Person:William Downs (19)

Tax List of Sumner County, Tennessee

1818

William Downs, Sr. - -

William Downs, Jr. - -

Major Downs

[Source: Record of the Taxable Property and Polls in Sumner County for the year 1818]

1819

William Downs, Senr. - -

William Downs, Junr. - -

John Downs - -

Major Downs

[Source: Record of the Taxable Property in Sumner County for the year 1819]

Will of William Downs

I William Downs, Senr, being old & weak of body, but of sound mind & disposing memory, and calling to mind the uncertainty of human life, and being desirous to dispose of all such wordly substance as it hath pleased God to bless me with; I do dispose of & do give & bequeath the same in the manner following, that is to Say -- I will that my Negro man slave, named Ballard, aged about theirty-eight years, or thereabouts, be emancipated & set at liberty; (after the decease of my self and my beloved wife Mary), agreeable to the laws of the State in such cases made & provided: And the reason why I desire his emancipation, is in consequence of his faithful, unremited, & meritorious services rendered unto me, & to my family; and because of his orderly & good behaviour in the neighbourhood & particularly in my family.

In case I should decease before my wife Mary, I wish the said negro man Ballard, to be subject to her commands & direction alone, and not to those of any other person, until her decease, and immediately after her decease, to be emancipated, and set at liberty, as herein above directed.

And the whole of my other property, of whatever description, after paying my just debts, & discharging my burial expenses, & the burial expenses of my wife Mary, I give & bequeath unto my four following named children, that is to say -- To my son Major Downs one fourth, to my son William Downs one fourth, to my daughter Chairty Tilly one fourth, to my daughter Elizabeth Tomblin one fourth; that is, the property shall be equalised among them, & each to have share & share alike. In case I should decease before my wife Mary, I desire that the said property should remain in the hands of my said wife, for her comfort & convenience, so long as she may live, but not to be subject to her disposal, and immediately after her decease. to be divided among the said four children, as herein above directed.

I also nominate and appoint my friends William H. Anderson & Melane Anderson as my Executors to carry into effect the whole of the provisions of this my last will & testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this third day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eighteen hundred & twenty one.

(signed) William Downs

Signed, sealed, published and declared by the above named William Downs to be his last Will & testament, in the presence of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses in the presence of the Testator.

Wit: William H. Anderson, Melane Anderson, Stephen Forrester

State of Tennessee

Sumner County Court, May Term 1821

The last will & Testament of William Downs decd was produced in Court for probate, and the same was proven by the oaths of Wm. H. Anderson, Melane Anderson & Stephen Forrester subscribing witnesses thereto and on motion ordered to be recorded -- Whereupon Wm. H. Anderson & Melane Anderson exectuors named in said will qualified as such by taking the oath of an Executor prescribed by law, and together with Thomas Anderson their surety entered into & acknowledged their bond to the governor in the finality of two thousand dollars ??n?itioned as the law directs.

State of Tennesee Sumner County

I David Shelby Clerk of the County Court for said county do certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the last will & Testament of William Downs decd, as the same is enrolled with the records of said Court, together with a true copy of said records of the probate of said will and qualification of the Exectuors thereof given under my hand at the office this 10th day of July A.D. 1821 & 46th year of American Independence.

David Shelby Clk

[Source: Sumner County, Tennessee Archives, Loose Records, Will #128]