BERTIE Co. RUFFIN, William - 1779 File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Virginia Crilley (crilley@eramp.net) August 28, 1997. BERTIE COUNTY PETITION AGAINST EXECUTOR/Will of William Ruffin Date unknown. (BERTIE COUNTY WILL- William Ruffin March 1, 1779) To Worshipful Justices of the Inferior Court of BERTIE COUNTY, NC The Petition of RICHARD RUFFIN, WILLIAM DELOACH and PURITY [Ruffin] his wife, JOHN HAYS and SARAH [daughter of Faith Ruffin] his wife, JAMES BARROW and PURITY [daughter of Faith Ruffin], his wife. Humbly shew that WILLIAM RUFFIN, father to RICHARD RUFFIN and PURITY, the wife of WILLIAM DELOACH, and grandfather to SARAH, wife of JOHN HAYS, and PURITY, wife of James BARROW was possessed in his affairs of a very considerable estate both real and personal and having made his last Will and Testament dated the first day of March one thousand seven hundred and seventy nine and sometime after to with on the ______ day of _____ in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy_________ departed this life and WILLIAM RUFFIN, one of the Executors mentioned in the said last Will and Testament, had the said Last Will and Testament proved, took out letters Testamentary thereon and took upon himself, the burthen of the Execution of the said last will and testament. Your Petitioners further shew that the said Testator in and by his said Last Will and Testament after making many bequests and legacies gave and bequeathed all the remainder of his NEGROS (being twelve in number) to be sould by his Executors at Publick sale and the monies arising from the sale of such NEGROS to be divided and distributed among the following persons in the following manner (to wit one fourth part to be equally divided to and among the said Testators Grandchildren, EDWIN BRIDGERS, BRITAIN BRIDGERS, SARAH, now wife of John HAYS, and PURITY, wife of James BARROW and the residue and remainder of said money to be equally divided between RICHARD RUFFIN, WILLIAM RUFFIN, and PURITY wife of William DELOACH, and the said WILLIAM RUFFIN, one of the Executors in the said Will mentioned as after having undertaken the burthen of the Execution of the said Last Will and Testament as above said, proceeded to the Execution thereof in part, by selling the above said NEGROS at publick sale as he gave out for ready gold and silver money and actually sold them and as your Petitioners verily believe and are well informed received the money for them but hath altogether refused although often there to requested to account fully for the same to your Petitioners, Your Petitioners farther shew that there was at the time of the Death of WILLIAM RUFFIN, a considerable part of his personal Estate remaining not mentioned or given or bequeathed to any person by or in the said Last Will and Testament, to which your Petitioners are believed and informed that they are legally intitled to a distribution part with the rest of the representatives of the said deceased, but your Petitioners are not able to shew of what the said Personal Estate consisted through the artful management and connivance of the said WILLIAM RUFFIN who hath never (as your Petitioners believe and are well informed) exhibited into this Worshipful Court a just and true Inventory of all the singular the goods and chattel rights and assets of the said deceased or any Inventory of paper purporting to be such, the said WiILLIAM RUFFIN giving out in .......the .....and large sums of money due from the said Estate and that he ? the monies which ought to be distributed among your Petitioners until they are paid and that they may subject to pay the same all which belongs and ? are contrary to Equity and good Conscience. In tender consideration whereof as your Petitioners are in any other manner to identify and correct by any other means compell the said Plaintiff do discover the several artifices and frauds by him committed or have justice done therein. To the end therefore that the said Plaintiff be obliged to set forth on his corporall Oath whether or not the said Deceased did make and execute his Last Will and Testament in manner and form offered whether he was therein and thereby appointed one of the Executors to the same and whether he had the same proved in due and legal manner whether he was dully qualified to execute the same and before whome, when, whether the legacies herein before mentioned to be given and bequeath to the said Plaintiff, were so much and no more then is herein before mentioned and that he has paid off and allotted them to whoever, when, what debts were due from the Testator at the time of his death and to whom and whether he had paid them all or what part , what debts were dec and owing to the said Testator in his lifetime and by whome, how much, and whether he both received therein all or what part, whether there was not at the time of the said Testator's Death very considerable part of his Estate unbequeathed or given away by the Last Will and Testament of the said Testator or undisposed of by him in his life and what part and how much and in what ? whether hither said Defendant hath since the probate of the said Will made a just and true inventory of all the goods and chattel rights and credits of which were of the said Testator in his life or whether he hath turned over to the Court of the county (where said will was proved, according to law to be recorded. Whetter he sold the said remainder of the said NEGROS mentioned in the said Last Will and Testament in manner and form as is therein and thereby directed and for how much and whether he in anyway accounted for or paid to such or either of the said Plaintiffs their distribution part thereof or any part and when and how much and whether the said Defendant hath ever had a Division of the personal Estate and bequeathed or given away by the said Testator and how and with whom he hath accounted for the same. May it please your worships to grant your Petitioners a writ of sub poena directed to the said Defendant requiring and commanding him to appear at the next Inferior Court to be held for the said County on the second Monday in February next there and then to true answer on his corporal oath to make to al land singular the principals and to abide by the final order and decision of the said Court therein as to your Worships, I shall summit and your petitioners as in duty bound will every pray. John Johnston, Att ============== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation.