| 6th September 1882 Last Will of Catherine Neville (Widow of John Landers, wife of William Conway) | From records of Notary Edouard Antill Panet No. 2136 Quebec Archives Transcribed from the Original Will |
On this sixth day of the month of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty two, at the special request of Dame Catherine Neville, widow of the late John Landers and now wife of William Conway, Farmer, both residing in the Parish of Ste. Catherine, I, Édouard Antill Panet, the undersigned Notary Public duly commissioned and sworn in and residing in the Parish of Saint Raymond, County of Portneuf and Province of Quebec, personally went and repaired to the residence in the said Parish of Ste. Catherine of the said Catherine Neville, the Testatrix, where finding her sick in her bed in a bedroom on the first floor of the house, but of sound and disposing mind, memory, judgment and understanding as it appeared unto us said Notary and John Conway, residing in the Parish of Ste. Catherine, and James Farquhar, Farmer, residing in the Parish of Valcartier, witnesses called and required by the said Testatrix for the purposes of these presents, from her words and actions yet knowing and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof, and being desirous of regulating her worldly affairs whilst yet she hath strength so to do, hath named, dictated and nominated fait dicté et nommé unto us said Notary in the presence of the said witnesses above named, her last will and testament in manner and form following:
1º I recommend my soul to Almighty God, my Creator, in the humble hope that he will receive the same to his favor through the sole merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
2º I will and order that all my just debts be first paid by my Executor hereinafter named.
3º I commit my body to the grave to be interred in a manner suitable to my station in life and according to the rites and solemnities of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and faith of which I am a member, I leaving it however to my Executor hereinafter named to fix and arrange the manner and expense of my funeral. I also will and order that a service be sung over my remains the day of my funeral and another service at the end of the year thereof.
4º I give, devise and bequeath to my said husband, William Conway, all my property, consisting of moveable and immoveables, moneys, rights, shares and actions, and all other property real or personal which I may be possessed of at the time of my decease, wheresoever the same may be situate, and of whatsoever value the same may come without exception or reserve, to be by my said husband, used, enjoyed and disposed of in full property and ownership as he may see fit and proper, I hereby instituting him my universal legatee and devisee in full ownership and my Executor, hereby revoking and repealing all other and former last wills and codicils by me heretofore made, wishing, intending and desiring that my present alone be followed.
It was thus named, dictated and nominated, fait dicté et nommé, unto us said Notary in the presence of said undersigned witnesses by the said Testatrix of her own free will and accord, and without the intervention of any person or persons whomsoever, in the residence of the said Testatrix at the said Parish of Ste. Catherine on the day, month and year first above written, at the hour of one of the clock in the afternoon.
In faith and testimony whereof the said Testatrix declaring her inability to sign or write her name, hath made her usual mark of a cross in the presence of us said Notary and witnesses, who have also signed each in the presence of the said Testatrix and in the presence of each other, these presents having been first duly read by the said Notary to the said Testatrix in presence of said witnesses, and the same filed of record in the office of the undersigned Notary under the number two thousand one hundred and
[thirty six]
.
One marginal note is good.
Catherine Neville, her mark;
John Conway, his signature;
James Farquhar, his signature;
E.A. Panet, N.P., his signature
___________________
NOTE: Catherine Neville (d/o Patrick Neville & Honorah Kavanagh) 1st married John Landers (s/o John Landers & Catherine Conway) on 26 January 1863 in Ste-Catherine’s Church and 2nd married William Conway (s/o Patrick Conway & Ann Pine) on 22 November 1871 in St-Gabriel-de-Valcartier.
Transcribed by Gerald Neville, May, 2011
Notes by Patricia Balkcom: Catherine wrote this will about two and a half weeks after she gave birth to a daughter, her ninth child. It’s possible that she died of complications of childbirth. She died 6 weeks after writing this will – she was 40 years old.