Howard’s Will and Transcription
January 2, 1886
Transcription:
“I, Memucan H. Howard, usually signing my name M. H Howard, as I intend doing to this instrument of the City and County of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania - being of sound and disposing mind and memory to in consideration to the uncertainty of life make and declare this to be my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and making null + void any Will or Wills that I have heretofore made.
I will + direct that Mrs Josephine P. Cope wife of Caleb Cope Esqr. of Philadelphia + niece of my dec[ease]d wife Mrs. Rebecca P. Howard have entire control and disposition of my mortal remains after my death and that my funeral expenses + burial be paid out of money of mine on hand at the time of my death or out of means or assets of my estate by my Executors hereinafter named or whoever may have the management of my estate.
I make no provision for the payment of debts as I owe none, and am not liable to any one in any way as principal, security or otherwise. I give and bequeath to said Mrs. Josephine P. Cope and her heirs and assigns two United States Registered four and a half per cent Bonds for five thousand dollars each issued to me, and in my name.
I give and bequeath to Mrs Lydia S. Farquharson and her four children (jointly + equally) of Des Moines Iowa, one of said Bonds for five thousand dollars and to their heirs and assigns.
I give and bequeath to my Cousin ~ Bettie S. Webb, of this City, and to her heirs and assigns one of paid bonds for five thousand dollars.
It is my will that the residence of said lands, six in number of five thousand dollars each, a debt owing to me by the Hon[orable] Tho[mas] C. Gaut of Nashville Tennessee for forty eight hundred dollars, or whatever sum it may have been changed to by Hon[orable] John M. Lea and said Gaut, and a Burial Lot I own in Woodlawn Cemetery in or near the northern part of New York City be all turned into Cash by my Executors or Executor or whoever may have the management of my Estate + they are hereby authorised to sell and convey said lot and the proceeds of said Bonds, the debt on Judge Gaut and proceeds of the Burial lot be divided amongst my lawful heirs according to the laws of the State of Tennessee by my Executor or whoever may have the management of my Estate, just as if I should die without a will, and if it is my will that the Hon[orable] John M. Lee of Nashville Tennessee shall give in uniting the interpretation and meaning of the Laws of said State of Tennessee as to the distribution of Estates of intestates or persons dying without leaving a will and that his explanation and interpretation thereof shall be binding and conclusive in all respects.
I give and bequeath my gold watch chain and key to my nephew Barnett A. Howard one of my Executors hereinafter named of Mayfield, Graves County Kentucky.
The residence of my property of every kind and description which I may own at the time of my death including all money I may have on hand or in Bank or other institutions at the time of my death, except enough if there should be enough to pay my funeral and burial expenses consisting of clothing, books, memorandum books or diaries xc xc [etc etc], and any other thing not disposed of I give + bequeath to said Josephine P. Cope + her heirs + assigns.
I overlooked or forgot about eight thousand dollars or thereabouts, in four Savings Banks in the City of New York (to wit) The Seamaus in Wall Street - the Bowery Savings Bank in that street near Grand Street - Ble[e]cker Street Savings Bank in that street near + East of Broadway - and Greenwich Savings Bank in Sixth avenue near Tenth Street - the money in them - and all of them I give my lawful heirs as in the case and dispositions of the United States Bond, debts on Judge Gaut, and Woodland burial lot proceeds.
I nominate and appoint the heretofore named John M. Lea and Barnett A. Howard my Executors to this will, no security to be required of either of them, and said Lea alone is fully authorized to carry out in all respects this will, and any and all monies received by him after deducting proper and necessary expenses to be by him paid over to paid Barnett A. Howard for distribution to parties entitled to it, and his receipt taken thereafter and nothing more - no inventory or detailed account of my estate to be required of my Executors unless required by law.
In witness of all which written on this page and one immediately preceding it, I hereunto set my hand and seal on the 2[n]d day January one thousand eight hundred and eighty six.
MH Howard seal
Signed and subscribed by the said testator MH Howard in the presence of each of us and at the same time declared to be his last will and testament and thereupon we at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other sign our names as witnesses hereto this, the 2[n]d day of January eighteen hundred and eighty six.
The words bequeath to said Josephine P. Cope and her heirs and assigns underlined in the sixth line from the top.
Oliver P Corman
700 Walnut St Philad[elphia]
Alexander L Mercer
700 Walnut St.”
“I, Memucan H. Howard, usually signing my name M. H Howard, as I intend doing to this instrument of the City and County of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania - being of sound and disposing mind and memory to in consideration to the uncertainty of life make and declare this to be my last Will and Testament hereby revoking and making null + void any Will or Wills that I have heretofore made.
I will + direct that Mrs Josephine P. Cope wife of Caleb Cope Esqr. of Philadelphia + niece of my dec[ease]d wife Mrs. Rebecca P. Howard have entire control and disposition of my mortal remains after my death and that my funeral expenses + burial be paid out of money of mine on hand at the time of my death or out of means or assets of my estate by my Executors hereinafter named or whoever may have the management of my estate.
I make no provision for the payment of debts as I owe none, and am not liable to any one in any way as principal, security or otherwise. I give and bequeath to said Mrs. Josephine P. Cope and her heirs and assigns two United States Registered four and a half per cent Bonds for five thousand dollars each issued to me, and in my name.
I give and bequeath to Mrs Lydia S. Farquharson and her four children (jointly + equally) of Des Moines Iowa, one of said Bonds for five thousand dollars and to their heirs and assigns.
I give and bequeath to my Cousin ~ Bettie S. Webb, of this City, and to her heirs and assigns one of paid bonds for five thousand dollars.
It is my will that the residence of said lands, six in number of five thousand dollars each, a debt owing to me by the Hon[orable] Tho[mas] C. Gaut of Nashville Tennessee for forty eight hundred dollars, or whatever sum it may have been changed to by Hon[orable] John M. Lea and said Gaut, and a Burial Lot I own in Woodlawn Cemetery in or near the northern part of New York City be all turned into Cash by my Executors or Executor or whoever may have the management of my Estate + they are hereby authorised to sell and convey said lot and the proceeds of said Bonds, the debt on Judge Gaut and proceeds of the Burial lot be divided amongst my lawful heirs according to the laws of the State of Tennessee by my Executor or whoever may have the management of my Estate, just as if I should die without a will, and if it is my will that the Hon[orable] John M. Lee of Nashville Tennessee shall give in uniting the interpretation and meaning of the Laws of said State of Tennessee as to the distribution of Estates of intestates or persons dying without leaving a will and that his explanation and interpretation thereof shall be binding and conclusive in all respects.
I give and bequeath my gold watch chain and key to my nephew Barnett A. Howard one of my Executors hereinafter named of Mayfield, Graves County Kentucky.
The residence of my property of every kind and description which I may own at the time of my death including all money I may have on hand or in Bank or other institutions at the time of my death, except enough if there should be enough to pay my funeral and burial expenses consisting of clothing, books, memorandum books or diaries xc xc [etc etc], and any other thing not disposed of I give + bequeath to said Josephine P. Cope + her heirs + assigns.
I overlooked or forgot about eight thousand dollars or thereabouts, in four Savings Banks in the City of New York (to wit) The Seamaus in Wall Street - the Bowery Savings Bank in that street near Grand Street - Ble[e]cker Street Savings Bank in that street near + East of Broadway - and Greenwich Savings Bank in Sixth avenue near Tenth Street - the money in them - and all of them I give my lawful heirs as in the case and dispositions of the United States Bond, debts on Judge Gaut, and Woodland burial lot proceeds.
I nominate and appoint the heretofore named John M. Lea and Barnett A. Howard my Executors to this will, no security to be required of either of them, and said Lea alone is fully authorized to carry out in all respects this will, and any and all monies received by him after deducting proper and necessary expenses to be by him paid over to paid Barnett A. Howard for distribution to parties entitled to it, and his receipt taken thereafter and nothing more - no inventory or detailed account of my estate to be required of my Executors unless required by law.
In witness of all which written on this page and one immediately preceding it, I hereunto set my hand and seal on the 2[n]d day January one thousand eight hundred and eighty six.
MH Howard seal
Signed and subscribed by the said testator MH Howard in the presence of each of us and at the same time declared to be his last will and testament and thereupon we at his request and in his presence and in the presence of each other sign our names as witnesses hereto this, the 2[n]d day of January eighteen hundred and eighty six.
The words bequeath to said Josephine P. Cope and her heirs and assigns underlined in the sixth line from the top.
Oliver P Corman
700 Walnut St Philad[elphia]
Alexander L Mercer
700 Walnut St.”
This is the Will of Memucan Hunt Howard signed in Philadelphia PA where he spent the last few years of his life. In this will he signs off his possessions to his close family and friends since he had no direct descendants. Along with receiving some of Memucan’s possessions, Barnett A Howard would go on to author a chronicle of the Hunt and Howard families commissioned by Memucan. The Copes were close friends of Memucan Hunt Howard and he stayed in their house during his time in Philadelphia. We employed this document in the biography to identify his relations with important figures in his life.
citation
Ancestry.com. Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008 [database on-line]. pp. 47-48. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.