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Colony of North Carolina
County of Tyrrill
Dated 20 January 1771
In ye name of God Amen. I Charity Mathews (wife of James Mathews of the county of Tyrrill) being of perfect and sound mind and memory thanks be to God but calling to mind the mortality of mankind & knowing it is appointed for all people once to die do make ordain constitute and appoint this my Last Will and Testament in manner & form following, to wit:
First - I give and bequeath to my daughter Penelopy Speir & her heirs or assigns all that tract of Land and plantation on Conetoe where John Jones formerly lived.
Item - I give and bequeath to my grandson James Conner Williams son of Joseph John Williams, the plantation & all the Land thereunto belonging on Conetoe whereon David Edmondson formerly lived to him his heirs or assigns forever but in case the sd. Jas. Conner Williams dies before he arrives to lawfull age or marriage then I give the sd. Land to Penelopy Speir her heirs or assigns.
Item - I give and bequeath to my daughter Penelopy Speir her heirs or assigns two feather beds and furniture her choice of all my beds and a Walnut desk & one large looking glass & one iron spit & one silver cup.
Item - I give and bequeath to my daughter Eliz: Hardy one feather bed and furniture and my smallest looking glass one black Walnut table & half the chairs that stands in the inward room.
Item - I give and bequeath the half of chairs that stands in the inward room to Penelopy Speirs.
Item - I give and bequeath one large looking glass to my daughter Susanah Sherrard her heirs or assigns and half a doz: chairs that stand in the outward room.
Item - It is my Will and Desire that after Penelopy Speir has got her part of the Negroes that she was to have by her dec'd fathers will, after my decease. Then I give and bequeath my part of the sd. Negroes in the following manner, to wit. to Thomas Carnal son my son Thos. Carnal Decd. one Negroe woman of equal vallue to any of the others & one Negroe child about three years of age to him & his heirs forever.
Item - I give and bequeath to William Williams one Negroe man named Robin in case he should happin to be in my part otherwise a Negroe man in equal vallue and one Negroe girl about six or seven years of age, and all the stock of cattle that is at the plantation whereon my daughter Mary Andrews now lives & also all the hogs of that mark on sd. Plantation which sd. Negroes & stock I give to the sd. William Williams in trust for my daughter Mary Andrews during her natural life & after her decease I give the negro girl afsd. to Charity Andrews daughter of my sd. daughter Mary Andrews, & Negroe man to Thomas Carnal after her decease.
Item - I give and bequeath to my niece Elizabeth Blanchet her heirs and assigns one Negroe boy Gabriel & one Negroe girl in case they should happen in my part at a divison & if they do not then I give the sd. Elizabeth Blaneket two other Negores of equal vallue in the room of them.
Item - I give and bequeath the remainder of my Negores & there increase that is not herein before mentioned to be equaly divided between my three daughters Elizabeth Hardy Susanah Sherrard & Penelopy Speir for and during their natural lives and after there decease then I give each of my sd. daughters part of sd. Negroes to be equaly divided among their children & their heirs or assigns. I also give all my houshold furniture to be equaly divided between my three daughters aforesaid & their heirs, I also give all my horses mares & colts to be equaly divided between my three daughters aforesd. & William Williams in trust for my daughter Mary Andrews. Lastly I nominate constitute and appoint my son in law James Sherrard __? John Everet & my daughter Penelopy Speir Exors. & Excx. To this my last will and Testament hereby revoking & disanulling all others heretofore by me made. In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal the 20th day January 1771.
Charity (her -C- mark) Mathews
Signed Sealed Published &
declared by the sd. Charity
Mathews to be her last Will
and Test. in presence of
John Price(?)
Cathrine (her -C- mark) Andrews
Anna (her -x- mark) Andrews
New Bern
16 May 1771
The within Last Will and Testament of Charity Mathews was proved before me on the oath of John Price one of the subscribing witnesses thereto who sworn that he saw the Testator sign, Seal, publish and declare the same to be and contain her last Will and testament and that at the time thereof she was of sound and disposing mind and memory. At the same time James Sherrard one of the exeuctors therein named qualified as such agreeable to Law ordered that letters testamentary issue thereon.
H. Martin
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