William BONAR of Washington County, Pennsylvania, signed his Last Will and Testament on 4 March 1814, and died five days later. It was Recorded there on page 476 of Book "2." A typescript copy follows:

 

"The fourth day of March in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fourteen, I, William BONAR, of Finley Township, Washington County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, being weak of body but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be to God, calling to mind the mortality of the body and that

it is appointed for all men to die once, do make this my Last Will and Testament.

 

“First, I do recommend my soul to God and my body to the earth to be

buried in a Christ like manner at the discretion of my executor, not doubting

but at the resurrection and general judgment, I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God and touching such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with, I ordain and dispose of it in the following manner. I order

my funeral charges and my just debts to be discharged and paid out of my estate. Secondly, I do bequeath unto my well beloved wife, Sarah, all my estate during natural life for her maintenance, and a young mare to be at her disposal; she likewise to have the house and place for her use where I now live. Thirdly,

I do bequeath to my son, Barnet, at the decease of my said wife four dollars as his share. Fourthly, I do bequeath to my daughters Anne, Margaret, Mary and Sarah, twenty dollars each Qut of my estate; at my wife's death the remainder to be divided equally among the whole of my daughters (towit): Isobel, Anne, Margaret, Sarah, Catherine, and Martha. Fifthly, my clothes I do bequeath unto my two grandsons, William BOALS (BOWLES, BOLES, BOYLES, in other records) and William GREENLEE, to be divided 'equally between them at my death.

 

"I do constitute and appoint Thomas BYERS and Robert STEPHENSON to be my sole executors of this my Last Will and Testament, publishing and declaring it to be my Last Will and Testament the day and year above written. (Signed) William BONAR (Seal) ."

 

Boyd CRUMRINE, the authoritative historian of Washington County, wrote the following paragraph approximately 100 years age.  I quote:

 

"There are few older or more representative families in Washington County

(Pennsylvania) than that of BONAR. There were four brothers of the name

who came to what is now Donegal Township as early as 1770. They found the Indians so hqstile that they left Washington County, several going to Maryland, and they did not return and secure their patents for government land until 1775. (They resettled about 1775; had surveys of their lands made in 1785 and received their patents in 1786). One of these pioneers was Barnet BONAR who was born in Scotland in 1695. His son, William BONAR, and three other sons accompanied him. They secured 1200 acres of land, a part of which has ever since remained in the possession of the family .',

 

The above paragraph is quoted on page 447 of BONAR GENEALOGY, a book published in 1969 by Dorothy Elizabeth Rine BROWN (Mrs. Durward B. BROWN), of 1709 Warwood Avenue, Wheeling, West Virginia, 26003.

 

The following three citations. are from CRUMRINE'S (1882) : WASHINGTON COUNTY:

 

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