The Last Will of John Cranston, 1823

When John Cranston of Wayne Township, Champaign County, Ohio, sat down to dictate his will on March 22, 1823, he described himself as “in an advanced age but of a Sound mind and memory,” and made plain his purpose: to “order my business So as to prevent trouble among my Children after my disease”. That single phrase captures the spirit of the whole document — a patriarch dividing hard-won Ohio frontier land to keep peace in a large family.

The will is, above all, a map of land and lineage. John names five sons and one daughter, and the distribution tells its own story:

• Stephen and John Cranston had already received deeds of gift of one hundred acres each, which John explicitly counts as “part of their heirship” — an early example of lifetime gifting balanced against the final estate.
• Christopher and Edward Cranston were given two hundred acres jointly, bounded on John B. Cranston’s land and running along Samuel Rice’s and Gifford’s lines.
• Ephraim Cranston received one hundred acres adjoining that tract.
• Stephen was singled out for an extra “one hundred Dollars value in Land” as a reward for his labor on the land at Treckles Creek — a rare, concrete acknowledgment of a son’s work.
• Daughter Phebe A. Savage was given a choice: an equal share of the unmentioned property, or one hundred dollars paid jointly by her five brothers, “Left at her option”.
• Two details reward a close reader. First, the farming utensils were set aside specifically for Christopher and Edward, while the rest of the personal property was divided equally among all the children — a practical arrangement that likely reflects who was actually working the home farm. Second, John appointed his sons Stephen and John as executors, keeping administration firmly within the family.

A word on the language: the transcription preserves John’s phonetic spelling exactly as written, including “boddy,” “utentials,” and, most strikingly, “disease” used throughout to mean decease — that is, death, not illness, a common usage of the period. The witness lines in this manuscript copy stand blank, with no subscribers’ names entered, a reminder that this is a recorded copy rather than the signed original.

The Last Will & Testament of John Cranston

Township of Wayne, Champaign County, Ohio — 22 March 1823

Transcription of the manuscript “Copy of Will”

Copy of Will

In the name of the Lord Amen this twenty Second Day march in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred and twenty three I John Cranston of the Township of Wayne in the County of Champain and State of Ohio & I being in an advanced age but of a Sound mind and memory thanks for the Same Calling to mind the mortality of my body and being desirous in my Life time to order my business So as to prevent trouble among my Children after my disease do make and ordain this my Last will and Testament in the following manner that is to Say principally and first of all my Soul I Commend into the hands of God who gave it and my boddy to the earth to be Desently buried at the Direction of my executors herein named and as to the remains of my worldly estate I Do give and bequeath as follows firstly I order all my just Debts to be paid and funeral Experences to be paid by my executors out of my estate in a Convenient Time after my Disease.

Item.  For that whereas I have given Stephen and John Cranston Deeds of gift of one hundred acres each the is Considered as Such a part of their heirship to my estate.

Item.  I give to my two Sons Viz Christopher and Edward Cranston two hundred acres of Land jointly between them beginning and bounding on John B Cranston Land on the Southwesterly Side and to extend Southwesterly of the Same width of the Sd John B Land to make the Quantity of two hundred acres running of equal Distance on Samuel Rice Line and on Giffords &c.

Item.  I give to my Son Ephraim Cranston one hundred acres of Land adjoining Sd Christopher and Edward Land that is above Described to be equal Distance on the northerly and on the Southerly Lines.

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Note: This is what the land might be worth in today’s dollars. (For Illustration only)

A modern-dollar reimagining of John Cranston’s 1823 will — for illustration only:

Item. For that whereas I have given Stephen and John Cranston Deeds of gift of one hundred acres each — land worth today some twelve hundred thousand dollars apiece (about $1,200,000 each, or $2,400,000 together) — the same is Considered as Such a part of their heirship to my estate.dyerealestate+1

Item. I give to my two Sons Viz Christopher and Edward Cranston two hundred acres of Land jointly between them — a parcel worth in our day about two million four hundred thousand dollars ($2,400,000) — beginning and bounding on John B Cranston Land on the Southwesterly Side and to extend Southwesterly of the Same width of the Sd John B Land to make the Quantity of two hundred acres running of equal Distance on Samuel Rice Line and on Giffords &c.acrevalue+1

Item. I give to my Son Ephraim Cranston one hundred acres of Land — valued in present money at about one million two hundred thousand dollars ($1,200,000) — adjoining Sd Christopher and Edward Land that is above Described to be equal Distance on the northerly and on the Southerly Lines.

Now back to the original will.

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Item.  It is my will that my Son Stephen Cranston be rewarded for his Labour Done on the Land on Treckles Creek and that he have one hundred Dollars value in Land extra above an equal Share in my Land that is not mentioned herein and after that for my Daughter Phebe A Savage, for my son Stephen Cranston, my son John B Cranston, my son Ephraim Cranston, my son Christopher Cranston and my son Edwards Cranston, with the proviso that Phebe A Savage would rather Chose to have one hundred Dollars to be paid equally by my five Sons to be Left at her option to be equaly divided, otherwise to have an equal Share of what I have not mentioned. In today’s dollars, the $100 in 1823 would be equivalent to $3,190.

Item.  It is my will that all my personal Property Shall equally be Divided amongst all my above named Children excepting the farming utentials and for them to belong to my Sons Christopher and Edwards Cranston.

Lastly I hereby I ordain my Son Stephen Cranston and John Cranston to be the Lawfull executors to this my Last Will Testament to execute the Same acording to the True intent of what is heretofore writen according to the True intent and meaning thereof.

Holding and confirming this to be my Last will and Testament in witness where of I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal the Day and year afore and within mentioned.

Signed Sealed and acknowledged by me the Sd John Cranston as his Last will and Testament In the Presence of us the Subscribers —

John Cranston   (Seal)

Witnesses (subscribers):

(The witness lines stand blank in this manuscript copy; no subscribers’ names were entered.)

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