Amanuensis Monday: The Will of Nathan Owen 1811 Fairfield Co., Ohio

OWEN

My Owen line is of Welsh origins. Above is the dragon which has long been the symbol of Wales. At the bottom of this article is the Welsh Owen Tartan which I sometimes wear to Celtic events (when I am not wearing my Scottish Anderson Tartan).

My paternal grandparents were William Jesse Wallen and Iva Illinois "Noy" Townsend. Noy's parents were Andrew Melvin Townsend and Mary Ellen Lucretia Owen. Mary Ellen's parents were David Brashears Owen and Sarah Samantha Miller. David's parents were James Owen and Nancy Ann Brashears and James' parents were Nathan Owen and Leah Margaret Hartzell. Nathan was born about 1768 in Northampton Co., Pennsylvania and died in 1811 in Fairfield Co., Ohio. He married once before his marriage to Leah and that union produced one known son David. Nathan and Leah had 10 known children: James, William, Mary, Joseph, Charles, Nathan, Jesse, Thomas (not mentioned in will, may be deceased), Reuben and Levi. This below is a transcription of the Will of Nathan Owen:

In the name of God, Amen. I Nathan Owen of the county of Fairfield and state of Ohio, yeoman being very sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given to God; calling into mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die; do make and ordain this my last will and testament - that is to say principally, and first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hand of almighty God that gave it, and my body I commend to the earth, to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection, I shall receive the same - again by the mighty power of God, and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give devise and dispose of the same in the following manner and form: First, that all my last debts be paid, my dearly beloved Leah to have the privilege profits and income of all my real and personal estate for the term of ten years after my decease; together with the privilege of buying and selling any personal property for the schooling and maintenance of the children and at the expiration of ten years after my decease it is my will that all my real and personal estate shall be sold, except what shall be excepted hereafter. I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Leah such a part of my real estate as contained within the following boundaries at the expiration of ten years after my decease, viz; Beginning at William Young's corner on Clear Creek and running South to Robert Young's corner, thence east with said Robert Young's land till the N. E. corner of the same, thence North to Clear Creek, thence up said creek to the place of beginning, be the same, more or less, with all the profits arrising from the same during her natural life; I likewise give and bequeath to my beloved wife Leah at the expiration of ten years after my decease, the following property viz, one horse and saddle not under the value of sixty five dollars, two cows, two beds and beding together with the kitchen furniture, all the remainder of my real and personal estate to be praised and sold, giving any of the heirs jointly or singly the privilege of holding the same at the appraisment by paying the other heirs their proper shares; and after the decease of my beloved wife Leah, all the real and personal estate devised to her, by this my last will and testament, the same to be praised and sold for the benefit of the heirs, giving them the privilege of holding the same at the appraisement, as above, reserving out of my whole tract of land, one acre on the north east corner of the same for the benefit of a school, where a school house may be built and a grave yard for the benefit of the public - in general, such religious denominations as is hereafter mentioned to have the privilege of building a house for public worship on said reserve (vis) Old sort of Quakers, otherwise called Friends. Old sort of Manists, Babtists, Lutherans and Presbyterians, and no person or persons whatsoever to dwell or reside thereon. The said reserve to be appropriated to no other use than the purposes herein mentioned. I give and bequeath to my oldest son David by my first wife, eight dollars it being my will that my son James, my son William, my daughter Mary, my son Joseph, my son Charles, my son Nathan, my son Jesse, my son Reuben and the one unborn to have an equal share without distinction of all the monies interest profits and income. It is likewise my will that no sale shall be made of any part of my real estate before the expiration of ten years after my decease any of the heirs that should be of age before that time shall wait till such sale shall take place and money raised, and then to receive interest for the same from the time they become of age till the time they receive payment and the others to receive their shares as the respectively become of age. I likewise constitute make and ordain Martin Sanders Esq. Executor and my beloved wife Leah executrix of this my last will and testament likewise leaving the reserve above mentioned in their care and charge giving them power to transfer their charge of it to my heirs and then their heirs and so on successively hoping that all things herein mentioned and contained be faithfully and truly performed ratifying and confirming this (with they interlining and erasement as above) and no other to be my last will and testament. In Witness whereof I have herewith set my hand and seal this nineteenth  day of January in the year of our Lord One Thousand eight hundred and eleven. Signed, sealed, published and declared in the presence of us and we in his presence have hereunto set our hand this day and date herein written. Nathan Owen

Alex McConkey

Hesekiah Hyatt

State of Ohio Fairfield County

At a court of common pleas begun and held at Lancaster in and for the county aforesaid on the 30th day of September AD1811 the within and forgoing last will and testament of Nathan Owen is produced in court and is proven by the oath of Alexander McConkey one of the subscribing witnesses thereto.

Attest Hugh Boyle Clk

At a court continued and holden as aforesaid on the first day of October AD1811 appeared Hezekiah Hyatt one of the subscribing witnesses to the within last will and testament and proved the same as the law directs on which it is ordered to be recorded and letters of executorship be issued to the executor and executrix therein mentioned by the court. 

Attest Hugh Boyle Clk

Welsh Owen Tartan

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