Mercer-Jefferson County KyArchives Wills.....Cowan, John May 28, 1819 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ky/kyfiles.html ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Jean Meaney meaneyplce@aol.com November 3, 2006, 10:21 pm Source: Mercer County, Ky, Will Book 7 – Pages 197-200 Written: May 28, 1819 Recorded: May 1823 In the name of God, Amen. I John Cowan of Mercer County, being old and infirm but of sound mind and memory calling to mind the uncertainty of life and the certainly of death do make and declare this to be my last will and testament. First I give and devise my wife during her natural life sixty acres of the tract of land whereon I reside thirty acres in the western & thirty in the eastern half each to be laid off in such form, manner & place as she may choose to include the dwelling houses on each half, I also give to her a Negro man and two Negro women all of whom she may select from my whole number of Negroes as she thinks proper. I also devise to her during her natural life Negro Boys Doctor and Jack. I also devise to her two horses & gears & plough for cows of her choice from my stock of cattle. Some sheep, hogs and all of my household and kitchen furniture. I give, devise and bequeath to my sons William C. Cowan & Henry J. Cowan the tract of land whereon I now live to be Equally divided between them by a line drawn running north & South. To son William I give and devise negroes Frank, Adam & Lewis and at the death of my wife he is to have Negro boy Jack. To my son Henry I give and devise negroes Moses, Ned & Willis? And at the death of my wife he is to have Negro Boy Doctor. To my sons William & Henry I give & bequeath all my stock of horses, cattle, and hogs as the same is now 28th day of May 1819 divided between them subject however to the foregoing provisions in favor of my wife. To my daughter Betsy I give and devise Two hundred acres of Land in Jefferson County adjoining Reynolds and Greenuss? now Taylor. To my daughters Sally and Mary I give & devise all the land owned by me in Jefferson County which is within the following bounds to wit bounded by Ledford’s line of one side by Jones on the opposite side and by Tenants line on one side and by a line to be run from Taylors most Northern corner to intersect Ledford’s line at right angles on the other my said daughters to have all the land included in the above boundaries to be equally divided between them the remainder of my land in Jefferson County not included in the foregoing devises to my Daughters I give & devise to my sons William and Henry to be equally divided between them. I give devise and confirm to my son John Cowan all the land and property which I have heretofore given him with negroes Sam and Dave. But I do not hereby release my said son from the claims which I have against him for monies which I have paid for him but those claims shall remain good against him if I do not in my lifetime release him from the same all my claims against him are not for money but some of them are for articles of property and for negroes hire. To my son James I give and devise all my right title and claim to one thousand acres of land on tigers creek the patent for which I have delivered to him. To my son David Cowan I have heretofore given what I consider his share of my Estate. To my son William I give and devise my negro woman Eve my said son paying to my wife during her life a moderate hire for said Eve. To my son Harry I give and devise my negro man Baker my said son paying to my wife during her natural life a moderate hire for said Baker. It is my wish and Desire that my old negro woman Chloe shall be employed in working for my wife, Son William or Son Harry as my wife shall choose to direct. My wife having signified her intention to choose Nelly as one of the negroe women in this will allotted to her. It is my will and desire that the increase which said Nelly now has or may hereafter have shall be subject to the disposal of my wife as herein after directed except negro boy Jack who is disposed of, in the will all my Estate real or personal which I may die possessed of and not hereby disposed of I give and devise to my wife during her natural life hereby giving my wife full possession and authority to dispose of the same to such child or children as she may think proper either in her lifetime or at her death in such manner & upon such items as she may direct. I hereby charge my sons William & Henry with the payment of the debts which I may owe at the time of my death to be paid by each of my said sons in the proportion that my said sons Hand inventrd.? to me at this time 28th day of May 1819. It is my will & desire that each of my Negroes shall have at my death a new suit of clothes to be furnished by my Executors & paid out of my estate not specially devised away. I hereby constitute and appoint my Sons William C. Cowan and Henry J. Cowan Executors of this my Last Will & Testament Testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my seal the twenty eight day of May 1819. David G. Cowan Samuel Baird John Cowan seal Elizabeth Cowan Sarah Cowan I John Cowan do make & publish this writing as a codicil to my Will which bears date 28 day of May 1819 Whereas I have in my said Will devised to my sons William & Henry the remainder of a tract of land in Jefferson County after certain devises to my Daughters I have now ascertained that there is not as much lands when laid off & Divided as mentioned in my will as I intended for my Daughters Sally and Mary now therefore I do revoke that last devise to my sons William & Henry of the remainder of the lands aforesaid and do give & devise the claim to my said daughters Sally & Mary to be equally divided between them in addition to what I have given them in my will aforesaid. Given under my hand and seal this twentyseventh day of July, Eighteen hundred and nineteen. David G. Cowen John Cowan seal Mercer County May Court 1823 This Last will and testament was two subscribing witnesses witnesses thereto and the Codicil was proven by S. ? David G. Cowan a subscribing witness and the handwriting of the Decedent was proven by Samuel Duiness? and thereupon the said will & codicil was ordered to be Recorded. Attest. Tho. Allendale Additional Comments: Transcribed by John and Mary Cowan't gggg granddaughter through their daughter Mary Fleming Cowan Venable. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/mercer/wills/cowan264gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/