Transcript of the Will of Gideon Tilghman/Tillman 1720

"In the name of God Amen. The seventh day of May in the year of our Lord God one thousand seven hundred and twenty, I Gideon Tillman of Sommerset County in the province of Maryland, planter, being sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given to God, therefore willing to_____ of mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men to die, do make and_____ this my last will and testament that is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul in to the hands of God that gave it, and for my body I recommend it to the earth to be buried in a christian like and decent manner at the determination of my Executor nothing doubting but at the General Reserrection I shall receieve of same again by the almighty power of God, _____ as touching on such worldly Estate wherewith hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give, devise and dispose of the same in the manner and form following

Imprimis, I give and bequeth to my beloved son John seventy acres of land beginning at a marked white oak upon the same side running easterly up the dunes to a marked Hickory standing upon a hill by the same the beginning the beginning tree of "Thompson's Adventure" and from the said Hickory due south containing seventy acres more or less.

Imprimis, I give to my son John one shilling out of my personal Estate.

Imprimis, I give and bequeth unto my youngest son Joseph seventy acres of land more or less beginning at the said Hickory where my son John leaves off running up a dune Easterly to the first gully running towards the swamp above the house thence up the gully due South.

Imprimis, I give and bequeth unto my ___ son Joseph one shilling to be paid out of my Estate.

Imprimis, ----and bequeth to my beloved son Gideon? all of remaining part of the 200 acres _____ ________ one shilling to be ___ (torn page, part missing- probably behests to the other sons)
................skip about three lines...............out of my Estate.

Imprimis, I also ____ ___ by this my last will,and testament that none of my five sons to wit John Soloman Moses Gideon and Joseph shall sell or dispose any of above said parcels of land to any stranger but only to one another.

___ I give to my beloved wife whom I likewise constitute and make and assign my only and sole Executor of this my last will and Testament, all my parcels of land lying on Dallaway? Bay together with all my personal Estate with all my household goods and movables during her lifetime and after her decease to be equally divided betwixt Elinor Tillman and Elizabeth Tillman

Also I ____ my beloved Wife to possess and enjoy for her life time the plantation whereon I now live and I do hereby disallow and revoke and disannul? all any other former Testaments, Wills and legacies, Ratifying and Confirming this and no other to be my Last Will and Testament ___wherewith I have set my hand and seal ye day and year above mentioned. ____ ____

Signed Sealed and Delivered~                           G. Tillman
in the presence of us~.                                         Mark
James Chalmers                              Note:Gideon singed G T as his mark
Elizabeth Phillips                                             Over a written sig.
   Mark
There is an almost unreadable note at the bottom, on the Right.
Which starts: This 19 day of August 1720Came before me James Pitts and Elizabeth Phillips proper persons and made an oath upon the Holy Evangel that they saw Gideon Tillman signed declared and confirmed his last will and testament and ___ _____ and declared of same to be of sound mind for his own doing he was of sound ___ mind and memory to the best of their knowlege ___
                                      Signature: La Hopkins ____________

A copy of this will was obtained from the Md. State Archives, by an associate, Anne Sendgikoski. Jul 1, 1998, and transcribed by Ira Helms