Wm & Phillis Williams; Beckham

Will of WILLIAM WILLIAMS - 1775
Will Book 1, Page 144

[Note: William Williams, b. 1733, was the son of John Williams (1704-1770) & Mary Womack who settled in early Granville Co. with their sons in the mid-1700's, that also included John, aka Judge John Williams (1731-1799), Charles (ca 1735-1819), Nathaniel (ca 1737-1831). William was married to Phillis (maiden name believed to be Beckham), who later married John Mitchell in 1777. William & his brothers were partners with their cousin, Richard Henderson, in the Transylvania Company venture in Kentucky, and he had travelled with Daniel Boone to that new territory where he died at Boonesborough, probably as a result of the December attack by the Cherokee Indians. His children were John "Jacky" Williams, d.1778, never married; Samuel Farrar Williams, mar. 1st, Hannah Sneed, 2nd Elizabeth Stephens; Mary Williams, mar. Stephen Sneed; Salley Williams, mar. Samuel Hogg; and Betsy Williams, mar. Sterling Yancey.]

In the name of God amen I William Williams of the County of Granville in the province of North Carolina now being at Boonsborough in the colony of Transylvania and weak & sick of body but of perfect mind & memory thanks be to almighty God & Calling to mind the uncertainty of this transotary life & that it is appointed once for all men to die do make & declare this to be my last Will Testament in Manner & form following that is to say first My soul I recommend to almighty God My saviour and Redeemer in whom & in whos merrits I trust assuredly to be saved & to have full Remission of all My sins & to Inherit Eternal life my body I commit to the ground to be decently Buried at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named and as for the settling of my worldly Estate and such goods & chattles as it hath pleased God in his great Mercy to bestow upon me I Dispose of the same in Manner & form following that is to say
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Item- As I am considerably Indebted my desire is that my Executor hereafter named prov'd as soon as times and circumstance will permit to make a collection of all debts due to me & the monies arising from said Collection to apply towards discharging such debt as I Justly owe and if those Monies are not sufficient for that purpose that they then sell & dispose of an Improvement call Guins place & the money arising therefrom to to apply to the same use and if that is Not sufficient that then my Executors dispose of so much of my personal Estate as shall answer the purpose of discharging all my debts after which being done my desire is that all the Rest & residue of my Estate both real & personal be appraised by three honest free by the court appointed for that purpose & recording to such appraisment my Estate to be divided in the following manner to wit, that my loving wife have and enjoy the manner plantation during her natural life with two hundred acres of Land adjoining which plantation & two hundred acres of Land after my wife deceas I leave to be equally divided between my two sons John & Samuel Farrar according to quantity & quality the residue of my Lands whereon I now live & leave to be equally divided immediatly after my debts being paid between my two sons John & Samuel Farrar John taking his first choice the aforesaid land to each one his own particular part to them their heirs and assigns for ever, and after all my debts being paid and the Residue of my estate both real & personal being appraised as aforesaid That my loving wife, my three daughters Mary Betsey & Sally each have paid to them by my two sons afsd either in personal estate at its praise vallue or in Money to each one, one eighth part of the whole apprais value & all the rest & residue of my estate to be equally divided between my two sons John & Samuel Farrar as afs'd. notwithstanding the above bequests it is my will & desire for the satisfaction of my security(?) & the safty (?) of my securities that if any thing should happen so that what I have left to be disposed of for the payment of my debts should be insufficient then it is my Will & desire that my executors dispose of and they are hereby impowered to sell & dispose of any part or parcel of my real or personal Estate for the payment of my just debts and the residue of my Estate to be disposed of among my Wife & Children as nearly as maybe to the aforesaid propotion and I hereby appoint my loving wife executrix my two sons John & Samuel Farrar, My Brother John Williams and my friend Col. Richard Henderson Executors of this my last will & testatment hereby revoking & disallowing all other wills heretofore by me made & and declare this only to be my last will & testament made this twenty fifth day of December Anno Dom 1775.

(signed)
William Williams

Sealed pronounced & declared in presents of us

Jno. Floyd
Bromfield Ridley Jurat
Charles Williams

Granville County May Court Anno Dom 1777~~~~
This Will was duly prov'd by the Oath of Bromfield Ridley esq - and on motion was order'd to be recorded. at the same time Phillis Williams wife of the said William Williams deceas'd qualified as Executrix and John Williams esq- and John Williams son of the said William qualified as Executors to the said Will

Test Reuben Searcy C.C.

November Court Anno Dom 1777
Samuel Farrar Williams Qualified as an Executor to this Will

Test Reuben Searcy CC

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Will of PHILLIS (WILLIAMS) MITCHELL- 1791

Granville County Will Book 2, Pages 318-319

[Phillis Beckham, b. abt 1737, was the daughter of William Beckham & Phillis McKay, who had settled in Granville where William left a will in 1776 naming his children. Phillis was 1st married to William Williams (1733-1775) with whom she had 5 children; and 2nd to John Mitchell (ca 1727-1787) who she married on Dec. 22, 1777 in Granville Co.; John was probably the son of Robert Mitchell, d. 1751 in Granville]

In the name of God, Amen. I Phillis Mitchell of Granville County and state of North Carolina, being weak of body of body but of perfect mind & memory, considering the uncertainty of human life, do make and ordain this my last Will and testament, intending to dispose of my worldly goodly in the manner and form following-

I give and bequeath to my son Sam F. Williams and one negro name Anthony - one bed & furniture - one large walnut chest & my largest walnut table - one pare fire irons - Burket on the New Testament, to him and his heirs forever.

I lend my daughter Elizabeth Yancey one negro named Sarah - one bed & furniture- one pine chest - one looking glass - spice mortar - on breeding mare by the name of Bundy, during her natural life, and after, the negro Sarah to be the property of her eldest child then living, and should Sarah have issue, to be divided among the rest of her children.

I give unto my daughter Sally Williams one negro named George - one bed & furniture - one small pine chest - one large pine chest - one wing chare - two pare fire irons, and in consideration of what I have made use of her property, I give unto her three negros named Phan, Billy and Easter, and the walnut furniture that John Vandyke made - one armed chare - one lot in Williamsborough - one sugar box & candle - pot - glass & earthenware - one large Bible & Harvey's Meditations, to her and her heirs forever.

I give to my grandson Archibald Sneed one bed & furniture and one colt to him & his heirs forever.

My will & desire is that all my property both real & personal that is not already given, be sold for the payment of my just debts, and should there be any balance left after the discharge of them, to be divided among my children. And should there not be a sufficiency for the discharge of my debts, that each and every one of my children pay unto my Executors such sum proportionable to what is given them as shall discharge the debts. I do constitute my friend Stephen Sneed and my son Sam. F. Williams my Executors to this my last Will & Testament, and I do disannull all Wills heretofore made as witness my hand and seal this 10th day of Jany 1791.

Phyllis Mitchell

Witnesses
Abner Farrar
Thomas Jordan

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WILL OF WILLIAM BECKHAM, GRANVILLE COUNTY, NC-1776

In the name of God, Amen, I, William Beckham of the county of Granville in the Province of North Carolina, being weak in body but of sound mind and memory, blessed be the name of God for the same, I do this 4th day of June in the year of our Lord God one thousand seven hundred and seventy six do make this my last will and Testament in this form and manner following, that is to say I cheerfully commit my spirit unto God who gave it and my body unto the ground from whence it was taken to be buried in a decent and christian like manner, etc.

I do in the name of God lend unto my dearly beloved wife Phillis (Mackay) Beckham as long as she may live all my negroes, that is to say Peter and Lucy and her child to have and to claim as her own property until death; also all my stock of cattle, hogs and horse kind, with all my beds and furniture and every other kind of household goods, chattels, etc. belonging at present to me the said William Beckham; and I do in the name of God give and bequeath unto my son, John Beckham, after the death of my wife Phillis the above mentioned negro Peter to have and to hold forever, and it is also my will and desire for the love and respect I bear to my other children that my son John pay unto my other beloved children his brothers and sisters lawfully begotten of my body, the sum of five pounds proclamation money of this province to each of them at or upon his receiving the said negro, Peter at the death of my beloved wife, etc. I do also desire that at the death of my wife Phillis all the remaining part of my estate to be sold and equally divided between the rest of my sons and daughters, that is to say Thomas Beckham, William Beckham, Simon Beckham, Phillis and Mary. It is also my desire that my beloved wife to be executrix for and unto this my last will and testament for the use and purposes within mentioned and that this be my last will and testament revoking and disposing all former wills and testaments and declaring this to be my last will and testament whereunto I have set my hand and affixed my seal this fourth day of June one thousand seven hundred & seventy six.

His
William (mark) Beckham
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of
Reuben & Essa Plyler

Submitted by:
Dorothy C. White, gggggranddaughter