Pleas before the Hon. Edmund O’Rourke, Judge of the Thirty-Eighth Judicial
Circuit, of the State of Indiana, at a regular term of the Allen Circuit Court,
held at the Court House in the City of Fort Wayne, County of Allen, and State
of Indiana, commencing on Monday, the 15 day of April AD 1889, to wit:
Martha A. Merriwether
To wit:
Come now F. P. Randall and present to the Court, with a
codicil thereto bearing date January 23, 1889 an instrument in writing bearing
the date January 30, 1886, purporting to be the last will and testament and
codicil thereto of Martha A. Meriwether, deceased, and being duly sworn, on
oath say that said testatrix at the time of executing said will and said codicil was of full age to devise
real estate, and of sound mind, memory and understanding, and was not under
coercion or restraint; that said, will and the codicil thereto were duly
executed by said testatrix and by her declared to be his last will and
testament and the codicil thereto in his presence and that he saw the said
testatrix affix her signature to the said will, and that he signed the said
will as witness thereto, a the request of said testatrix in her presence and in
the presence of Mary M. Randall and Eliza A. Read, the other subscribing
witnesses.
In the name of God, Amen, I Martha A. Meriwether of the city of Jeffersonville, Indiana, being of sound mind and disposing memory, do make and publish and declare this my last will and testament hereby expressly revoking all other wills by me heretofore made.
Second: I give devise and bequeath to my namesake, Agnes Fairbank, the daughter of my niece Carrie Fairbank of the City of Fort Wayne Indiana the sum of one thousand dollars in money to be paid by the Executors of this will to her, after the payment of the debts and expenses herein before named , as soon as the same can be realized out of my personal estate.
To pay all taxes, assessments and costs with which the same may become chargeable out of the income, revenue and profits thereof, and to pay the balance of said income revenue and profits over to my son Frank Meriwether annually or quarter annually as the said Fairbank may deem most advisable, for his support and maintenance. Upon the death of my said son, Frank, if he shall leave surviving him lawful issue, then the said Fairbank shall pay over and transfer and deliver all of said estate and property in his hands to such issue; but in the event of his death without lawful issue alive surviving him, then and in that event the said Fairbanks, shall pay over transfer and deliver all of said estate and property in his hands to my son James R. Meriwether to have and to hold unto himself his heirs and assigns forever. And I hereby give to my said trustee full power to sell any or all of the lands under the provisions of this will either as public or private sale without notice as required by law and to reinvest the proceeds as he may deem right and proper for the best interests of my said son.
Signed and acknowledged by said Martha A. Meriwether as
her last will and testament in our presence and signed by us in her presence.
P. P. Randall (seal)
Mary M. Randall (seal)
I, Martha A. Meriwether, of the City of Fort Wayne Indiana being of sound mind and desposing memory do make and publish the following codicil to my last will and testament which will was made by me at the City of Fort Wayne Indiana on the 30th day of January AD 1886 and signed by me in the presence of F. P. Randall and Mary M. Randall who signed said will in my presence as witness to the same.
First: I give devise and bequeath to my son James R. Meriwether all of my articles of virtu, jewelry, ornaments, bric-a-brac, bronzes and furniture excepting the two bronze in the library of the residence of F. P. Randall in the city of Fort Wayne which bronze I hereby give and bequeath to my sister Mary J. Randall.
Fourth: I give decree devise and bequeath to my niece Mary M. Randall the sum of one hundred dollars.
Martha
A. Meriwether (seal)
Signed and acknowledged by said Martha A. Meriwether as a codicil to her last will and testament in our presence and signed by us in her presence.
F. P. Randall (seal)