Will & Inventory of Thomas Dawson Sr. of Dorchester Co Maryland, d. bef. March 10, 1773
In the name of God, Amen, the twentyeth day of February One thousand seven hundred & seventy three, I, Thomas Dawson of Dorchester County, being very sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind & memory thanks be given unto God, thereof calling to mind the mortality of my body & knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make & ordaine this my last will & testatment. That is to say, principally and first of all, I give & recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it, and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the Direction of my Executors, nothing doubting, but at the General Resurrection, I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God and touching such words my Estate wherein it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give and devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form.
First, I give & bequeath to Asa Dawson, my dearly beloved son, fifty acres of Land known by the name of "White Hall" and also fifty nine and a half acre of land known by the name of "Addition to White Hall" and also one colt, one pewter dish and pewter plate and no more of my estate.
Item. I give to Sarah, my dearly beloved wife, one negro boy called Sam during her life and after her demise to return to my son Thomas Dawson. [Jr.] Likewise, I give to my son Thomas Dawson [Jr.] one pewter dish and one pewter plate and one feather bed and no more of my estate.
Item. I give to my son Zabdial Dawson one red heifer ...and no more of my estate.
Item. I give all the rest of my estate to be equally divided between my four daughters, Mary, Aberelah, Sarah and Devida Dawson.
I likewise constitute make & ordaine my dearly beloved wife, Sarah, sole Executrix of this my last will & testament, and I utterly disallow revoke and disannual all & every form of testatment, will, legacies, bequests and executors by me in any way before named willed bequeathed ratifying & confirming this and no other to be my last will & Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this day and year above written. Thomas "D" Dawson (his mark written above & below the signature with "D" in middle of name) (seal)
Signed sealed published pronounced and declared by wts. to the said Thomas Dawson as his last will & testament in the presence of us the subscribers: Zephaniah Polk, James Nutter, Fanny Oldfield (her mark)
Dorchester County, on the 10th day of March Anno Domini 1773, Sarah Dawson, the appointed Executrix, made oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty God that the within Instrument of Writing is the true & only will & testament of Thomas Dawson late of Dorchester Co deceased that hath come to her hand or possession and that she does not know nor ever heard of any other will made since by the said testator. Certified by John Goldsborough, Deputy Com. of Dor. County.
Dorchester County on the 10th day of March Anno Domini 1773, Zephaniah Polk & James Nutter, two of the subscribing witnesses to the within will being duly and solemnly sworn on the Holy Evangels of almighty God declared and said that they saw the Testator Thomas Dawson sign the within will & heard him publish & declare the same to be his last will & testatment that at the time of his doing he was to the best of their apprehension of sound & disposing mind & memory and that they together with Fanny Oldfield, the other subscribing witness to the last will, subscibed their respective names & witnessed thereof in the presence of the Testator at her request. Certified by John Goldsborough, Deputy Com of Dor County.
Dorchester County. The subscriber being the widow & relict of within Testator Thomas Dawson do hereby certify that I hereby renounce and do make choice of one third part of his real & personal estate to which I am entitled.Witnessed by my hand this 10th day of March Anno Domini 1773. Certified by John Goldborough, Dept. Com. Dor County. Sarah Dawson (her signature)
Source: Md. Will Bk 39:533 in "MD Calendar of Wills" Vol 15, p. 111. Original copy of possession of Pat Doster.
Inventory of Thomas Dawson of Dorchester Co, MD: 10 May 1773 to 10th June 1773:
Note: Each item's price in shillings & pence: 2/6 means 2 shilling & 6 pence; number alone in pounds, shillings or pence.
The Inventory of the good & chattels of Thomas Dawson by the subscribers this 10th day of May 1773. Viz. Red cow 12 yr old 36...1 heifer 3yr old 35...2 sheep 7/16l...1 small mare 16 yr old 35...1 small bay horse 6 yrs old 65...1 old cart 6...tools 6...1 turner saw 7/6...1 scythe 3...2 old pine tables 3...tools...earthenware 18/6 ... bottles...1 large pine cupboard 12...small gilt trunks 4...1 old chest 3...1 bed & furnture 60...1 spice morter 3...1 box iron & heater 3...1 turland sticks funnel 1...2 pair spectacles 2...1 sugar box 6...1 pair old bellows 4...4 looking glasses 1...3 old hatchets 3...a parcel of 3/9...1 pair horse phlooms 6...1 qty midling pewter 1/3/24...16 other ditto 1pd 16 pence...2 bells 3...1 sheep sold bookshears 1/6...2 old wheat knives 2/6...a parcel of old shack tools 2/16...old iron adze 6/12...1 iron wedge 1/6...pair of knives 2 woods old 2...two pieces feathers 9...1 pr tankards 3/9...lots frying pans 2/6...1 grt chain 3/9...2 old irons 1/3...old wagon wheels 6 ft. 12...1 very old ditto 1/7...1 dresser towel 1/6...3 augers fro 9...1 grubbing hoe 1/7...1 pots sieve 3...1 old potts & hooks 5...1 ditto 3...1 loom gurs 18...1 bed with old furniture 55...1 bed & furniture 65..old trundle bed 50...1 linen chest 4...1 old blankett 4...1 sheet 5... 1 quire paper 9...wearing apparrell 63/3...1 table cloth 2/4...5 year linen 9... 1 negro boy Sam aged 7 years 27 pds...1 old blanket 2...lots saddle & bridle 6...some yarn 1/6...wetts knitting needles 4/37...37 flax 3...15 locks 7/6...1 weeding hoes 6...a parcel of sailor piggins 6...1 plow & gurs 10...1 harrow 5...1 green stone 2/6...1 meal tubb 2/1...1 sifter 6...2 old cider hoghds 5...1 small cask 1/6...3 old tubbs 3...1 old tray bowl 6...52 barrells corn meal @ 10/55...1 old plow bridles 1/17...17 bed slatts 2/6...35 bawn @ 5 apiece 15/5...60 pork barrells 17/6...3 hoes 1...2 bushels rye 2 pence apiece 4...1 bushel of flax seed 4...6 old chairs 5...some powder shott 1/6...1 shoat 15...10 shoates @ 3 pence..5 bushel wheat @ 4/6 22/6...sack current money 48...1 pestle 6...1 pair garters 6...1 pen knife 7...1 razor & hone with bag & wallett 5...1 heifer shear 3/9...1 sheep shears 6...1 cheese 6...1 qt mug 6...1 bed cloth 1/3...230 ft of planking @ 4 ft 8/10...1 brundlet & 1 iron spit 6. Total...78 pounds: 6 shillings: 52 pence.
We the subscribers do hereby certify that we have appraised the Goods & Chattles of Thomas Dawson Sr. in current money of this Province so far as the same has come to our sights knowledge we having first taken our oath well and truly before John Goldsborough & Charles Dickinson Esq. given under our hand this day and year afs. Nathaniel Potter (seal) Joseph Godwin (seal)
We the subscribers, two of greatest Creditors of Thomas Dawson, do appear on this within inventory: Tharp and Ralston & Jonathon Bready.
We the subscribers, two of the nearest kin to Thomas Dawson do appear on the Inventory: *Richard Dawson [*see below] and Rebekah Smith.
Dorchester County 10th day of June Anno Domini 1773 - Sarah Dawson, executrix.
Source: Inventory of Prerog. Court of Md. Bk I: 349. Original copy in possession of Pat Doster.
Inventory of *Richard Dawson of Dorchester Co Maryland Nov 13, 1773 to May 2, 1774
Worth: 25 pounds, 7 shilling, 5 pence.
Adminstrator: Mary Dawson
Next of kin: William Dawson & Elizabeth Dawson
Appraisers: William Jones & Thomas White
Creditors: John Dawson, Richard Newton, John Anderton
Source: I&A of Prerog. Court of Md. Book 118 p. 54
Notes: Thomas Dawson, Dor Co, d. before Mar 10, 1773, while Richard Dawson, Dor Co, d. before Nov 13, 1773. From Dawson Dor Co Md. Deed Index, Richard Dawson had two known sons mentioned in Dor Co MD deeds: Joseph Dawson of Sussex Co DE and John Dawson of NW Fork 100, Caroline Co Md. Placing Dawson of Dorchester families together is somewhat difficult using deeds alone; probate records, however, give useful "clues." In the spirit of aiding understanding of the Dorcheseter Dawson on whom no published genealogy has been found, I post set of probate for Richard Dawson Sr. d. 1684, John Dawson d. 1723, Isaac Dawson d. 1763, Thomas Dawson d. 1773, and Richard Dawson d. 1773. If you have clues as to relationship among the colonial Dawsons of Dorset, contact Pat Doster pdoster@InfoAve.net.
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