To find out if an original will exists, i.e. the document actually signed by the testator, one has to go to MSA Index 1. This is now on line and can be accessed at http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se4/000000/html/index.html It is a bit tedious to work through, especially for John and James Smith, because each "page" in the index is an image of one 3x5 card, each card being the reference to a single probate document. There are, for example, almost 12,000 cards just under surnames beginning with "S." To look for a particular document you have to search through the "pages" working progressively through surname, then given name, then record type (accounts, bonds, inventories, testamentary papers, wills), then county, and finally by date. If you get to a will and the notation "COUNTY" appears on the card then you know the original will is on file at MSA in the indicated box and folder number. I did this for John and James Smith and surprisingly found that there were no wills listed for either John or James Smith in Somerset in 1739-40, neither original nor transcribed versions. The closest I could find was an original will for a different John Smith, in Somerset in 1733, which is transcribed in Wills Vol. 20, p.690. So this is an example of a will that did not make it into MSA Index 1, which up to this point I had always thought was pretty reliable. It is found in the MD Calendar of Wills. John Polk ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 09:07 Subject: [LDR] Look at the original will - example >I did not know how to explain the below contradiction in the name of the >husband of Elizabeth Smith. (Keddie also refers to James Smith). This is >an example of the reason why we should check the original will whenever >possible. After a giant struggle with the Huntington site, I managed to >find Smith's will of 1739-40 below (vol. 22, folio 172). Voila - it said >very clearly I JOHN Smith, Sr. of Somerset County etc. Of course here's >the problem - was this copy on the Huntington site also a copy of an >original will and were Cotton and Keddie looking at an entirely different >copy. What a headache. > > Smith, Elizabeth, widow of John,All Hallows Parish, Somerset Co.,19th May, > 1742; > 10th March, 1742-3; > 17th March, 1742-3. > To cousin Sarah Patrick, dau.-in-law Sarah Hickman, and granddau. Bridget > Hickman, personalty. > To daus.-in-law Dillegane Rickard, Bridget Seasill, Tamer Day, Charity > Maisey, Anne Bell and Elizabeth Collins, residue of estate. > Exs.: Isaac Bell, John Rickard. > Test: John Miller, Charles Mooney, Abraham Lynch. > 23. 97. > I can not understand why it is widow of John when it appears his name was > James LOL. > > Smith, James, Sr.,Somerset Co.,23rd Mar., 1739-40; > 27th Apr., 1740. > To son John, ex., and hrs., 350 A. “Cow Quarter”, 200 A. “Isleington” 430 > A. “Cords Lott”. > To daus. Sarah, Bridgett, Diligents and Comfort and sons Charles and > William, personalty. > To wife Elizabeth, 1/3 estate. > Test: Thomas Purkins, Race Clark, Samuel Showell. > 22. 172. > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message
John Polk: This John Smith has come in really handy as a good example of the chaos! Amazing, I hadn't even gone to the cards yet which was going to be my next step after the tax lists. ----- Original Message ----- From: John Polk <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:31:23 -0000 (UTC) Subject: Re: [LDR] Look at the original will - example To find out if an original will exists, i.e. the document actually signed by the testator, one has to go to MSA Index 1. This is now on line and can be accessed at http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/stagsere/se1/se4/000000/html/index.html It is a bit tedious to work through, especially for John and James Smith, because each "page" in the index is an image of one 3x5 card, each card being the reference to a single probate document. There are, for example, almost 12,000 cards just under surnames beginning with "S." To look for a particular document you have to search through the "pages" working progressively through surname, then given name, then record type (accounts, bonds, inventories, testamentary papers, wills), then county, and finally by date. If you get to a will and the notation "COUNTY" appears on the card then you know the original will is on file at MSA in the indicated box and folder number. I did this for John and James Smith and surprisingly found that there were no wills listed for either John or James Smith in Somerset in 1739-40, neither original nor transcribed versions. The closest I could find was an original will for a different John Smith, in Somerset in 1733, which is transcribed in Wills Vol. 20, p.690. So this is an example of a will that did not make it into MSA Index 1, which up to this point I had always thought was pretty reliable. It is found in the MD Calendar of Wills. John Polk ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Monday, July 26, 2010 09:07 Subject: [LDR] Look at the original will - example >I did not know how to explain the below contradiction in the name of the >husband of Elizabeth Smith. (Keddie also refers to James Smith). This is >an example of the reason why we should check the original will whenever >possible. After a giant struggle with the Huntington site, I managed to >find Smith's will of 1739-40 below (vol. 22, folio 172). Voila - it said >very clearly I JOHN Smith, Sr. of Somerset County etc. Of course here's >the problem - was this copy on the Huntington site also a copy of an >original will and were Cotton and Keddie looking at an entirely different >copy. What a headache. > > Smith, Elizabeth, widow of John,All Hallows Parish, Somerset Co.,19th May, > 1742; > 10th March, 1742-3; > 17th March, 1742-3. > To cousin Sarah Patrick, dau.-in-law Sarah Hickman, and granddau. Bridget > Hickman, personalty. > To daus.-in-law Dillegane Rickard, Bridget Seasill, Tamer Day, Charity > Maisey, Anne Bell and Elizabeth Collins, residue of estate. > Exs.: Isaac Bell, John Rickard. > Test: John Miller, Charles Mooney, Abraham Lynch. > 23. 97. > I can not understand why it is widow of John when it appears his name was > James LOL. > > Smith, James, Sr.,Somerset Co.,23rd Mar., 1739-40; > 27th Apr., 1740. > To son John, ex., and hrs., 350 A. “Cow Quarter”, 200 A. “Isleington” 430 > A. “Cords Lott”. > To daus. Sarah, Bridgett, Diligents and Comfort and sons Charles and > William, personalty. > To wife Elizabeth, 1/3 estate. > Test: Thomas Purkins, Race Clark, Samuel Showell. > 22. 172. > *************************************** > QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? > Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: > http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message *************************************** QUESTIONS about POSTING GUIDELINES, SUBSCRIBING or UNSUBSCRIBING? Visit The Lower DelMarVa Roots Mailing List FAQ: http://www.tyaskin.com/handley/ldrfaq.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message