Person:Thomas Neely (11)

Will of Thomas Neely

In the name of God Amen the 12th day of September in the year of our Lord 1795 I Thomas Neely of the county of Mechlinburg & State of No. Carolina being very sick and weak in body but of perfect mind and memory thanks be to God for the same; & calling to mind the Mortality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die; Do make & ordain this my last will and Testament. And principally and firstly of all I give & recommend my soul into the hands of God who gave it. My body to be buried in a Christian like & Decent manner, nothing doubting but I shall receive the same again by the mighty Power of God; And as touching such Worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give & dispose of the same in manner and form following that is to say.--------------------

I give and bequeath to Ann my beloved wife a comfortable & honorable maintenance of the land I now live on & in the House I now live in During her widowhood, and my bald-face bay Mare, & her choice of too [sic-two] cows, & also too [sic-two] feather-beds & their furniture, and all the dresser furniture.

I give & bequeath to son Thomas all the lands I am possessed of in this County for his only & proper use and his heirs for ever, And my Negro fellow named Sam, for his use when he arrives to the years of twenty-one.

I give and bequeath to my son Jonathan two hundred acres of land on the Western waters now in the hand of Genl Robt Twin, And my Negro girl named Fann when he arrives to the age of twenty one years.

I give & bequeath to my Daughter Nancy Calhoon my Negro girl named Dinah when she comes to the age of eighteen years.

I give & bequeath to my daughter Peggy Swann my Negro boy named Anthony when she arrives to the years of Eighteen & thirty silver dollars.

I give & bequeath to my daughter Hannah eighty silver dollars.

I allow my family to live & be raised on the land I now possess in this county and in order __ the family may be enabled to Occupy the farm, I allow them to have all my farming implements I possess, & a Bay Mare called Nell, a Gray Colt, & a Brown Mare, and all my sheep and Hogs, and four milch cows & three two years old.

I also allow all the remainder of my horses & cows to be sold by my Executors and money arising therefrom to be equally divided among all my children & widow.

I give & Bequeath to my stepson Moses Swann twelve pounds.

I allow all the remainder of my money __ shall be divided equally among my children and widow.

And I do hereby constitute appoint & ordain my well beloved wife Ann Executrix and my trusty brethren Samuel & Moses Neely Executors of this my last Will & Testament.

And I do hereby utterly revoke and disannul all other former Wills Testaments Legacies & Bequests by me before this time named. Ratifying & confirming this and no other to be my last Will & Testament, In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the Day & year first above written.

Signed sealed published & Declared}

To be my last will & Testament in } Thomas Neely seal

Presence of ---

Jos. Swann

Hugh Roan

Jas. Haett

Thomas Neely’s will

January Term 1796

Registered in Book E page 42

Source: http://genforum.genealogy.com/neely/messages/1766.html