Thomas Jeffreys Family Wills

THOMAS JEFFREYS FAMILY WILLS

Will of THOMAS JEFFREYS -1832
Caswell County, North Carolina
Record Book M, Page 162

In the name of God, Amen, I THOMAS JEFFREYS of Caswell County, North Carolina being in bad health but of sound mind & memory do make and ordain this as my last will & testament hereby revoking all others.
In the first place I desire my Executors herein aftr named to give me a Christian burial, my property I dispose of as follows
I give & bequeath to my son JAMES W. JEFFREYS the following Negroes & their increase, to wit, NEWBERN, CHARLES the blacksmith, JAMES, STEPHEN, JOE, JOHN, EDMOND, BUCK, SQUIRE, NED, FREDERICK, PHILIS, VINEY & Child, JAMES the son of JAMES, MARTISIA, BEDFORD, NUTTY, NICEY, ABRAHAM, HENRY, JULIA, RITTER & Child named AUSTIN, JULIA, LUCY, GRANISON, MARTHA & her three children to wit- GILBERT, PHEBIA, FANNY- MARY, daughter of DAFNEY, ARENA, stock of all kinds, household & kitchen furniture, Blacksmith tools & plantation tools which I may vie possession at my Red House plantation, waggon & carts, the smiths are given to JAMES with the injunction that he win as the blacksmiths work of my son GEORGE W. JEFFREY as long as he may keep up the shop free from any charge. I made a deed at some previous period to my son JAMES of my Red House Plantation & my Hyco Plantation, now if such deeds have not been recorded or should they be out of date in any way, I hereby give & bequeath to my son JAMES the Red House plantation & the Hyco plantation as mention in those deeds, to him & his heirs forever, all the property above mentioned I give to my son JAMES his heirs & assigns forever.
In the second place give & bequeath a Negro woman named DOLLY to my daughter in law, AGNES JEFFREYS & her heirs.
Thirdly, I give & bequeath to my son GEORGE W. JEFFREYS & my grandchildren ADELINE, THOMAS, MUMFORD & ELLEN McGEHEE children of my deceased daughter ELIZABETH McGEHEE the following Negroes, to wit, BIG TOM, ABRAHAM, JOHN, TOM, ALBERT, PHILL, HARRY, JACK, ROBIN, BOB, GEORGE, SPENCER, DICK, BECK, SISSELY, BECKY, daughter of SISSELY, MOSES, ELMIRA, EMILY, MARTHA, NANCY, RHODY, LOUISA, MABANE, DAPHNEY, JEFFREY, HARRISON, SAM with their increase since 1826 to be divided into two equal shares having respect to families one share or mostly I give & bequeath to my son GEORGE W. JEFFREYS the other share to my four grandchildren by my deceased daughter ELIZABETH or to their survivors of them at my death, to them, their heirs & assigns forever, the said division to be made by three men chosen by my Executors.
Fourth. I give & bequeath to my grand daughter ISABELLA JEFFREYS daughter of AGNES JEFFREYS a Negro girl named ELLEN daughter of MARTHA.
Fifth. I give & bequeath to my grand daughter ANN ELIZA JEFFREYS a Negro child named ANNIE daughter of NANCY.
Sixth. I give & bequeath to my sons JAMES & WASHINGTON my Negro carpenter BRANDON.
Seventh. It is my will & testament also that the Negroes now at my Hyco plantation which in the previous part of this will has been bequeathed to my son WASHINGTON & my grand children, by my daughter ELISABETH, shall be kept on the plantation & worked & the crops shall be annually applied to the payment of the debts for which I am bound as partner as security as principal with my son JAMES & then & not until the full payment of those debts to be divided & distributed as above mentioned. The crop & stock, plantation tools of all kinds also to remain on the plantation use & benefit of my son JAMES until the discharge of the above referred to debts & there with the then existing crop to be equally divided between my sons JAMES, WASHINGTON & my grandchildren by my daughter ELIZABETH making three parts.
Eight. It is my further will & testament that the Negroes which I have sent to the gold mines shall remain there or not at the will & pleasure of my son JAMES & the profits of their labor applied to the payment of the debts for which I am bound either as principal or security with my son JAMES, but if my son JAMES should deem it better, to return the said Negroes to my plantation on Hyco, they shall then remain & the proceeds of their labor be applied to the payments & discharge of the debts above referred & when such debts are paid, then & in that case to be distributed as the will directs.
Ninth. I devise & bequeath that my last years crop of tobacco, when sold shall be paid to JOSEPH CURRIE of Caswell on account of a bond due said CURRIE from my son JAMES & myself. The crop of all other description to remain for the support of said plantation & if any overplus to be applied to the payment of the above named debts.
Tenth & lastly. I give & bequeath my Roanoke stock of five shares, bonds, debts, with all the rest of the property of all kinds which I may die seized & possessed not herein before dispose of to my Executors in trust & with this condition that all my individual debts be discharged with the same & in the event of there not being sufficient, then they are to be paid by my sons WASHINGTON, JAMES & my grand children by my daughter ELIZABETH, that is to say one third by WASHINGTON, one third by JAMES & the other these by the grandchildren mentioned. The property as above given is to be divided without any of my children being held responsible or accountable for any advancements heretofore made during my lifetime.
Lastly & finally, I nominate & appoint my son WASHINGTON, my son JAMES & my son in law THOMAS McGEHEE Executors of this my last will & testament. Given under my hand & seal this 3 of March 1832, eighteen hundred & thirty two.

THOMAS JEFFREYS

Test
DAVID POINTER
JAS. W. McCAIN
JNO T. GARLAND

State of North Carolina
Caswell County
April Court 1832

The Execution of the foregoing last will and testament of THOMAS JEFFREYS dec'd was duly proved in open court by the oaths of DAVID POINTER and JAMES W. McCAIN two of the subscribing witnesses thereto, and on motion ordered to be recorded. At the same time JAMES W. JEFFREYS and THOMAS McGEHEE two of the Executors named in said will came into open court and was duly qualified as Executors aforesaid by taking the oath necessary and lawful. And the Court thereupon ordered that Letters Testamentary be issued to them, which did issue accordingly.

Test
PAUL A. HARALSON Clk

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Will of GEORGE WASHINGTON JEFFREYS -1848
Person County, North Carolina
Will Book 13, Page 78

In the name of God amen Trusting to the merits sacrifice & intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of my soul and body in time & eternity, I make this as my will as regards the distribution of my property- I first give to my beloved wife HELEN the following slaves, viz
MATILDA & her children, WILL, HENRY, ISABELLA, MARY, PARTHENA & her future increase, also BIG JOHN, HARRISON, SYDNEY HARRY and MARIA
Also she is to have her dower interest in my landed estate including the dwelling and out houses. I also give her the carriage & harness, all my stock of all kinds and all the plantation tools. The rest of my Negroes not specified above & bequeathed as above are to be equally divided according to their value between my dear beloved children MARY, ANN & CORNELIA or their lawfull issue. The rest of my landed estate (my wife's dower being out) is to be sold on twelve months and it on bond and approved security and the money when collected to be equally divided between my dear Daughters MARY, ANN and CORNELIA or the lawful heirs of their body. My Library I give to my grandsons to be equally divided between them. Should I owe any debts, they are to be paid out of the crop of tobacco and after my wife has alloted to her enough of the crop of corn, wheat, oats &c to support her & her family, the rest if any to be sold and applied to the payment of my debts or divided in the proceeds among my daughters. I should have mentioned that I give to my wife the house & kitchen furniture.
In testimony to the above I have herewith set my hand & seal this 10thd day of August Anno Domini 1846.
GEO. W. JEFFREYS

(No Executor was named in the will.)
An Administrators Bond for GEORGE W. JEFFREYS was filed on June 20, 1848, in Person County, by JOSEPH THAXTON, WILLIAM D. BETHEL, JAMES W. McCAIN, HAYWOOD WILLIAMS and THOMAS McGEHEE for Fifty thousand Dollars ($50,000), which appointed THAXTON, BETHEL and McCAIN as Administrators who would make an Inventory of JEFFREYS' property.

An Inventory of the personal property of GEO. W. JEFFREYS dec'd that came into the hands of JOS. J. THAXTON, WM. D. BETHELL and JAS. W. McCAIN his administrators (viz) The following Slaves BIG JOHN, JEFFREY, COOPER, JOHN, SPENCER, HARRY, HARRISON, DICK, SIDNEY, WILLIAM, HENRY, MARIA, MATILDY, ISABELLA, MARY, SALLY, PARTHENY, MARTHA, DILCY, ARENA, MARTICIA, SILVY, SARAH JANE, ALFRED, INDIANA, RIZZY, MELY.

Among Notes on hand, includes 1 on GEO. A. SMITH & N.M. LEWIS for hire of BRANDON

North Carolina
Person County
Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions
September Term 1848

To the Worshipful Justices of said Court
The Petition of HELEN JEFFREYS, JOSEPH J. THAXTON, BETHEL and McCAIN
Ex parte

Respectfully sheweth that GEORGE W. JEFFREYS departed this life in Person County during the present year having first made and published his last Will and testament in writing which had been duly proved and recorded in Person County in which he provides that his widow shall have a years support, but does not specify the articles or quantity or any way in which the same is to be ascertained and therefore your petitioners suppose that he intended that a years support should be alloted to her under the rules and specifications for a years support for widows of persons dying intestate.
Your petitioners further shew that your petitioners HELEN in the widow of said testator and your other petitioners are Executors of his Will and have duly qualified as such.
Your petitioners pray your Worships to appoint Commissioners to lay off and allot to the petitioner HELEN a years support according to the true intent and meaning of said Will, and that your petitioners may have such other and further relief as their care may require, and as in duty bound &c
E.G. READE, Sol.

(all transcribed by Deloris Williams)

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