Person:Robert Pickens (11)

From E-mail communication:

Notes for Robert Pickens: "In the Name of God, Amen. I Robert PICKENS of the State of South Carolina and District of Pendleton being in health of body and of perfect mind and memory. Thanks be given to God. Calling to mind the mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for all ment once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and Testament. That is to say, Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the hand of Almighty God that gave it, and my body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in a decent christian like manner. And as touching such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life, I give, devise, and dispose of the same in the following manner and form. Item first. My two old negro women, Rachel and Mima I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Dorcas PICKENS, and to be disposed of by her at ther death as she may think proper. Item Second. I give and bequeath to my son Robert PICKENS all the land and plantation on w hich I now live at the death of my wife Dorcas PICKENS. And it must be understood to be my will, and I do so devise, that my son Robert PICKENS shall have the use of, and be allowed to cultivate the same during the natural life of his mother, and that she shall have a support on the land, and have the exclusive right to the house in which I now live, and the orchard about it during her life. And at her death, if it shall be the pleasure of my two daughters, Margaret and Elizabeth, who now live with me, to live single, and live together, they shall have the use of the house, and orchard above mentioned, during their lives if they choose to stay on the place. Item third. I do devise that my wife Dorcas shall choose two negroes from among all my negroes, one of which I give and bequeath to her, and to be disposed of by her at her detah as she may choose, and the other to belong to my estate at her death. And after my wife Dorcas shall have chosen two negroes as above devised, my son Andrew PICKENS shall choose one, and the negro that he shall choose I give and bequeath to him and his heirs forever. And after my son Andrew shall have chosen one, my son Robert PICKENS shall chose one, and the negro that he shall choose I give and bequeath to him and his heirs forever. And after the above mentioned choices, the balance of my negroes shall be valued by three good men chosen by my executors herein after named for that purpose; and after such valuation shall be divided by lot among the balance of my children viz John PICKENS, John SMITH, Margaret PICKENS, Margaret PICKENS, Elizabeth PICKENS, Mary BOWMAN, Dorcas PARIS and Ann BOLDING; each one of them to takek the negro that may fall to them by lot at the valuation thereof, and the average amount of the valuation be equally divided among them all; Those of them who by lot get the most valuable negroes to pay up those who get negroes that are less valuable untill all are made equal. Item fourth. I do devise that if it is the wish of my son Robert PICKENS at the death of his mother to take the negroe that she may chose at my death, that will at her death belong to my estate, and give up the one that he may first choose, he shall be allowed to do so and the negro belonging to my estate be sold and equally divided among all my children. Item fifth. I do devise that if any of my negro women have issue after the date of this my last will and testament, and before a division is made as herein devised that such issue be sold and divided among all my children. Nevertheless, and I do so devise, that if any of the negroes die, so that there is not one for every one of my children when a division shall take place as herein devised that such deficiency be supplied out of the price either of the negro that shall belong to my estate at the death of my wife or those that may hereafter be born according to the average amount of the valuation of those that are valued. Item Sixth. I do devise that my waggon, gear, plantation and carpenters tools shall remain on the plantation for the use of my wife Dorcas PICKENS and my son Robert PICKENS, and at the death of my wife Dorcas shall be the property of my son Robert PICKENS. Item Seventh. All my stock of every description with all my household and kitchen furniture I give and bequeath to my wife Dorcas PICKENS to be disposed of by her as she may think proper among all, or any of my children at her death, or in her life time if she choses to do so. Item Eight. I do also devise that any crop that may be on the plantation, or grain ready made shall be for the use of my wife Dorcas. And if any crop unfinished be on the plantation at my death, all the negroes shall remain on the plantation until such crop shall be saved. And I do hereby appoint my wife Dorcas and my two sons Andrew PICKENS and Robert PICKENS Executors of this my last will and testament. And I do hereby disallow, revoke, and disanul all and every other former wills, testaments, legacies, Bequests and executors by me in any ways before named, willed and bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this third day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty three. Signed, sealed pronounced and Robert PICKENS (SEAL) declared by the said Robert PICKENS as his last will and testament in the presents of us who in his presents and in the presents of each other have hereunto subscribed our names. J. DOUTHIT Jas OLIVER James SMITH"

Records of E. M. Sharp, extracts from Anderson Co SC Courthouse - wills [ref Enc #P-805 - tmc] Roll 534. Robert PICKENS, decd Jr...will 1/3/1823; proved 9/1/1830 by John SMITH... Wife: Dorcas (mother of childen) Children: Robert (all lands I live on to wife during her life then to be sold). Margaret, Elizabeth, Andrew, John, John SMITH, Mary BROWN, Dorcas PARIS, Ann BOLDING ... balance of children to have other negroes... Codicil: 4/6/1828: wife died since will as [sic] made - revoked her part and gave to children. Exrs: Andrew and Robert (sons).

GEORGIA GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE, Vol. 28. p. 139. "DEED BOOK F. PENDLETON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. p. 260. 27 Jan 1799: Edward REESE, Sheriff of Pendleton Co., SC to Samuel BARR. ...sold (1) 47 acres on the NE branch of Twenty Three Mile Creek of Keowee River adjoing lands NE by Christopher CURTIS, SW by John OLIVER, and other land unknown; (2) 150 acres being part of 640 acres granted Robert PICKENS who conveyed 2 Sep 1789 to Jacob GILHAM. [signed] E. REESE, S.P.C. Wit: Robert PICKENS, Alexander BOYCE who swore by oath 21 Apr 1801. Recorded 5 Jul 1801" [NOTE: not sure if the above record refers to this Robert PICKENS.]

Day, COUSIN MONROE'S HISTORY OF THE PICKENS FAMILY: p. 85-86. "Robert PICKENS, son of Robert Pike PICKENS, was born in Frederick County, Maryland, November 26th, 1747. When he was about seven years old, his father moved from Frederick County to the Waxhaw settlement in South Carolina, then on to the Long Cane Creek section of Abbeville County. Here Robert grew to manhood, and married. He settled on a farm in Abbeville County, where he was living [until the outbreak of the Revolution]... he became a member of the personal staff of General Andrew PICKENS, and ranked as Captain. While on an expedition against the Indians he was carried up to the Northwestern part of his State, and became very favorably impressed with the beauty of the county and the fertility of the land. After the close of the War, he moved up into the section, perhaps following the trail of the Indians, to within about thirty or thirty-five miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and settled on the head waters of the Three and Twenty Creek, in what is now Anderson County. Robert PICKENS [known as Captain Robert PICKENS]... was an elder in the Long Cane Presbyterian Church and when he moved to his new home, assisted in organizing the Three and Twenty Presbyterian church, the name of which was early changed to Richmond, and afterwards to Carmel, and at first stood on the ground on which the Pickens Methodist Church now stands. In 1790 the congregation at Carmel consisted of about sixty families. In 1788 or 1790, the PICKENS families became Methodists and Carmel was removed to its present site on the PICKENS county side of the line. ... Captain Robert PICKENS died July 19th, 1830, and was buried in the family graveyard which had been located on his place. Captain Robert PICKENS married Dorcas HALLUM in Abbeville County, SC, December 25th, 1773....

More About Robert Pickens: Burial: July 20, 1830, Pickens Chapel, Anderson County, SC

More About Dorcas Hallum: Burial: Pickens Chapel, Anderson County, SC

Children of Robert Pickens and Dorcas Hallum are: 11 i. Col. Robert4 Pickens, Jr., born May 14, 1795 in Anderson County, South Carolina; died November 01, 1871 in Anderson County, South Carolina. He married Martha Smith; born August 09, 1795 in Anderson County, South Carolina; died December 01, 1833 in Anderson County, South Carolina.

More About Martha Smith:

12 ii. John Pickens, born May 21, 1775. 13 iii. Martha Pickens, born June 15, 1776. 14 iv. Margaret Pickens, born August 04, 1778. 15 v. Elizabeth Pickens, born April 16, 1780 in Abbeville County, SC; died October 12, 1858. More About Elizabeth Pickens: Burial: Pickens Chapel, Anderson County, SC 16 vi. Mary Pickens, born January 30, 1782. 17 vii. Andrew Pickens, born December 24, 1783; died March 09, 1860. 18 viii. Dorcas Pickens, born July 24, 1785. She married William Paris. 19 ix. Ann Pickens, born May 1787. She married James Bolding in Pendleton District, SC; born July 24, 1782; died November 27, 1863 in Franklin County, AL. More About James Bolding and Ann Pickens: Marriage: Pendleton District, SC