52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #9 Where there's a Will

-- a little late

On this International Women's Day, I am going to share the Last Will and Testament of my 3rd Great-grandmother, Margaret Johnston nee Byres.

I have not seen the original will. I did try to find it at the Archives of Ontario, but I was unsuccessful.  I found a handwritten transcription in the family history of the David Johnston family [1] at the Uxbridge Historical Centre Museum & Archives (aka Uxbridge-Scott Museum & Archives). The author,  Helen Johnston, has small handwriting and some words are hard to read. She spelled the words as written in the original. She didn't provide the citation for where the will can be found. By the time I came aware of Helen Johnston and her work, she had already passed away.

I am copying the will as she did except the long s will be written as ss. I will try to transcribe what she has written correctly.  There are no commas in the listings.

Date this Dec. 11th 1865
This is my last will and testement maid this Twenty first day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred and sixty five. I Bequeth to my son David Johnston or his family the following aftermentioned goods and chattels which I now posess = to David's oldest son James my round stand wash stand basin & pitcher = to my son David's Daughter Margreat 1 Black silk cape the dark bedstead 2 Bead ticks 1 striped and the other plain all my china dishes 1 fether Bolster 2 Blankets and 1 light Quilt one flowred delaine [2] dress to my son David's son David I Bequeth $8.00. I also Bequeth to my Daughter Margret my yellow Bedsted fether and straw Bed fether Bolster & 2 pillows Beurow 2 blankits and one Quilt night Chair muff & boae my black shall 1 Black flowred satin Bonnet. To my grandaughter Margret Jane Johnson * Bequeth my best drab silk shall 1 fine Linnen sheet 1 home maid sheet 1 Quilt not lined flowred 

To my son John I bequeth my loung 3 kitchen Chairs 1 kitchen Table and the small looking glass and one Cloths Horse.

To my son John's Daughter Catherine my folding leaf Table and Cover one quilt not lined color brown 1 Iron Candel stick 2/1 Doz diner plates & wash board.

To my son John's James my little squair dressing table.

To my son John's Daughter Margret my Comp Bedsed and the Curtains belonging to it one blanket one Quilt lind with flenel and all my  common plates and Blue Edged platter 1 Black winter Cape one Cream Jug & my Black dress.

To my son James I bequeth my Cubbord and my second best table cloth and to his son Ribert my Cooking stove and all belonging to it but the tin Tea kittel and the best spider. [3]

To my son William I bequeth my family Bible my old Cuntry Clock 1/2 Doz. Green Chairs the Big rocking Chair the nursing Chair the Brass kittle and Tin Tea kittle 2 stone Butter Crocks 1 washing tub 1 white ash Butter Tub 3 sap Buckits 5 milk Crocks my spinning wheel and reak  1 large Looking Glass my best Chamber smoothing Irons Tallion Iron & beeters my best spider 1/2 Doz knives & forks best ones 2 of my best Towels and all my preserves dishes allso my fire tongs my willow Basket

To my son William's Daughter Ann I bequeth 1 fine sheet linnen 1 cotton and Linnen Twild sheet my best Quilt not lined Flowred and 2 old Linnen sheets 1 Brass Candel stick 2 pillows and 2 best pillow slips one of my best Blankits 3 soop plates 1 platter 1 silver tablespoon.

To my son William's Daughter Margret I bequeth 1 small fether Bed 1 Linnen Sheet 1 home maid sheet 1 of my best Blankits my best Table Cloth my best Quilt light Lilock my little clock 3 soop plates and 1 platter 1 silver tablespoon 1 Brown pitcher 1 Blue stone pitcher.

As for money and my property I Autherize my son William to collect all my outstanding Notes and Accounts to sell my property which I own in the Village of Uxbridg and I give him full power to make a title for the same after that he has disposed of said property and received the money for it and paid for all my funrel Expenses he shall than put up a respictable head stone = the money he may have left he shall take one third of it for himself and the Ballance he shall Divide Equaly between his 3 brothers and his sister Margret and Margret shall give one half of her share to her Daughter Jane and for the Ballance of y Body Cloths and other articals that is not mentioned in the above I leve my Daughter Margret to divid them as she thinks Just and right among my family 

[signed] Margaret Johnston


[1] Johnston, Helen, Descendants of James Hardy Johnston 1788-1872 and Margaret (Byres) Johnston 1793-1866 of Annan Scotland and Quaker Hill. Queensville, Ont., H Johnston, 1984.

[2] delaine: a lightweight dress fabric of wool or wool and cotton made in prints or solid colors;delaine merino.

[3] spider according the Canadian Encyclopedia is
"Until about 1830 cooking was almost always done in an open fireplace. One of the problems of this was providing stability for the cooking utensils. Pots for stews or tea water had curved handles by which they were suspended from a swinging bar called a crane. A more reliable means of support was the trivet, an iron ring large enough to hold the pot and having 3 vertical legs that could be set in the fire. The trivet could be combined with the frying pan or skillet by attaching legs directly to the pan bottom; this combination was called a spider. Cooking pots were also made with permanently attached legs."

© 2018 Janet Iles

Amanuensis Monday - Walton Wills from Somersetshire, England

 "An Amanuensis is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin – some we never met – others we see a time in their life before we knew them."  John Newmark of Transylvania Dutch created this theme.

from p. 83 of Abstracts of Somersetshire Wills by  Frederick Brown.

This is from one of the books that I looked at when I was in Salt Lake City at the Family History Library. I was hoping that there would be a will relating to either the Walter or Payne family. I didn't find one. As I am preparing for a talk on wills, I wanted to show an example of the content of wills from the 1500s and 1600s in England, so I took photographs of several.


From Abstracts of Somersetshire Wills, copied from the wills of the manuscript collection of the late V. Frederick Brown, M.A. F.S.A. privately printed for Frederick Arthur Crisp, 1889 - viewed at the Family History Library, Salt Lake City.

p. 83
JOHN WALTON. Oct 17, 1549, Proved by Thomas Walton,
in the Chauncell, between Mr Dyer, sometime 2 Parson of the same
the mayntenance of Goddis Dyvyne Service in the Church of Nether-
ham six good wether sheepe. To my son Alexander Walton, my pur-
chase in West Monckton, with appurtenances. To my son Andrew
Walton & his heirs, all my lands in Langport Easton, Langport West,
Som t, & [pound sign] 10 for his apprenticeship in London. To my daughter Joane
Walton, [pound sign] 40, and "oon flate pece with a cover of silver parcel gilted,
and oon bedde with appurtenances," she to be ordered in her marriage
by Sir Thomas Dyer, K t, and William & Thomas Walton, her brothers
To my daughter Elisabeth Walton, [pound sign] 40, & the same to my daughter
Agnes Walton. To my cousin Richard Walton, son of my brother
William Walt, the elder, my wood knyfe. 12 d to the poor people of
two Alms houses in Glastonbury. Residue to my son Thomas Walton,
Ex r. My brother Walton, & my gossip Uppham, overseers. "And I
beseche the Lyvyn God Recyve my soule unto His endless mercy."
[2] (1459-99 )"Somerset Incumbents," 101.)

ELISABETH WALTON June 22, 1616. Proved Sept. 20, 1616
[129 Cope.] Buried at Baltonsborough with my husband. My
daughters, Jane & Margaret. My son Richard Walton. My brother
Francis Cottington, & my brother Maurice Cottington. My cousin
Kingson shall have my daughter Margaret to breed up. [pound sign] 90 to my
two daughters.

Two questions - What is meant by "my gossip Uppham" in the first will abstract.
What is meant by "My cousin Kingson shall have my daughter Margaret to breed up." in the second?

Update: Thanks to Tim, a reference librarian at the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, I received the following.

"breed up" means raise and marry well. Since many of the family is dead, the cousin was named responsible for the daughter. The expectation is that he will see that she marries well.  Check Wordnik


"gossip" - godparent See the Online Etymology Dictionary for more details.

© 2010 Janet Iles