Contents |
In 1684, John was named in the will of his step-father, John Motley or Motlin:
John Spicer was a carpenter who died in Dorchester county, Maryland, some time between the signing of his will in 1724 and the July, 1730 probate.
There are records of John Spicer's land purchases in Dorchester county as early as 1679.[2]
At the time of his death, he owned a plantation which he called Crab Island, of about sixty acres.
Given the age of his wife's son, Bartholomew Gibbs (under sixteen at the time the will was written), Elinor Gibbs was a second wife, married after 1709
John had five children from his first marriage to Margaret [last name unknown].
Transcription of John Spicer's Will
In the name of God Amen I John Spicer of the County of Dorchester, in the Province of Maryland. Carpenter, being sick & weak of body but of sound & perfect memory thanks be to Almighty God therefore calling to mind the Certainty of my Mortality do make & appoint this my last will and testament in form and manner following
Item, I give and bequeath my Soul with Almighty God that hoping for Pardon of my Sins through the Merrits Of Jesus Christ-my soul, and my Body I give to the Ground to be Buried in Christian Manner at the discretion of my executrix, hereafter named
Item I give & bequeath unto my Children hereafter named:) Thomas Spicer, William Spicer, Phillip Spicer, Elizabeth Bright, Mary Spicer each of them one Shilling Sterling a piece and no more for their positions- Item I give & bequeath unto my Son James Spicer my now dwelling Plantation, the Tract of Land on which it is Seated called Crab Island laid out for 60 acres: all profits improvements & benefits thereupon being & belonging to him & his heirs for ever and if my Son shall die without lawfuls then the said land and profits is to fall or be deferred to his brother John Spicer and his heirs forever- Item I will desire and appoint that the aforesaid Plantation Land profits improvements and benefits shall be and remain in the Custody and Possession and to the use & behalf of my loving Wife Elinor Spicer during her widowhood but if she Marrieth again her Thirds only do I give her Item I give unto my Son in Law** Bartholomew Gibbs one Cow Calfes to be given unto him at or when he shall be & attain to Sixteen years of Age
Item I give unto my Son John Spicer one Cow & Calfes to be given him when he is fifteen years of age and also I give unto my Daughter Rachel Spicer one yearling & heifer to be given her when she is Eight years of age
Lastly I will & appoint my aforesaid loving Wife Elinor Spicer to be full and hole Executrix of this last Will & Testament here by renouncing disavowing and making void all wills by me heretofore made and this only to be my last Will & Testament whereof I have hereunto set my hand & Seal this day in… 1724
John Spicer, signum S
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered in the presence of
On the back of the foregoing will it is written (?on) July ye 14th 1730, came John Muse(?) and Timothy Renwark two of the Subscribing Witnesses to the last Wills and Testament of John Spicer late of Dorchester County decreed ? & made Oath on the holy Evangelist of Almighty God that they saw the within named John Spicer Sign and Seal and heard him publish and declare the Within Writing to be his last Will and Testament & was then to the best of their Knowledge in perfect Sence & Memory the other Witness ?? Henry Wingate being there present did Sign ?? them to the ?? 5 ? sides
Jo(?) Pitt Deputy Commissioner Dorchester County
Stamped at time of copy by Maynard L. Spicer at Annapolis MD: Maryland Hall of Records Date: Sept 06 1974 Copy from: Wills Liber: 20 Fol: 35-6
'* and ** 17th and 18th usage of "in law" could also mean a step-relation. "Father-in-law could refer to a step-father, son-in-law to a stepchild, etc." (NCGenWeb [2])
John Matlin or Motlin, later Motley*, was the second husband of John Spicer's mother. Motley's own children were under age 21 at the time he wrote his will.
Barthlomew Gibbs** was also probably a stepson rather than a son-in-law as he was under sixteen at the time the will was written.
That suggests that Elinor Gibbs was not the mother of the older Spicer children in John Spicer's will. And that her maiden name was not Gibbs.
This tree was the original source for this profile, but the link no longer works (23 Oct 2022)
Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
John is 24 degrees from Herbert Adair, 21 degrees from Richard Adams, 20 degrees from Mel Blanc, 25 degrees from Dick Bruna, 19 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 33 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 22 degrees from Sam Edwards, 18 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 23 degrees from Marty Krofft, 13 degrees from Junius Matthews, 15 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 18 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.