178

~~~~Record of Will~~~

~~~ ~~~

I Frederick Douglass, of Anacostia, District of Columbia,

United States of America, being of sound disposing mind and

memory, do make, publish and declare this to be my last will and

testament: That is to say, in form and manner following,

First; I give and bequeath to my dear devoted wife Helen Douglass,

my house and fifteen acres of land situated Anacostia, D.C. with

all outbuildings and appurtances thereunto pertaining:

Second; I give and bequeath to the said Helen Douglass, all my writings,

books, papers, pictures, paintings, horses, carriages, harness, and

each and every description of property in and about my house in Anacostia;

except a certain portrait of myself, painted more than forty years ago

by Mr. Hammond of Florence, Massachusetts, which portrait I give

and bequeath to my daughter, Rosetta D. Sprague:

Third; I give and bequeath the said Helen Douglass, ten thousand

dollars in registered United States Bonds, and ten thousand dollars

In lawful money, the latter to be derived from my other property, not

Mentioned in the foregoing:

Fourth; I give and bequeath to my daughter, Rosetta D. Sprague, and

to my three sons, Lewis, Frederick and Charles the remainder of

all property of which I shall be possessed at my death; that is

to say, to each of them, one equal share, which will amount to about

fifteen thousand to each:

Signed and declared by the

said Frederick Douglass, the

testator, as his last will and

testament, in presence of us,

who at his request and in his

presence, and in the presence

Of each other have hereunto

subscribed our names as witnesses.

( In Witness Whereof, I have set

( my hand and affixed

( my seal this thirtieth day

( of August in the year one

( thousand, eight hundred and

( eighty-six.

( Fred Douglass (LS)

(

( B. E. Messer

( D. L. Pitcher

179

At a term of the Surrogates Court of

Monroe County, held at the Surrogate’s

Office at the City of Rochester, in and for

The County of Monroe, on the 11th day

Of May, 1896.

Present:

Hon. George A. Benton,

Surrogate

Surrogate’s Court Monroe County.

~~~~~~~~~

In the Matter of the Petition of Rosetta )

D. Sprague to have the Will of Frederick )

Douglass, deceased, recorded in Monroe County N.Y. )

~~~~~~~~~

On reading and filing the petition of Rosetta D. Sprague, duly verified on

The 8th day of May, 1896, by which it appears that she is the daughter

of the late Frederick Douglass, deceased, and that said Frederick

Douglass in his life time resided in the City of Washington, D.C.

And that he died at said City of Washington on the 20th

day of

February, 1895, and that at the time of his death he was a resident

of said City of Washington, and that at the time of his death he

was the owner of two parcels of land in the City of Rochester, Monroe

County, New York, which lands are more particularly described

in said petition, and that the said Frederick Douglass, deceased

left a last Will and Testament, and that the same was on the

22nd

day of April, 1895, duly admitted to probate in the Supreme

Court of the District of Columbia, and that the same is in all

respects regular and valid.

It is now on motion of Shuart & Sutherland, attorneys

for said petitioner,

Ordered and decreed that the certified copy of said Will of

said Frederick Douglass, authenticated in the manner described

by the Statutes of this State, which has been presented to this Court,

be placed on file in this Court, and that said Will of Frederick

Douglass, deceased, be admitted to record and probate in the County

Of Monroe, N.Y.

Geo. A. Benton

Surrogate

Transcribed by: T D Maloney

Transcription Date: 9 February 2013

Transcription Method: LM (Literal Method)

Source: Surrogate’s Court

Monroe County, NY

Records found at Monroe County Court House

Will Book Volume 57, pages 178-179

Manuscript

Status: Original record, public domain

Transcription, © 2013 by T D Maloney & Cambria Media & Research

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