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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: castlebob on Monday 20 October 14 14:01 BST (UK)
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Can anyone confirm that the word 'friend' was sometimes used in 19th C wills to describe relatives? If so, was it commonly used?
Cheers,
Bob
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Which country? In English wills, I don't recall ever seeing it used for a blood relative, but I've sometimes found it for someone related by marriage - e.g. father-in-law, brother-in-law, husband of niece, etc.
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Possibly in Quaker wills
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I was told that English wills used it. I wondered if it covered distant relationships such as 3rd cousins?
Bob
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There weren't any hard-and-fast rules. I should think it might be used for a distant cousin.
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One of my (English) lot wrote his will in 1880 and named his cousin and another man as executors. He referred to them only as my friends.
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That's interesting. Was the cousin a blood relation (same surname)?
Bob
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In Scots your "friens", friends, are your relatives by blood or marriage. As in "she had her friens up last night", still used.
Skoosh.
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From the OED Friend; A close relation, a kinsman or kinswoman. In later use regional (chiefly Sc. and Irish English (north.)).
Stan
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Thanks so much, Stan.
That's exactly what I was looking for. It also fits as my ancestors were Scots & Irish etc.
Cheers,
Bob
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It's good to see that OED definition because I have a couple of other wills where it is not obvious that a named friend might be a relative — must go back and study them again.
CastleBob: yes, the testator was a first cousin (same surname) and his own and his executors' full London street addresses were very helpfully included so I was never in any doubt.
K.
PS. I don't know if the fact that the will appears to have been drawn up in Scotland has any bearing on the useage of friend. (The witnesses' addresses are both in Aberdeen).
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This isn't some obsolete legal term it's common usage, I use it and I'm not obsolete yet! :)
Skoosh.
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I found an old scribbled ref from some similar research a few years ago that 'friend' in Latin is 'amicus'. It seems amicus is both kinsman & friend. I'd guess that, yet again, the Latin gives the clue.
(I am nearly obsolete, according to my wife!)
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My faither used to say "A pound's yer best freen!", don't think he was far wrong. ;D
Skoosh.