In the name of God, Amen.  I John Prouse of Caroline County in the State of Maryland, being weak of body, but of sound and disposing mind, memory and understanding considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof and being desirous to settle my worldly affairs and thereby be the better prepared to leave this world when it shall please God to call me hence do therefore make and publish this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say:

First and principally I commit my soul into the hands of Almighty God, and my body to the earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executrix or Executors hereinafter named, and after my debts and funeral charges are paid and my wifes thirds of the personal estate taken out, I devise and bequeath as follows:
I give an bequeath unto James Manship my gun.

I give and bequeath all the residue of my personal estate to my children to be equally divided between them share and share alike.

I give and devise unto my wife Elizabeth the farm or plantation where on I now dwell, during her natural life time or widowhood.

And lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint my dear wife Elizabeth Prouse together with George Prouse if he will serve, if not, Tilghman Johnson to be sole Executors of this my last Will and Testament revoking and annulling all former Wills by me heretofore made notifying and confirming this and none other to be my last Will and Testament .

In Testimony where of I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this 29th day of December in the year of our Lord 1836.
                                                                                        his
Signed, Sealed, published and declared                John    X    Prouse  {Seal}
by John Prouse the above named                                    mark
Testator as and for his last Will and
Testament in the presence of us who
at his request in his presence and in
the presence of each other have subscribed
our names as witnesses thereto.

       Tilghman Johnson
        Thomas Willoughby
        James Johnson

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Caroline County to Wit }
Th 6th March 1838       }  Then came Tilghman Johnson one of the Executors named and appointed in the foregoing Will and made oath on the Holy Evangels of  Almighty God, that the foregoing instrument of writing is the true and whole last Will and Testament of John Prouse late of Caroline deceased, that hath come to his hands or possession and that he doth not know of any other of a later date.
                                             Cert. by W. A. Ford  Regr. of Wills
                                              for Caroline County

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Caroline County to Wit. }
The 6th March 1838      } Then came Thomas Willoughby and James Johnson two of the subscribing witnesses to the foregoing last Will and Testament of John Prouse late of  Caroline County deceased, and severally made oath on the Holy Evangels of  Almighty God, that they did see the Testator therein named make his mark to and seal this Will, that they heard him publish pronounce and declare the same to be his last Will and Testament, that at the time of his so doing he was to the best of their apprehension of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding and that they together with Tilghman Johnson the other subscribing witness respectively subscribed their names as witnesses to the said Will in the presence and at the request of the Testator and in the presence of each other.
                                                Cert. by W. A. Ford   Regr. of Wills
                                                 for Caroline County