George Martin's Will
Rigistered Mar, [March?] 9 1827 at Kittanning, Pa. [Pennsylvania?]
In the name of God Amen, I George Martin of Toby Township in the County
of Armstrong and State of Pennsylvania, tho [though?] weak in body but in
perfect mind and memory do make this my last Will and Testament Viz: I do
bequeth [bequeath?] my body to the dust and my Soul to God who gave it. Also
I give to my dear wife and Children as follows: To David my Son, fifty
acres of land whereon he now lives and to my Son John, Sixty acres on the
opposite end of the tract allowing the line to run as near the centre of the
new clearing as may conveniently be and to my Sons, William and James, the
remainder of my land under the restrictions herein after mentioned viz: To
my Daughter Prudence, $20 from the one holding the improvement and $30 from
the other and $5 from John. All to be paid in good [merchantable?] trade at
[merchantable?] prices to be paid at the end of three, four, and five years
if lawfully called upon. She is also to have the stripper cow, a bed and
bedding and her spinning wheel. Also to my wife from William and James, who
ever has the old improvement, twelve bushels of wheat and six of corn
and ten bushels of Potatoes, 100 pounds of beef and pork and one peck
of flax seed sown, all to be paid yearly while she lives and she is to have
the Mooley cow and sufficient firewood cut and halled and the back room
repaired for her if necessary and eight yards of flannel yearly also the
house furniture at her disposal, also a loom and tacklings to James and a
four year old horse if he chooses to pay thirteen dollars, otherwise he is
to be for William and I do hereby appoint William Ferfuson and my son
William Martin to be executors of this my last Will that if all or any
of my children shall not be satisfied to divide the land amicably, my
executors shall choose two disinterested freeholders to make the division
which shall be valid in testimony whereunto I have set my hand and
seal this 17th. day of April one Thousand eight Hundred and twenty seven.
George Martin (seal)
Witnesses present:
David Martin James Martin
N.B. Also before signing William and James, my Sons shall cast lots
for the old improvement and this shall be valid in law to all intents and
purposes.
Armstrong County js. [jurisdiction?]
Copied from Will book #1, page 79, Kittanning, Armstrong
County Pa.,[Pennsylvania?] by H. I. Rankin on Feb. [February?]
1957.
George Martin's Will
Explanation.
George Martin was married to Sarah Somerville and they were living
somewhere near Ballykine in County Down Ireland when they came to America
and settled in Western Pennsylvania. They came to America in the year 1822.
There were five children born to this couple and they were all
born in County Down. The childrens names were; 1. David Martin, born
1795; 2. John Martin, born 1796; 3. William Martin, born 1797;
4. James Martin, born 1802,; 5. Prudence Martin, born 1803.
This Sarah Somerville who married George Martin, was a sister to the
William Somerville who married Martha Kerr on March 1798 and lived on
a farm in Ballykine County Down Ireland. This couple had two children
1. Jane Somerville, born 1801, who married William Johnston, and lived
on her parents farm after her father died in 1837, ; 2. James Sprott
Somerville, who married Margaret McMillan on Apr. [April?] 10 1838 and who
brought his family to America about 1850. It is thought that James
Sprott Somerville, lived at Ednego in county Down before they sailed for
America.
James Somerville (suppossedly born in County Tyrone) came to America
in 1783 when he was but 19 years old. He is a brother to the above Sarah
Somerville and William Somerville.
Margaret Somerville who married a man named Downs was also a sister
to the three Somervilles named above. She came to America about 1811 with
her parents and lived with her brother, James Somerville at Worthington Pa.
[Pennsylvania?] Samuel Somerville, Father of the four Somervilles named above, came
to America in the Autumn of the year 1811 with his wife. It is thought
that his wife's maiden name was Jane Sprott. This couple died about
1820 and they are buried near Kittanning, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
**************************
In an old letter written by the above Jane Somerville (who married
William Johnston) on June 20 1853 from Ballykine County Down Ireland
to her Brother James Sprott Somerville in Pennsylvania U.S.A., she
mentions being down to Samuel Martins and Sarah's and reading all the
letters that James Somerville had sent them from America. This Samuel
Martin evidently was a relative and he lived somewhere near Ballykine
in County Down Ireland at that time (1853).
This explanation written by Heber Rankin
August 24 1959.
