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In the name of God Amen, I Robert SIMMONS of Knotts Island Currituck County in North Carolina planter, being very sick and weak in body but of perfect mind and memory Thanks be given to God, therefore calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make, ordain this my Last Will and Testament that is to say principally first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it and my body to be buried in a dedcent christian manner at the discretion of my executors nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same by the Almighty power of God and as touching such worldly goods and estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life with . I give and devise and dispose of the same in the following manner after my just debts and funeral charges is paid.
Item: I give unto my beloved Son John SIMMONS one negroe man named Will, I give and bequeath to my Son John SIMMONS one negroe maned Sing, them to him and his heirs forever. I also give to my Son John SIMMONS the use of my negroe boy Joe, during the time till my Grandson Robert SIMMONS comes to the age of twenty one, then I give the said negroe boy Joe to my Grandson Robert SIMMONS and his heirs forever. But in case my Grandson Robert SIMMONS should die before he should come to the age of twenty one, I give the said negroe Joe to my Son John SIMMONS and his heirs forever. I also give to my Son John SIMMONS two cain chairs one oval table I give and bequeath to my Son John SIMMONS all the land and marsh five hundred acres more or less. I also give to my Son John SIMMONS my London distill during his life and then I give it to my Grandson Robert SIMMONS and his heirs forever
Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved Daughter Mary BONNEY one negroe girl named Easter and one old negroe woman named Planty to her and her heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath to my beloved Daughter Elisabeth BONNEY one negroe man named Jacob. I also give to my Daughters namely Mary BONNEY and Elisabeth BONNEY my Philadelphia distill during their lives and at their decease I will it to my Grandsons namely Solomon BONNEY and William BONNEY.
Item: I give and bequeath to my beloved Daughter Lydia BALLANCE the use of negroe girl Nance during the life of my said Daughter Lydia and at her decease to her children lawfully begotten to them and their heirs forever. I also give the use of my negroe girl Tib to my Daughter Lydia BALLANCE during her life and at the death of my said Daughter Lydia I give the said negroe Tib and her increase and the above Nance and her increase to be equally divided between my Daughters Lydias children that is lawfully begotten of her body to them and their heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved Grandson Robert SIMMONS my gun, one cubbard with glass doors. I also give to my Grandson Robert SIMMONS twenty pounds in hard Spanish milled dollars to be laid out in buying a young negroe for my said Grandson Robert SIMMONS by my executor. I also give to my Grandson Robert SIMMONS my money seals and my small trunk to him and his heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my Daughters namely Mary BONNEY, Elisabeth BONNEY and Lydia BALLANCE three chests, two trunks, three new pewter dishes with all my Tea weare to be equally divided amongst themselves with six chairs and fifteen barrels of corn to be equally divided amongst them.
Item: I give and bequeath to my Grand Daughter Mary ANSWELL one negroe girl named Sara to her and her heirs for ever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my beloved Son John SIMMONS all the corn that is within doors or without saving the fifteen barrels I have already give before to him and his heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my children namely John SIMMONS, Mary BONNEY, Elisabeth BONNEY, and Lydia BALLANCE all the remaining part of my estate to them four to be equally divided among my four children above named.
I will and ordain my Son John SIMMONS my sole executor of this my Last Will and Testament, and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disallow and disannull all and every other former wills by me made 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 twentieth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred eighty four.
/s/ Robert [his mark] SIMMONS seal
signd, seald, published, pronounced and declared by the said Robert SIMMONS to be his Last Will and Testament in presence of the subscribers
William [his mark] AUSTIN
Josiah WHITHURST
Samuel ETHERIDGE
Recorded and exam. Jany 11th 1785
This will was contributed by Judy Merrell Brickhouse. No part of this document may be used for any commercial purposes. However, please feel free to copy any of this material for your own personal use and family research. If you find anything in these records that pertains to your families, it is strongly suggested that you look at the original record on your own to check for errors or possibly other additional and helpful information. Thank you!
© 2002 Marty Holland
