| 21st April 1874 Last Will of Charlotte Wolff Widow of William Aikens | From records of Notary Joseph Laurin No. 6856 Quebec Archives Microfilm Number 4M01-4770 |
On the twenty first day of the month of April in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy four, personally came and appeared in the residence of Mtre Jos. Laurin, Notary in the Parish of Ancienne Lorette, Mrs. Charlotte Wolff, widow of the late William Aikens, of the Parish of St. Gabriel of Valcartier, who being apparently sound of body and mind, memory and understanding requested me the undersigned Notary to write down and receive in due form of law, her last will and testament which she instantly made and dictated unto me the undersigned Notary in the manner and form following, viz.,
1º I recommend my soul to the Almighty God, hoping for a free pardon and remission for all my sins and my body I commit to the earth to be buried in the cemetery, leaving the care of my funeral to my Executrix.
2º I will and direct that all my just debts be fully paid and satisfied out of my estate and property by my Executrix hereinafter named.
3º I give and bequeath to any child not now born, all my properties, possessions and effects, real and personal of whatever kind and wherever situated, and all sums of money which I may leave undisposed of, and I institute my child not now born my universal legatee in full property, en pleine propriété, and in case of decease of my child before the age of majority, I give and bequeath to my sister Anna Wolff all my properties of whatever kind and wherever situated and sums of money which I may leave undisposed of at the time of my death and I institute herself my universal legatee in full property, en pleine propriété.
And lastly, I do hereby nominate and appoint my sister, Anna Wolff, my sole Executrix, and in hands of whom I divest and disseize myself of all and every my estate and property according to law.
And I hereby revoke and make null and void all other wills and codicils at any time heretofore by me made, declaring the present to be my only true and last will and testament.
It was thus made, dictated and named by the said Testatrix to Jos. Laurin, Notary, at the place aforesaid, in presence of Mr. Thomas O’Neill and Peter Johnston, both farmers of the Parish of Ancienne Lorette, especially demanded for and to the effect of these presents, and the present last will and testament having been read in full to the said Testatrix by the said Jos. Laurin, Notary, in the presence of the aforesaid witnesses, she the said Testatrix declared that she had perfectly heard and understood the same and found it to contain her true last will and intentions, therefore persisted therein, at the place aforesaid, on the day, month and year first above written under the number six thousand eight hundred and fifty six.
And in faith and testimony of the premises, the said undersigned Notary and the witnesses above named have signed these presents, the said Testatrix having declared that she could not write nor sign her name, these presents having been duly read according to law.
Four words struck out are null.
Charlotte Wolff, her mark;
Thos. O’Neill, his signature;
Peter Johnston, his signature;
Jos. Laurin, Not. Pub., his signature
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Transcribed by Gerald Neville, January, 2013
Note by Patricia Balkcom: From this Will, we can assume that Charlotte was pregnant when her husband died on October 21, 1873 and that the child was unborn when she wrote the Will. She and William had only been married sixteen months when he died so it appears that they had no other children. From the 1891 Census, it seems that Charlotte had a daughter born in 1874. She had remarried in 1882 to Ferdinand McClory and they had two children. It is very possible that there is a later Will for Charlotte. Ferdinand predeceased her in 1914 and she died on October 18, 1919 in Sherbrooke, Que.