Will of William Sheridan, Senior
Sheridan, William Senr.
Died 19th Feby 1876
Amt. of Assets: £868-14-8
The last Will and Testament of William Sheridan, Senior, Farmer of the Salt Pans in the county of Donegal.
I William Sheridan, Senior, do give and bequeath the sum of one hundred Pounds sterling to each of my four daughters namely Mary Anne Sheridan, Kate Sheridan, Maggie Sheridan and Winifred Sheridan. I do give and bequeath to my son Joseph Sheridan the sum of Two Hundred Pounds sterling. I do bequeath to my sister Susan Sheridan the sum of one Hundred Pounds sterling. I do bequeath to my brother Charles Sheridan the sum of Thirty Five pounds sterling. I do give and bequeath to my two sons William Sheridan and John Sheridan conjointly my houses, lands, stock, furniture, crops, implements &c &c and also to each of them the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds sterling provided they take charge of support and give ordinary education to my daughters Mary Anne Sheridan, Kate Sheridan, Maggie Sheridan and Winifred Sheridan and my youngest son Joseph Sheridan till each of these five children shall have arrived respectively at the age of sixteen years complete provided also they (sic) William Sheridan and John Sheridan pay all my debts and liabilities if any such do exist after my death and should they William Sheridan and John Sheridan fail to carry out this arrangement with the above names children, this money, namely five hundred pounds sterling, bequeathed to them or the portion of it remaining on hands after any of the payments made as ordered below will be placed in the hands of the executors who will make use of it in the equal interest of said five children.
I order that the payments of the said legacy of five hundred pounds made to my two sons William and John Sheridan be made in the following manner: that my executors will pay William and John Sheridan one hundred pounds sterling during the interval between my death and the date my eldest daughter Mary Anne Sheridan shall have completed her sixteenth year. A second hundred pounds in the interval from Mary Anne Sheridan shall (sic) have completed her sixteenth year till my second daughter Kate Sheridan shall have completed her sixteenth year, a third hundred pounds in the interval from Kate Sheridan shall have completed her sixteenth year till my third eldest daughter Maggie Sheridan shall have completed her sixteenth year, a fourth hundred pounds in the interval from Maggie Sheridan shall have completed her sixteenth year till my youngest son Joseph shall have completed his sixteenth year, and a fifth hundred pounds in the interval from Joseph Sheridan shall have completed his sixteenth year till my youngest daughter Winifred Sheridan shall have completed her sixteenth year. I also order that the interests accruing on said five hundred pounds or any portion of said five hundred pounds as well as the interests accruing from the legacies left to my five children shall be paid annually and given for the support of my family in general, but as soon as each of my five younger children shall respectively arrive at the age of sixteen years complete the interest henceforth accruing to him or her on his or her legacy shall be exclusively his or her own. I order that the time for paying the legacies mentioned above to my five younger children, namely Mary Anne Sheridan, Kate Sheridan, Maggie Sheridan, Joseph Sheridan and Winifred Sheridan, be left to the discretion of my executors.
I order that in the event of one or more of my five younger children dying before Marriage his, her or their portion of the legacy be divided equally on or among the survivors survivors (sic) of such children.
I do moreover order that my son John Sheridan do collect all my debts and I bequeath said debts to my sons William Sheridan and John Sheridan to be used by them for the common and general support of my family.
I do appoint as my executors the Rev. Bernard Walker of Rathmullan, Patrick Loughery (sic?), Dunmore and Emanuel (sic?) Dennison of Drimditten (sic), Rosgull.
Signed this nineteenth day of July one thousand eight hundred and seventy two. [19/07/1872]
We the testator and witnesses affix our signatures hereto in the presence of each other,
Testator
William Sheridan
William Sheridan, Samuel McGarvey witnesses
Codicil No 1
I William Sheridan Senior, do empower my executors to give to my sons William Sheridan and John Sheridan any portion of their legacy mentioned above before the time mentioned in the above will in case the executors see an urgent cause for so doing.
Signed this nineteenth day of July one thousand eight hundred and seventy two in the presence of testator and witnesses. [19/07/1872]
Testator
William Sheridan
William Sheridan, Samuel McGarvey witnesses
For probate see Probate Book No 4, Page 44
Will Codicil and Probate 12 Fols
Affidavit of due execution filed.
Notes:
No provision made for, or mention of, his wife, Afric Sheridan (who died on 26/02/1899 and is buried in Cashelmor, Creeslough, along with her daughters Maggie Sheridan and Winifred Fox).
Emanuel Dennison is probably Manasses Dennison, his brother-in-law.