Will of Joanna Westcott
from Newfoundland will books volume 3 pages 154-155 probate year 1870

In re
     Joanna Westcott deceased.

Part 1 - Contributed by Judy Benson as part of the wills project

In the name of God Amen I Joanna Westcott of St. John’s Newfoundland Widow being weak in body but of sound mind do make my last will & testament in form and manner following To my sons William and George I give the land whereon their houses now stand with convenient ground for gardens & other purposes as at present occupied by them and to my son William in addition his late father’s watch. To my son Alexander I give those tenements to me belonging marked and numbered as 137 and 139 Gower St. St. John’s. To my daughter Joanna Jane Chaytor I give that house of mine at present tenanted under yearly rent by Mrs. Barnes and to my son William that property rented in like manner by Mr. Thorburn with the distinct condition and proviso that so long as their sister Sara Ann shall remain unmarried she shall be allowed to receive all rents & profits from these properties for her separate maintenance & support as a single woman To my daughter Sarah Ann I also give & bequeath to be hers for ever all my right and title in this house in which I now live together with all my household furniture & utensils, bedding & clothing &c. &c.
And in witness & token that this is now my last will and testament I do hereunto set my hand at St. John’s Newfoundland aforesaid this twenty ninth day of April one thousand eight hundred and sixty nine I signing this will in the presence of two sufficient witnesses and they also attesting my signature in my own presence and in the presence of each other the word Jane twice above occurring being crossed out first & the word Ann in each place inserted instead.
Joanna Westcott.
George M. Johnson, Thos. Woods, witnesses.
Memorandum, I also give and bequeath to my daughter Sarah Ann so long as she shall remain unmarried all land of which I am possessed not mentioned in the above will, such land after her marriage to be divided in equal shares among all my children my eldest daughters share in the event of her decease to descend to her eldest daughter Sarah Hannah Chaytor and I do hereby appoint the witnesses to this my will to act as my executors.
Joanna Westcott.     George M. Johnson,     Thos. Woods; witnesses.

Certified correct,
D. M. Browning
Registrar

Part 2 - Contributed by Cheri Wheeler

Last Will and Testament of Joanna Westcott April 29^th, 1869
Joanna Westcott died May 29^th, 1870, in St. John's Newfoundland.

Names mentioned in will:
William Westcott, son of Joanna
George Westcott, son of Joanna
Alexander Westcott, son of Joanna
Joanna Jane Chaytor, eldest daughter of Joanna; married to George Chaytor of Chamberlains, NF
Mrs. Barnes, tenant of property owned by Joanna and being left to daughter Joanna Jane Chaytor
Mr. Thornburn, tenant of property owned by Joanna and being left to son William Westcott
Sarah Ann Westcott, daughter of Joanna
George M. Johnson, witness to signing of will
Thomas Woods, witness to signing of will
Sarah Hannah Chaytor, eldest daughter of Joanna Jane Chaytor and George Chaytor; grandaughter of Joanna Westcott
S. M. Browning, Registrar General at time of Will 1869, 1870.

WILL

In The Name of God Amen

I Joanna Westcott of St. John's Newfoundland, Widow, being weak in body but of sound mind do make my last will and testament in form and manner following: To my sons William and George I give the land wheron their houses now stand with convenient ground for gardens and other purposes as at present occupied by them and to my son William, in addition his late father's watch. To my son Alexander I give those tenements to me belonging marked and numbered as 137 and 139 Gower St., St. John's.

To my daughter Joanna Jane Chaytor I give that house of mine at present tenanted under yearly rent by Mrs. Barnes and to my son William that property rented in like manner by Mr. Thornburn with the distinct condition and proviso that so long as their sister Sarah Ann shall remain unmarried she shall be allowed to receive all rents & profits from these properties for her separate maintenance & support as a single woman. To my daughter Sarah Ann I also give & bequeath to be hers forever all my right and title in this house in which I now live, together with all my household furniture & utensils, bedding & clothing &c. &c.

And in witness & token that this is now my last will and testament I do hereunto set my hand at St. John's Newfoundland aforesaid this twenty ninth day of April one thousand eight hundred and sixty nine. I signing this will in the presence of two sufficient witnesses and they also attesting my signature in my own presence and in the presence of each other the word Jane twice above occurring being crossed out first & the word Ann in each place inserted instead,

Joanna Westcott
George M. Johnson,
Thos. Woods, witnesses

Memorandum, I also give and bequeath to my daughter Sarah Ann so long as she shall remain unmarried all land of which I am possessed not mentioned in the above will, such land after her marriage to be divided in equal shares among all my children, my eldest daughters share in the event of her decease to descend to her eldest daughter Sarah Hannah Chaytor and I do hereby appoint the witnesses to this my will to act as my executors,

Joanna Westcott
George M. Johnson,
Thos. Woods; witnesses
Certified Correct,
S. M. Browning Registrar.

Page attached to the will. (this was hand written and very hard to understand, also the writer used Wescott and Westcott, the surname was really Westcott)

To The Honorable
This Supreme Court of Newfoundland

The petition of Thomas Woods of St. John's in the Island of Newfoundland, Teacher
Humbly Sheweth,
That Joanna Wescott, late of St. John's, aforesaying Widow, departed this life on or about this twenty-ninth day of May, A.D. eighteen hundred and seventy. Having provising, made her last will and testament with the               wisdom? which said Will and testament with this said        as having annexed marked A and of which this said Joanna Westcott having appointed your petitioner and the Revd. George M. Johnson, executors, Your petitioner therefore, humbly prays that probate of this said will, may be granted to your petitioner and as in duty bound will ever pray.

August 23rd 1870        (signed) Thomas Woods

Value of Estate $600.

Personal Note:
I sent away for this will from the Supreme Court of Newfoundland. I received it within a week of them getting it. The cost was $5 for the search and $1 per photocopied page (there were 3 pages). It was received today (Feb 05, 2001). Joanna Westcott is my maternal great great great great grandmother. Her daughter, Joanna Jane Westcott who married George Chaytor of Chamberlains, NF on Nov 7, 1859 in St. John's, NF, is my maternal great great great grandmother. Joanna Jane & George Chaytor's son Frederick William Chaytor born Sept. 5, 1860, is my maternal great great grandfather. Fred married Mary J. (unknown last name), their son Herbert Edwin Chaytor born May 14, 1900 in Chamberlains, NF, is my great grandfather. Herbert married Bessie Shanno of Manuels, NF on Jan. 27, 1911 in FoxTrap, NF. Their son Frederick Graham Chaytor (known as Graham) born April 18, 1932, is my maternal grandfather, he is still living in Chamberlains. He married my grandmother Hazel Sharpe of Paradise, NF in 1955, in the Topsail United Church. Their first born child Elizabeth Ann Chaytor is my mother, she was born Oct. 23, 1956 in Chamberlains.