When my 8th-great-grandfather Edward Lucas wrote his will, he originally intended to provide for my 7th-great-grandfather Edward.
Will of Edward Lucas
I Edward Lucas of the Falls Township in the County of Bucks and province of Pennsylvania being of health in body & sound mind and good memory but calling to my rememberance of the uncertainty of this Life do make this my last Will & Testament touching the disposal of what temporal estate I have herebt revoking & annulling all other & former Will or Wills Whatsoever heretofore by me made and this only to be taken for my Last Will & Testament and none other. First I do Will that my body be decently buryed according to the Discretion of my Executors heretoafter named. Secondly I do Will that my just Debts & funeral Charges be duly paid. Thirdly I Give Devise & bequeath unto my well beloved wife Bridget Lucas my best bed & all the furniture thereunto belonging. Fourthly I Give and Bequeath unto my two Daughters Ann & Elizabeth each of them a Bed & furniture and that Ann have the next best to my Wifes & Elizabeth the next best. Fifthly all & Singular the Tract of Land where I now live with the Appurtenences I give & Bequeath unto my son John Lucas & his Heirs for ever excepting & reserving unto my Wife the Room in the new House where we Lodge & free egress & regress to & from the same from time to time as her occasion shall or may require so long as she may remain unmarried. And _ _ also that he do keep for her [?] Cows and a Horse both Winter & Somer every year as afs. and also do reserve her what Celler room and Wood for firewood she shall need so long as she shall remain unmarried as afores. Also I do reserve the old House where my son John now lives for a home for any of my Children ti retire unto while they are unmarried or if any of my Daughters Husbands should dye and thereby they stand in need of a home then the said House to be for them also. Sixthly my Land that lyes between William Paresons and the Widow Darks Land that was formerly my Brother Johns with all & singular the Improvements with the stock & corn on the ground I give & bequeath unto my son Robert Lucas his Heirs and Assigns hr paying unto my sister Rebecca Lucas and I do will that my said son Robert do take care of my brother Giles & provide for him sufficient of Meat Drink Washing & Lodging and Apparel of all sorts during his natural Life. Also I give and bequeath unto my said son Robert Lucas and his Heirs and Assigns all of the Right Title and Interest which I now have or which my Heirs Executors or Adms. shall or ought to have hereafter of in & unto the Tract of Land Joyning on the Tract last mentioned being the Tract which my Brother Giles afores. made some improvement on. And also I do give to my said son Robert all accounts all accounts which I have against my said Brother Giles for keeping and maintaining him heretofore I do also give & to my said son Robert all my house hold goods & Husbandry utensils that is on the plantation herein bequeathed to him. Seventhly I do give my Daughters Mercy Mary & Margaret each of them twenty shillings. Eighthly I do Will that my son John afores, his Heirs Exs or Adms do pay unti my son Edward the sum of five pounds yearly for the space of six years after my decease. Ninthly all the remaining part of my personal Estate whatsoever I give and bequeath unto my Wife my Daughter Ann and my Daughter Elizabeth to be equally divided amongst them into three equal parts or shares. Lastly I do make nominate and appoint my Dear and welbeloved wife aforesaid and my son John Lucas aforesaid to be my Executors to see this my last Will and Testament performed. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal Dated the twenty third Day of the Eleventh Month Anno Dom. one thousand seven hundred and thirty seven.
Edward Lucas 1737
Sealed Pronounced & Declared by the Said Edward Lucas to be his Last Will and Testament
in the presence of
Saml Harker
Joseph Atkinson
Wm Atkinson
Bucks [?] June of 2d 1740 Then personally appeared Samuel Harker and on the Sixth of the same June personally appeared William Atkinson two of the Witnesses to the within written will and on their solemn affermation did declare that they were personally present and saw the Testator Edward Lucas Sign Seal publish & Declare the within writing as his last Will and Testament and that at the doing thereof he was of Sound mind memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge -
Coram W Hall Dep Regr
After he wrote his will, my 8th-great-grandfather Edward changed his mind about providing for his son Edward.
Codicil
Be it known unto all Men by these presents that of Edward Lucas of the Falls Township in the County of Bucks & Province of Pennsylvania Yeoman have made and declared my Last Will & Testament in Writing bearing Date the twenty third Day of the eleventh month Anno Dom. one thousand seven hundred & thirty seven and the said Edward Lucas do by the presents Codicil confirm and ratifie my said Last Will only excepting that I do make the alteration therein as followeth That is to say First I do will and by these presents order that my son John and my son Robert do pay what I owe to my sister Rebecca equally between them. Secondly I do will that my son John don't pay my son Edward any thing. Thirdly I do give Devise and Bequeath unto my son in law Thomas Bayley his Heirs and Assigns a certain piece of Land for a Conveniency of water to be taken off at the back part of my Tract of Land where I now live viz. to begin at my back Corner next the great Road leading to Philadelphia & to run Six Rod (?) Wide to the Water. And my Will & meaning is that this Codicil or Shedule be adjudged to be as part of my Said Will & testament & that all things herein contained be faithfully performed as in full & ample manner as if the same were set down and declared in my Said Will. In Witness whereof the Said Edward Lucas have hereunto Set my Hand & Seal this Sixth Day of the Twelfth Month Anno Dom. one thousand seven hundred and thirty nine - 1739/40
Edward Lucas
Sealed Pronounced & Declared by
the Said Edward Lucas in the presence of
MWatson
Jos. White
Wm Atkinson
Bucks [?] June of 2nd 1740 Then personally appeared Mark Watson and Joseph White and on the Sixth of the Same June personally appeased William Atkinson the three Witnesses to the above Writing and on their solemn affermation did declare that they were personally present and saw the Testator Edward Lucas Sign Seal Publish and Declare the above writing as a Codicil to his Last Will & Testament and that at the doing thereof he was of sound mind memory & understanding to the best of their knowledge-
Coram W Hall Dep. Regr.
My 7th-great-grandfather Edward was disinherited! Perhaps my 8th-great-grandfather Edward was still angry about his son's disownment by the Falls Monthly Meeting.
Cousin Beth -- I'm not sure where my last comment went?!? This is another fantastic story about our shared 7th and 8th GGs. So much information in this Will and Codicil. Yes I think Edward was very angry at his son Edward! Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteOuch! But, I can understand that if the church had disowned him, and the parents were believers of that religion, that the will would be rewritten to disown him. But, still, that has to sting!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm sure it did! I felt bad for him just reading that statement!
DeleteThis is serendipitous! I just got back from Jefferson County West Virginia where we were restoring the cemetery where General William Darke and his sister Mary Darke Engle are buried. We were speculating as to whether their father Joseph was buried with them or with his sister Mary Darke Lucas, wife of your disinherited Edward. How fun! I didnt know they had adjacent property in Bucks. I did not have a chance to find out if the Lucas burial grounds have survived? Best, Cousin Ellen
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information on the Darke family, Ellen! Are you related to the Lucas family? I am actually not a descendant of Mary Darke Lucas; I descend from Edward's second wife Elizabeth Corn.
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