia Balkcom: This is a second will – two of her children, Henry and Bridget, had passed away since she wrote the first Will. Also, it appears that she changed her mind about who she would leave her assets to in some cases. The Will states that she was sick in bed, however, she lived for another year and a half.