Will of John Widdifield II of Pennsylvania (1676-1720

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Surname/tag: Widdifield

Contents 1 Introduction 2 People Mentioned 3 Property List 4 Will Transcript 5 Proving Transcript 6 Research Notes 7 Sources

Introduction

This is a transcript of the last will and testament of John Widdifield (abt.1676-abt.1718), dated 10 January 1720 and proved at Philadelphia on 31 January 1720.^[1]

Spelling, punctuation and line breaks as per the original. Bold text for names is for ease of reading. Abbreviations have been expanded in [square brackets]. Where there are long spaces at the end of lines is due to the fac that the previous line was automatically carried over due to its length.

People Mentioned

People in the will, in the order that they are mentioned.

• John Widdifield
• John Widdifield, son
• Hannah, daughter
• Sarah, daughter
• Dorothea, sister
• Mary Lange, sister
• Mary Widdifield, loving wife and executor
• Elizabeth, daughter
• Mary, daughter
• Ann, daughter
• unborn child
• John Brook, tenant
• George Cluert, shopkeeper and executor
• Joshua Lawrence, executor
• Christopher Blackburn, witness
• Ebenezer Large, witness
• William Lawrence, witness

Property List

Property in the will, in the order that they are mentioned.

• Corner Messuage or Tenement Scituate between Pilgrims Street and Upper Dean Bridge in Newcastle-On-Tyne, Northumberland
• Timber Corner Messuage or Tenement on the South Side of High Street and on the West Side of Strawberry Alley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• two Brick Messuages or Tenements (joining the Timber Messuage) with the Pieces of Ground on the West Sideof Strawberry Alley, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• all the messuage or tenement and land on the West Side of Strawberry Alley, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Will Transcript

[Page 1]
I John Widdifield of Philadelphia
in the Province of Pensilvania Joyner being at Present weak in body but of a Sound mind and
memory Do make this my Last will and Testament In Manner and form following viz:
First my will is That all my Just Debts and funeral Charges be payd and Discharged by my
Executors herein after named. Item I give Devise and bequeath unto my Son John Widdifield at
his age of Twenty one Years my Corner messuage or Tenem[en]t Scituate and being between Pilgrim's Street
and Upper Dean Bridge in New Castle on Tine in Great Britain And also all my Timber Corner
messuage or Tenement wherein I now live, Scituate on ye South Side of High Street and on the West Side of
Strawberry Alley in Philad[elphia] afor[s]ed Containing in breadth on the s[ai]d High Street about fourteen or
fifteen foot and in length on ye [said] alley Thirty foot To hold to him and his heirs forever He
paying to two of his sisters to witt Hannah and Sarah ye Sum of Seventy pounds a piece Lawfull money of
America at their respective ages of Twenty one years. Item I give and bequeath unto my two Sisters
to witt Dorothea               of New Castle afores[ai]d and Mary Lange, near ye City of Durham, in Great Britain
a[forese]d out of ye rents and profits of my s[ai]d house in New Castle af[orese]d And all ye rests and residue of ye s[ai]d Rents and
profits there­ of and also all ye rents and profits of all other ye above bequeathed premises I give and
bequeath unto my Loving wife Mary Widdifield (until my s[ai]d Son John Shall attain to his full
age of Twenty one years as af[orese]d) towards bring up of all my s[ai]d Children And also I give &
bequeath unto her my s[ai]d wife all my two brick Messuages or Tenements (joyning to ye above mentioned
Timber Messuage) with ye pieces of Ground thereto belonging Scituate Lying and being on ye West Side
of ye s[ai]d Alley and also all my personal estate whatsoever & wheresoever with full power and authority for her
to Sell and Dispose of ye Same or any part thereof and out of ye money thereof Shall pay unto four of my Children to witt
Eliza[beth], Mary, Ann and ye Child my s[ai]d wife now goes with. If a female ye Sum of Seventy pounds a piece Lawfull money of
America af[orese]d But if in Case my s[e]d Child which is now unborn Shall be a Male Then my Will is that he Shall have ye sum of
one hundred pounds Lawful money of America af[orese]d. Also I give & bequeath unto her my s[ai]d Wife All ye messuage or
Tenem[en]t & piece of Ground thereto belonging wherein John Brook now Dwels scituate on ye West Side of ye s[au]d Alley for & during
her natural life And from & after her Decease my will is that ye same be Sold by my Surviving Exec[utor] or Exec[utors] to Such person or
persons as will purchase ye Same in fees Simple And ye money raised by Such Sale Shall be Equally Divided Among Such of my Children
as shall be then Living And also my will is that if in Case any of my s[ai]d Children Shall happen to Die before they
receive their respective Shares or Legacys Then my will is That ye Share or Legacy of him her or them So dying Shall be Equally
Divided among ye Survivors of them Share & Share alike And Lastly I nominate and appoint my Loving wife Mary Wid:
:difield and my friends George Cluert of Philad[elphia] Shopkeeper and Joshua Lawrence of Philad[elphia] af[orese]d to be Executors of this my last
Will and Testament In Wit­ness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this Tenth Day of January
Ano Dom One thousand Seven hundred and Twenty.
                                                                                                                 John Widdifield (SEAL)
Signed Sealed and published and Declared by ye above
named John Widdifield to be his Last will and
Testament in the presence of
Christopher Blackburn
Ebenezer Large
William Lawrence

Proving Transcript

Philadelphia, January 31, l720
Then personally appeared Christopher Blackburn, Ebenezer Large, William Lawrence the Witnesses to the within written Will and on their solemn Affirmations according to Lawdid Declare they saw John Widdifield the Testator Sign Seal and Publish and Declare the Same to be 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. Bet Evans Register General. Be it Remembered that the 3lst day of January l72O the Last Will and Testament of John Widdi­field Deced was proved in due form of Law and Probate and Letters of Testa­mentary were Granted to Mary Widdifield and Joshua Lawrence Exec's therein named being first attested well and truely to administer the said Deced. Estate and to bring an Inventory thereof into the Register's Office in Phil­adelphia at or before the first day of March next and also to tender an account when thereunto Lawfully required. Given under the Seal of the said Office, Bet Evans, Register General.

Research Notes

I was unable to find the proving transcript so have used the one provided in the book "A Brief Historical and Genealogical Account of the Widdifield Family in England, the United States and Canada" (see sources)Anderson-68563

Sources

1. ↑ Wills and Inventories of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1682-1724
   Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
   Original data: Pennsylvania County, District and Probate Courts.

• R. Maria Young Widdifield and Albert Edward Widdifield, A Brief Historical and Genealogical Account of the Widdifield Family in England, the United States and Canada, 1966 Published by Utah Printing Company Salt Lake City, Utah Not Copyrighted