Will, DE, Sussex, FOSTER DONOVAN Sr. 1792 In the name of God Amen. The 9th day of February in the year of Our Lord 1792 I, FOSTER DONOVAN, the elder, of Broadkiln Hundred in the county of Sussex and state of Delaware, Yeoman, being sick and weak in body but have sound and perfect disposing mind, memory and judgment, and well knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to die to make and ordained this my last will and testament, that is to say. FIRST AND PRINCIPALLY I do resign my precious and immortal soul into the hands of almighty God who gave it me, not doubting, but most assuredly believing I shall receive the same again at the general resurrection by the almighty power of God, and my body I order to be decently buried at the discretion of my executor hereafter named. AND as touching such worldly estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me in this life, I do hereby give, devise and disposed of the same in manner and form following. IMPRIMIS it is my will and I do hereby order that all my just debts and funeral charges be well and truly paid and satisfied within convenient time after my decease, by my executor is hereafter named. ITEM I give and devise to my well-beloved wife NAOMI DONOVAN, the one third part of all my real estate to hold to her for and during the term of her continuing my widow and no longer. I also give and bequeath unto my said loving wife and four sons, namely JACOB [DONOVAN], JOHN [DONOVAN], WILLIAM [DONOVAN] and JOB DONOVAN all the remainder of my movable estate of what kind or nature so ever after my just debts and funeral charges and Legacies are paid. My said wife to have the use thereof during her widowhood and consideration that she, my said wife, do support my aforesaid four sons during their minority, without any charge for the same or for the raising of my young Negroes. ITEM I give and devise to my eldest well-beloved son FOSTER DONOVAN his heirs and assigns, all that part of a tract of land I purchased from ALEXANDER PARIMORE to be laid off by a line to begin about 20 yards distant from the south east corner of a long field cleared a part of the said tract. ITEM I give a devise to my well-beloved son ABRAHAM DONOVAN his heirs and assigns 20 acres of land part of the track I purchased of THOMAS WHARTON to be laid off on the east side of the subtract joining the land he my said son bought of MARY CLOWES. ITEM I give and devise to my well-beloved son AZARIAH DONOVAN his heirs and assigns all that part of a tract of land I bought from THOMAS WHARTON to be laid off by a line beginning at a Spanish Oak falling down where stands a post set upon the stump of the said Spanish Oak; thence with a direct line nearly Southwest until it intersects the line of the lands I bought of JOHN CLOWES deceased; thence with a line of the land my son ABRAHAM bought of MARY CLOWES to a corner of the part herein devised to my son ABRAHAM aforesaid; thence about a North Course until it intersects the line of JAMES REED’s land; thence with the said REED’s line to SPENCER's Corner White Oak standing by a pond and from thence home to the beginning. ITEM I give and devise and bequeath to my well-beloved son JAMES DONOVAN his heirs and assigns all that part of a tract of land I bought of JOHN CLOWES beginning at a Page 1 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, DE, Sussex, FOSTER DONOVAN Sr. 1792 post standing in the stump of a Spanish Oak the bounds of AZARIAH's part; thence with the direct line to a small Red Oak a corner of my land and the lands of CLEMENT JACKSON; thence with JACKSON's line and the line of my land bought of JOHN CLOWES North down the road until it intersects the line of land of ALEXANDER PARIMORE; thence with the said road until it comes to a large Corner Red Oak of PETTYJOHN’s track; thence with the line of the land I bought of JOHN CLOWES until it comes to the head of a Savannah; thence with a direct line about Southeast until it intersects with JAMES REED's line. ITEM I give and devise to my well-beloved son JACOB DONOVAN his heirs and assigns all the remainder of the tract of land I bought of MARY CLOWES, excepting of the six acres here in before devised to my son JAMES, be the same more or less. ITEM I give and devise to my well-beloved son WILLIAM DONOVAN his heirs and assigns all those two pieces or parcels of land I purchased of JOHN CLOWES and ANDREW HEAVELOES [HEAVELOW] executors being part of the tract of land formerly belonging to EZEKIEL JOYN’s [JOYNER’S] also all that part of my Manor Plantation to be laid off by a line beginning at a swamp Oak standing by the second causeway on the road leading to JOHN COLLINS’; thence running Northerly across the old line of lands taken up by my late honored father FRANCIS DONOVAN, deceased, running by a Black Walnut tree standing by a field fence. ITEM I give and devise to my well-beloved son JOB DONOVAN his heirs and assigns all the residue of my Manor Plantation with all and singular the buildings and improvements thereunto belonging not here in before devised to my son WILLIAM also the remainder of that tract of land I bought from THOMAS WHARTON not here in before devised to any of my children. Also I give and bequeath to my well-beloved son JOB DONOVAN one negro boy named MOSES after my wife's marriage or death which may first happened. ITEM I give and bequeath to my well-beloved sons JACOB, JOHN, WILLIAM, and JOB after my well-beloved wife's marriage or death one negro woman named VENICE and one negro woman named JANE to be equally divided between them. ITEM I give and bequeath to my well-beloved daughter RHODA REED one sheep or the value thereof and cash. ITEM I give and bequeath to my well-beloved daughter NAOMI SHARP one sheep or the value thereof in cash. ITEM I do hereby nominate and appoint my trusty and much esteemed friends FRANCIS CORNWALL and JAMES REED of Broadkiln Hundred to assist in making the necessary divisions of my real estate or such parts thereof as are to be divided by this, my will. AND lastly I do hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my well-beloved wife NAOMI DONOVAN and my eldest well-beloved son FOSTER DONOVAN my executrix and executor of this my last will and testament hereby revoking, annoying, and making void all former wills and Testaments buy me heretofore made and executed declaring this only to be my last will and testament. Page 2 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, DE, Sussex, FOSTER DONOVAN Sr. 1792 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal the day and your first written first within written. FOSTER DONOVAN {seal, his + mark} Signed, Sealed, published, pronounced, and declared by the testator has in for his last will and testament in the presence of us who subscribed our names at request and in presence of the testator and in his presence JOHN RUSSELL WILLIAM ROBINS FRANCIS CORNWALL Page 3 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, DE, Sussex, FOSTER DONOVAN Sr. 1792 Sussex County Memorandum the 19th day of March 1793 before me PHILLIPS KOLLOCK, register appointed for the probate of wills and granting letters of administration for the county aforesaid, appeared JOHN RUSSELL and WILLIAM ROBINS, two of the witnesses to the within and foregoing will, who, being duly sworn on the holy evangels of almighty God, did severally depose and say that in their site, presents, and hearing the testator, FOSTER DONOVAN, did sign, seal, publish and declare the same to be his last will and testament and that in the doing thereof he was of a sound and perfect mind, memory, and judgment and that they, and each of them, together with FRANCIS CORNWALL subscribed the same as witnesses in the presence of the testator and at his request. PHILLIPS KOLLOCK, register Page 4 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, DE, Sussex, FOSTER DONOVAN Sr. 1792 ###### # # ##### ####### # # ##### ####### # # # # ## ## # # # ## # # # # # ## ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # #### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ### # # # # # # ###### # # ##### ####### # # ### ##### ####### # # Transcribed from original documents by Brent R. Brian & Martha M. Brian. This document and others can be found on our website: BMGEN We claim COPYLEFT on the documents that we publish that are our original work. COPYLEFT “rules” can be reviewed on the web site: GNU Free Documentation License In short, use what you like. But if you use our stuff, mention us as the source. Brent R. Brian Martha M. Brian BrianMitchellGenealogy@gmail.com Page 5 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK **