Orange County NcArchives Wills.....Bowles, William September 1, 1827
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Source: Loose Will, NC Archives CR 073.801, Will Book Volume F, pages 449-4450
Written: September 1, 1827
Recorded: Nov 1849
Testator: William Bowles
In the name of God (Amen) I William
Bowles of County of Orange & state of North
Carolina, being of sound mind & perfect Recollection
(Blessed be God) do this 1st day of Sept. in the year of
Our Lord one thousand Eight Hundred & twenty seven
make & publish this my last will & Testament; In the
manner following (Viz.) I will & bequeath my Soul to
Almighty God & my body to be Buried in a decent
manner at the discretion of my family
1 I desire My just debts to be paid
2nd I give to my beloved wife during her life time or wid=
ow Hood one half the plantation & a negro man named
Joe ~~~~
3 I bequeath also unto my wife & Nancy my daughter
a negro girl named Tap[See Not 1] for their joint assistance during
the widowhood of my wife & at the expiration of that
time her & her increase to be sold & divided equally
between all my children
4 I further give unto my wife two cows, two Horses, two
ploughs & gear, one bed & furniture, one Cotton & flax wheel
one Half the House Hold & Kitchen furniture, one half the
hogs & sheep, a saddle, a chest & the cupboard during her
widow hood, or life time
5 I give unto my daughter Nancy a negro girl known
[page 2]
by the name of ["Little" x-out] young Silvy
I further direct & request that the ballance of
my property after aforementioned legacies are taken out
be sold & after my just debts are paid, [to] be divided
equally between all my children, all being required to
make a faithful return of what they received from
me in my life time, so that all my Children may re=
ceive of my effects the same Except Nancy who is
to have the negro girl Silvy over & above the rest
of my children.
I also desire my son William to be put to a
trade such a one as may best suit him
Signed sealed & delivered by me as my
last will & Testament in the presence of the
subscribing witnesses this 1st day of Sept. Ano.D. 1827 ~~~
Test William Bowles
Tho. Jeff Faddis
David R Roundtree Jurat
[Will Book Volume F, page 449]
In the name of God (Amen) I William Bowles
of County of Orange & state of North Carolina,
being of sound mind & perfect recollection (Blessed be God)
do this 1st day of September in the year of Our Lord one thousand
Eight hundred & twenty seven make & publish this my
last will & Testament; In the manner following
Viz. I will & bequeath my soul to Almighty God &
my body to be buried in a decent manner at the
discretion of my family
1st I desire My just debts to be paid
2nd I give to my beloved wife during her lifetime or widowhood
one half the plantation & a negro man named Joe
3rd I bequeath also unto my wife & Nancy my daughter a negro
girl named Cop[Cap?] for their joint assistance during the
widowhood of my wife, & at the expiration of that
time her and her increase to be sold & divided equally
between all my Children
4 I further give unto my wife two cows two horses, two
ploughs & gear, one bed & furniture, one Cotton & flax wheel
one half the Household & kitchen furniture, one half the
hogs & sheep, a saddle, a chest & the Cupboard during
her widowhood, or lifetime
5 I give unto my daughter Nancy a negro girl known by
the name of young Silvey
I further direct & request that the balance
of my property after aforementioned legacies are
taken out be sold & after my Just debts are
paid, to be divided equally between all my Children,
all being required to make a faithful return
of what they received from me in my lifetime,
so that all my Children may receive of my effects
the same except Nancy who is to have the negro
girl Silvey over & above the rest of my children.
I also desire my son William to be put to a
trade such a one as may best suit him
Signed sealed & delivered by
me as my last will & Testament in
the presence of the subscribing
[Will Book Volume F, page 450]
Witnesses this 1st day of Sept. Ano.D. 1827
Test
Tho. Jeff Faddis William Bowles
David R Roundtree
Orange County Nov. Term 1849
The execution of the foregoing last will & testament of
William Bowles decd. was duly proved in open court by
the oath of David R Roundtree one of the subscribing
witnesses thereto & it appearing to the satisfaction of
the Court on the oath of George Laws that Tho. Jeff Faddis
the other subscribing witness is dead & that the signature
purporting to be his is in his own proper handwriting
said will is ordered to be recorded.
Test
Additional Comments:
Will Book Volume F, pages 449-4450
Recorded Nov 1849
Note 1: Original is indistinct. Three letters: first letter could be "T" or "S"; middle letter is "a"; final letter is "p" or long "S". This name could then be: "Tap", "Tas", "Sap", "Sas"
The original is too faded and indistinct to compare to the will book version, which is found above. Note in this case the length of time between the writing of the will and its probate - 22 years - some or even all of the people listed in the will may have died before it was probated.
Estate papers comprise 29 pages and are found in a folder labeled "Bowles, William (1850)". Dower was allotted 7 Dec 1849. Testator owned about 800 acres of land. Nelson P. Hall was appointed administrator. Although a sale of negroes is ordered, there are no further records, no inventory, no estate sale in this folder. Some family history is found in the various papers, and those papers are therefore transcribed below.
[Estate Papers - Petition Nov 1849]
State of North Carolina } County Court
Orange County } November Term
1849
To the Worshipful the Justices of said Court
The petition of Nancy Bowles, Thomas Bowles
James Baldridge and Ann his wife, Sally Berry
widows of William Berry deceased, George Bowles
William Bowles, Dolphius Armstrong child & heir
of Nelly Armstrong deceased, & Nelson P. Hall and
Nancy his wife
Humbly shew unto your worships that William
Bowles late of Orange County died since the last
Term of this Court leaving a last will & testament
sufficient to pass some, but not all of his land,
to which which[sic] will your petitioner Nancy Bowles his
widow enter her dissent according to law:
The said Bowles was seized and possessed at
the time of his death of about 800 acres of land
lying in Orange County on the water of Little
River adjoining the lands of Hezekiah Terry, Timo-
thy Dunnegan's heirs and others which upon
his death passed to the other petitioners either as
his heirs at law or devisees, namely his sons
and daughter Thomas Bowles, Ann Baldridge
wife of James Baldridge, Sally Berry, George Bowles
William Bowles, and Nancy married to Nelson
P. Hall, and his grandson Dolphius Armstrong
the only child & heir at law of his daughter Nelly
who was married to Jesse Armstrong, and died
in the life time of her father William Bowles.
Your petitioners pray that dower may
be assigned in said lands according to law to
your petitioner Nancy Widow &c
J. W. Norwood Atto.
[page 2, back of page]
This case coming on to be heard upon the petition,
and the Court being satisfied of the truth of the
matters therein set forth, it is ordered by the Court
that a Writ of Dower issue to the sheriff of Orange
to lay off dower to the petitioner Nancy Bowles
according to the prayer of her petition
& that he report to next Court.
[Estate Papers - Petition to Sell Land Mar 1850]
State of North Carolina } In Equity
Orange County } March Term
1850
To the Hon. the Judge of said Court
The petition of Thomas Bowles, ["Anna" x-out]
James Baldridge and his wife Anna
["George Bowles" x-out], William Bowles, Nelson
P. Hall and Nancy his wife, and of George
R. Berry, Elizabeth E. Berry and Rowan
F. Berry, heirs of Sally Berry decd, formerly Sally Bowles
Humbly sheweth unto your Honor
that they are justly seized and possessed
as the heir at law of William Bowles decd
last of Orange County, of a tract of land
lying in said the said[sic] County of Orange
on the waters of Little River and Flat Ri-
ver adjoining the lands of Wilson Horner
Andy Porterfield and others and Contain=
ing 447 acres, more or less
of which the said George, Elizabeth & Rowan Berry & together entitled to ??? that said
land is of moderate quality covered with
a sparse growth of pine timber, with
little water upon it, & not well suited
for farming purposes, and that ["in" x-out]
the same could not be divided by
partition among the petitioners without
out[sic] impairing very much the value
of the whole.
Your petitioners therefor pray
your Honor that said lands may be sold
& the proceeds divided among them according
to their respective rights.
And they will ever pray &c J. W. Norwood
Sol for petr.
[page 2]
Nelson P. Hall maketh oath that he is well
acquainted with the land mentioned in this petition
& that in his opinion the same cannot be divided without
great injury to the petitioners
Subscribed & sworn to in Nelson P. Hall
open court
R M Jones CSC
This case coming on to be heard upon the pe=
tition and the Court being satisfied of the truth
of the matters therein set forth, it is decreed
by the court that the land mentioned in
the petition be sold by ["the Clerk & Master" x-out]
["of the Court" x-out] Nelson P Hall Admr of Wm. Bowles
upon the premises, after 30
days advertisement, on a credit of 12
months, taking bound & good security for the
purchase money retaining the title ["untill" x-out]
for the further order of the Court & reporting
to the next term of this Court --
[Estate Papers - Guardian Appointment for Berry Heirs 8 Dec 1851]
The State of Alabama Fayette County. Probate Court
Regular Term 2nd monday in December 1851 (it
being the 8th day of said month the following proceedings
were had to wit: William Bowles Estate.
Be it remembered that on this the Eight[sic] day of December
one thousand Eight hundred and fifty one before the
Probate Court of said County came Elizabeth Ellen
and Roan Frances Berry (Minor heirs of William C
Berry) and requested that their Father William C
Berry should be appointed their Guardian for
the purpose of collecting the money or anything else
that is coming to them from the Estate of William
Bowles late of North Carolina Orange County deceased
And it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court
that the said William C Berry has entered into
Bond in the sum of One thousand dollars conditioned
as the law required on such case made and prov-
ided with David Berry & Everith Palmer as security
there to, which bond is hereby approved, order to
be filed and recorded,
It is therefore ordered and decreed by the court that
the said William C Berry be and he is hereby
appointed Guardian for Roan Frances and
Elizabeth Ellen Berry, (the said William C. Berry's
minor heirs), (who are heirs of the Estate of the said
William Bowles late of Orange County North Carolina
deceased,
It is further ordered and decreed by the court
that Letters of Guardianship issue to the said
William C Berry an[d] all and singular the
goods and chattels rights and credits of the said
Roan Frances & Elizabeth Ellen Berry in which
they are interested, in any way whatsoever,
attest Jno C Moore Judge of Probate Court
Fayette Co Ala
[page 2]
The State of Alabama Fayette County
I John C Moore Judge of the Probate Court
in and for said County of Fayette do hereby
certify that the foregoing on the other side of
these sheets that are pasted together is and cont-
-ains a true copy of the Bond and appoint-
-ment of William C Berry, as Guardian
of his minor heirs Roan Frances & Elizabeth
Ellen Berry, (who are heirs of the Estate of
William Brooks late of North Carolina
Orange County deceased, in
Witness whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and official seal
at office at Fayette Court house
this the 8th day of December AD 1851
attest Jno C Moore Judge
of Fayette County
Ala
Recd. of O. F. Long Clerk & Master in Equity
for Orange County twenty one Dollars & Eight
Eight centers in full of the Interest of Elizabeth
Ellen & Rowan Frances Berry in the lands of
William Bowles Dec'd. sold by a Decree of
sd Court of Equity by Decree Made Mary
1850
Test his
E G Gray William (X) C. Berry
mark
Guardian of Eliz. E & Roan
Frances Berry