Asa Finley will, 11 December 1847, Saline County, Missouri Book A:253 (1-137, Box 65 & 66, CE #668) In the name of God amen. I Asa Finley of Saline County Missouri being of Sound mind & memory but calling to recollection the uncertainty of human life & desirous to avoid all contention & strife which spring up among my heirs in the absence of a clear & well defined disposition of the Property & effects which it has pleased the lord to bestow upon , do therefore make my last will & testament in the words & figures following First As I have heretofore given unto my daughter Eliza Wear & her husband William B. Wear the Sum of two thousand & Seventy eight dollars in money & property & for which amount I have taken the receipt of the Said William B. Wear which receipt will be found in my red Pocket book I now give & bequeath unto my said daughter Eliza the further Sum of Seven hundred & twenty two dollars, that is to say, She Shall have an equal half of a certain tract of land lying in Morgan County in the State of Mo being one half of a tract of land deeded to me by Benjamin C. Finley which she is to take at the price of two dollars per acre less the quantity be what it may & the balance of the said sum hereby bequeathed, shall be made up to her in Money by my executors & this will make the amount which she will have received of my estate three thousand dollars - 2nd. I have heretofore given to my son James W. Finley in money & property the sum of two thousand eight hundred & three dollars & taken his receipt for the same, which receipt is also filed away in my red Pocket book. I have also given to my said son James W. Finley a negro man named Plim, valued at four hundred dollars and for which I have not taken a receipt making the whole amount given to him three thousand two hundred & three dollars. I therefore give him nothing more at this time. 3rd. I have heretofore given to my daughter Rhoda & her husband Thos. B. Finley, the Sum of two thousand & fifty three dollars & fifty cents in money & property & taken the receipt of the said Thos. B. Finley for the Said Amount which receipt is also filed in my red Pocket. I now give & bequeath to my said daughter Rhoda, the remaining half of the said tract of Land, deeded to me by the Said Benjamin C. Finley lying in Morgan County, which I value in this bequest a two dollars per acre, be the quanty more or less & I further direct that my executors after ascertaining the amount of this bequest at the above Valuation, Shall make up to the Said Rhoda in Money Such an amount as added to the Sum already given will make the amount which She will have received of my estate twenty five hundred dollars which shall be her full share in my estate. 4th. I have heretofore given to my Son Asa W. Finley in money & property, the sum of two thousand seven hundred & thirty dollars, & taken his receipt for the Same which receipt is filed away in my red Pocket book. Since the date of the above receipt I have given to Said Son Asa W. Finley a negro boy named Clark & some other property for which I took no receipt which negro boy & other property I valued at the price of four hundred & Sixty nine dollars, making the amount which he has received of my estate three thousand two hundred & three dollars. I therefore give him nothing more at this time. 5th. To my Daughter Mary Jane McCorkle, I have heretofore given the Sum of twenty five hundred dollars in Money & property & have taken her husbands receipts for the same which are also filed away in my red Pocket book. I therefore give her nothing more at this time. 6th. As I have now made what I consider a fair disposition of my estate so far as my oldest children are concerned, I now make these further provisions for my Younger Children And First I give to my son Harrison Decatur Finley the following named property to wit The west half of the South West quarter of Section twenty Six also the South east quarter of Section twenty Seven, all in Township fifty & Range twenty, containing two hundred & forty acres which I value in this bequest at twelve hundred dollars. And I further direct that my Executors shall make up to him the further sum of twenty three hundred dollars, making in all which I give to him the sum of thirty five hundred dollars And I further direct that my Executors shall appropriate in addition to the above, of my estate, a Sufficency to give to my said son Harrison Decatur a good classical education. Upon his arriving at maturity, Should he prefer it, my executors shall instead of the money mentioned in this clause, let my said Son have two negro boys & one negro girls, that may then be on hand belonging to my estate, at a fair & just valuation & deduct from the Said twenty three hundred dollars, the valuation of said Slaves. 2nd. To my Daughters Helen, & Henrietta I give and bequeath each the sum of three thousand dollars and in addition thereto such amount as may be necessary to give them good plain educations when they arrive at years of maturity. Should they prefer it each of them have the right to select from the Slaves that may be on hand two negro girls & one negro boy each, at a fair & just valuation which amount shall be deducted from the above Sum of three thousand dollars. I also wish & do hereby direct that each of my said daughters, Helen & Henrietta Shall have two hundred acres of land, Suitable for farms which may be selected by Commissioners appointed by the County Court, & fairly valued to them by said Commissioners, and the value of said lands are also to be deducted from the three thousand dollars above mentioned. Should each my three youngest children above named die without issue before they arrive at years of maturity, I hereby direct that the portion of my estate given to such child shall be divided among my children generally, in the same proportion that I have given in this will. 3rd. To my wife Sarah I give the sum of one thousand dollars or rather I direct that my executors shall pay over to her annually the interest on one thousand dollars - She shall also have a negro Girl named Emily - two good work horses - two yoke of oxen one waggon which She may Select herself also the household & kitchen furniture which may be on hand at my death - also the use of the farm with a Sufficency of Stock hogs - Stock Cattle Sheep & to be kept on the Same & used and enjoyed as the wants of my family residing with her may require. Also all my Poultry. She Shall also have the use of the following Slaves, which are to be kept on the farm & labor for the Support of my wife & the family residing with her to wit. Wash - Eli, Nancy & her children - Polly Ann & Shadrick She Shall have free access to any timber that may be necessary for the use of my said farm The property above named are given to my said wife as above mentioned, to be used & enjoyed by her natural life or widowhood. At the death of my said wife, or at her Marriage, I will and direct that all my property above in this clause enumerated, Shall be divided among my children or their desendants in proportion to the amounts above given respectively & I further that all tools and implements necessary for farming Shall remain on the farm 4. Should my said wife Sarah have a child or children I will & direct, that if Girl or Girls they Shall have of my estate the sum of three thousand dollars or if a boy or boys Shall have thirty five hundred dollars & the Same provisions for Support & education as are made for my three youngest children above named. I further direct that all my youngest children Shall be Supported until they arrive at years of maturity, out my estate in addition to what I have given them severally. 5. I direct that Executors Shall have all of my personal estate not herein before disposed of, Sold at public Sale and also all my real estate lying in the neighborhood of Marshall including my Lots in said town be also Sold at public or private sale as my executors may deem best & the money arising from said Sale to be put out at Interest. My said executors will exercise a Sound discretion as to the time of Selling the Said real estate in the clause mentioned. 6. To my Great grand Son Asa Jameson - son of Janis Jameson who intermarried with Jane Ware I give & bequeath the Sum of one hundred dollars - 7. After all my just debts are fully paid I direct that the money in the hands of my executors Shall be put out at interest until my youngest children arrive at years of maturity when the said money & the residue of my property Shall be by my said Executors divided among my children or their descendants in the proportion Severally given them in this will aforesaid 8. I have four Slaves to with Green, Boce, Henry & Hardin, that I have not disposed of yet, and I now direct that my executors Shall either hire them out until my youngest children arrive at years of maturity, or Sell them & put the money out at interest, as they may deem best. 9. I hereby appoint my son in law William B. Wear & my son James W. Finley the executors of this my last will & testament. And I hereby revoke & renounce all other wills by me heretofore made. In Witness whereof I Asa Finley the above named testator have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of December A.D. 1847. Signed & acknowledged published & declared in Asa Finley presence of us who have Signed our names as Witnesses in the presence of the said Testater Jno. A. Trigg Joseph A. Field State of Missouri County of Saline Be it remembered that on this the 2nd day of May 1853 personally appeared Joseph Field one of the ??? witnesses to the foregoing will and upon oath deposeth and ??? that he heard the testator Asa Finley declare the above to be his Signature and the foregoing to be his last will and testament and at the time the said Asa Finley was of sound mind and over the age of twenty one years and that he signed his name as witness as aforesaid at the request ... (last page missing). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Carmen Finley (© 1997 Carmen Finley ) USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. 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