Lenoir County, NC - Will of William H. Whitfield, 1851

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WILL OF WILLIAM H. WHITFIELD

Copy of Will found in NC Supreme Court Case #6237 at the NC Archives.  


NOTE: There are two different versions of the Will in the case and 
although they say the same thing, they are in a different order of the 
Items.

In the name of God, Amen! I, William H. Whitfield of the State of North 
Carolina, & County of Lenoir, being of sound, & disposing mind, & 
memory, blessed be God for the same, do make, constitute, & appoint, 
this to be my last will & Testament, and desire it may be received and 
Established as Such in manner following viz: First I desire & direct 
for my body to be decently buried & all the sepulehnal (sic) expenses 
fully & properly discharged, also all my just & lawful debts.

Item 2nd. I lend to my beloved wife, Elizabeth Whitfield, the following 
tract or parcel of land during her lifetime, beginning at a stake on 
Betts Branch & runs with a cross fence that divides the two fields 
south of my home, to the road, thence down the road to the Branch on 
the landing road, then up that branch to the mouth of the stream ditch 
then up said ditch to a stake against a Green Pine in a direction of 
the Spring on the landing road, thence with said road to the Beaverdam 
ford, thence by the river at the lower end of the landing on Sand 
Beach, nearly opposite James Wood's, thence down the river to the mouth 
of the deep cut to the margin of the marsh where Bett's branch empties 
into the marsh, thence up the said branch to the beginning.  And I give 
& bequeath to my beloved wife, Elizabeth Whitfield, all my household & 
kitchen furniture, one bed & furniture, one mare named Clarry, one 
Baronche & harness and one thousand dollars in money to her forever.

Item 3rd.  I give unto my youngest child, William Haywood Whitfield, 
the sum of three thousand dollars to be due & paid when he arrives to 
twenty one years of age out of the proceeds of the sale of any lands & 
one negro girl named Luizar & her increase, three forths of the annual 
hire of my boy Caleb for his support and maintenance to him and his 
heirs forever.

Item 4th.  I give & bequeath unto my daughter Nancy Haywood Whitfield, 
four negroes, viz. Olivia, Mary & her child Emy Jane & Keziah & their 
increase & one hundred dollars in money, to her & her heirs forever.

Item 5th.  I give & bequeath unto my daughter Mary Jane Parker, four 
negroes viz. Richard, Silvey, Jeminah & her child William Henry (all of 
which are now in her possession) & their increase to her & her heirs 
forever.

Item 6th.  I give and bequeath unto my daughter Rachel Davis four 
negroes viz. Washington, Hannah and her two daughters Amandy & Unity 
and their increase & three hundred dollars in money to her & her heirs 
forever.

Item 7th. I lend unto my daughter Eliza McKinney the following negroes 
during her lifetime & at her death, I give the same & their increase to 
her children, viz. Hepsey & her children, Mariah, Mila, George, Mary 
Ann & Gilbert to them & their heirs forever.

Item 8th.  I give & bequeath unto my son, Henry Haywood Whitfield, in 
addition to what I have already given him, the sum of five dollars, to 
him & his heirs forever.

Item 9th.  I give & bequeath unto my son, John Edward Whitfield, three 
negroes viz. John, Daniel, Matilda & her child Luther & their increase 
& five hundred dollars in money to him & his heirs forever.

Item 10th.  I leave in trust for the benefit of my son Lewis A. 
Whitfield, two negroes viz. Cicero & Dirk & seven hundred dollars in 
money in the hands of Joseph R. Croom, whom I appoint trustee & whose 
duty it shall be to keep said money at interest & hire out said negroes 
annually & the interest & hire of said property to be applied annually 
to his benefits, according to the discretion of his Trustee & at the 
death of my son Lewis A. Whitfield, I give the aforesaid negroes & 
money to his lawful heirs, to them & their heirs forever.

Item 11th.  It is my wish & desire that my boy Caleb be hired out 
privately & to the best advantage by my friend Joseph R. Croom or his 
successor during the lifetime of the said boy Caleb & three fourths of 
the hire of said boy Caleb be applied as directed in the third item of 
this will & the other fourth be given to the boy Caleb annually.

Item 12th.  It is my will & desire that all my property of every 
description not given away in this will be sold & a credit of one & two 
years be given on the sale of my lands & the money assigned from the 
sale of property be applied in paying off the above legacies & my just 
debts & the balance if any be divided among all my children, share & 
share alike.

Lastly, I appoint J. R Croom, Executor to this my last will & testament 
in witness whereof I have set my hand & seal Sept. 16th 1851.
Wm. H. (x) Whitfield
Signed, Sealed & acknowledged in the presence of
Calvin Rouse
James M. Spence 

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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
Martha Mewborn Marble - 58marble@cox.net
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