Transcription:
Will of John B. Richardville
In the name of God, Amen!
I, John B. Richardville of the county of Allen Indiana, Principal chief of the Miami Tribe of Indians, being of sound mind and Memory, knowing the uncertainty of life & desirous to dispose of my affairs while in a sound state of mind, doth make, publish and declare this instrument of writing as my last will and testament in manner following, to wit:
First, I commit my soul to that God who gave it, my burial to be under the direction of my executors hereinafter named.
Item first. I devise, will and bequeath to my daughter Catees (alias Catherine) wife of Lafountaine, her heirs and assigns forever the three following sections of land, to wit: One section of the same situate in the county of Huntington at the forks of the Wabash to be laid off to her by my executors so as to include my houses & improvements there, The other two sections of land to commence at the confluence of the Mississinewa & Wabash rivers running down the Wabash to the lower line of the two sections & back for quantity.
Item 2. I devise, will & bequeath to my daughter, La Blonde (alias Maria Louisa) & her heirs and assigns forever three sections of land on the St. Mary’s River in the county of Allen, known as my residence on that river.
Item 3. I give, devise, will & bequeath to my daughter Susan and her heirs and assigns forever, three sections of land as follows, one of said sections lying in the County of Huntington nearly opposite Vermilyas Mill, the other two commencing at the confluence of the Salamonie River & the Wabash, to run so far down as a line run to the back line will embrace two sections of land, being the upper two sections of my reserve on the Wabash River below and adjoining the mouth of the Salamonie.
Item 4th. I devise will and bequeath to my son Mi-aw-que-ah (alias Blind eyed Richardville) & his heirs & assigns forever one section of land situated on the Mississinewa river at twhat is called the Osage Village.
Item 5. I give will and bequeath to my Grand daughter Mon-go-se-quah the daughter of La Blonda, her heirs & assigns forever one section of land on the Wabash adjoining the Salamonie river, the residue of said reserve being devised to my daughter Susan.
Item 6. I give will and bequeath to my grand son Wa-pa-se-pah (alias Louis Lafontaine and his heirs and assigns forever, one section of land situated in Miami County, being on the Wabash River opposite the mouth of the Misissinewa river.
Item 7. I give devise will and bequeath to my neice Margaret Lafalia her heirs and assigns forever one half section of land commencing at a point on the Wabash and Erie Canal where Clear Creek intersects the same in Huntington County. Thence up the canal until it strikes the lots as laid out for the town of Richardville and back for quantity.
Item 8. I give devise, will and bequeath to each of my grand & great grand children and to their heirs and assigns forever, one half section of land each, to wit: to the following five children of my daughter Catees, Che-pe-quah, Che-me-quah, Alin-ben-che-quah, her three daughters, to Wa-ka-shon-quah, to John B. Lafountaine (alias Old man) her two sons, these are the five children of Catees to whom I give ½ section of land each, to Ma-ca-the-mun-quah alias John, son of Susan & to his daughter child by his former wife the daughter of Puch-ne each one half section of land. To Ca-the-mun-quah to Shap-pen-do-seah sons of my deceased son John B. Richardville Junr. To Cathe-mine-quah-qeah & to Wa-ka-cum-me-qua, daughters of said dec’d son John B. Richardville each of the four, one half sections of land, to Mon-go-sau & Ke-law-come-me-ka sons of my daughter La Blonde, each one half section of land. To Alin-na-ben-she-shaw son of my deceased son Joseph Richardville one half section of land, to my great grandson the son of Crescent who was the son of Joseph Richardville, one half section of land, to my four grand children, the children of my son Me-a-que-ah, whose names I do not recollect each one half section of land.
It is my further will and I hereby direct that my executors cause to be surveyed and set apart to each of the devisees to whom one half section of land is devised by this my last will and testament, the separate tract to each individuals out of any lands I may possess at the time of my death, not expressly devised to any individual by this will & file a record of such division with the name of the person to which each tract belongs in the county where the land lies, a certificate of which shall be evidence of title to such devisee. Setting apart to the children of Catees the section I bought of Black Loon in Huntington County & the section and a half at my mill on the Wabash at Rock Creek. Should I own these at the time of my death being to the said children of Catees ½ section each, each should I dispose of the same in my lifetime then theirs to be selected as the others.
Item ninth. All the property both real and personal or mixed, lands or tenements, credits, moneys & effects which I may possess at the time of my death not devised to any devisee in this my last will & testament & all my cattle & household furniture, I devise will and bequeath to my three daughters, La Blonde, Susan and Catees, their heirs and assigns forever.
And ? I ? and appoint Allen Hamilton and the Revd. Julian Benoit Executors of this my last will and testamtne,t and in case of death, refusal to serve or removal of either beyond the limits of the state, it is my will the Probate Court appoint an executor in room of the one removed, refusing to serve or deceased. So that there shall be at all times two executors to this my last will & testament.
In testimony whereof I John B. Richardville have hereunto set my hand & seal this ninth day of April in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred forty one.
Signs x.