Bladen County, NC - Court - Hilborn vs Hester ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ N.C. Supreme Court, Hilborn vs Hester, Case No. 6678, includes John Hesters Will made March 5, 1813. At a Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions began and held for the County of Bladen at the Court House in Elizabeth Town on the first Monday in August 1819--present William H. Beatty ) Thomas Smith ) Esqrs James Cromartie ) The last Will and Testament of John Hester dec'd proved in open court by the oath of Thos. Hester Jr. one of the subscribing witnesses thereto, in the following words and figures to Wit: In the name of God Amen. I John Hester of the state of North Carolina and the County of Bladen being in sound and perfect mind and memory Blessed be God this 5th day of March In the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred Thirteen make and publish this my last Will and Testament, manner following, That is to say First I give and bequeath to my youngest Daughter Hannah a negro girl by the name of Clarycy, Secondly I give and bequeath to my son Ephraim Hester the plantation now live on also the Smith Land joining also a new entry joining that. Thirdly I give and bequeath to my son John Hester the Kinlaw plantation. to my daughters Comfort, Sarah Mirium, Hannah, I give and bequeath the remainder of my land to be equally divided and the ballance of the negroes to be equally devided between all my children except Hannah. Also I give and bequeath to John McRee one cow and calf and the remainder of my property to be equally divided between all my children. I also will that my wife Comfort shall live on the plantation her life time and also to have negro Gin to wate on her her life time and that she shall be maintained out of the whole of the property and I hereby make and ordain my other children Thomas Hester and John Hester and Ephraim Hester Executors of this my last will and testament in witness whereof I the said John Hester have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand and Seal the day and year above written. his John W Hester Seal mark Test William McRee his Thomas X Hester mark Thomas Hester, Jr and Ephraim Hester two of the Executors named in the will, were qualified agreeably to law & received letters testamentary and ordered that said will be recorded. Test William J. Cowan Clk. I Herman H. Robinson Clerk of the county Court Of Bladen County do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy from the original on file in my office. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal of office this 6th day of January AD 1849 H.H. Robinson Clk. C.C. [The will was made 1813, it was probated Aug 1819. Hilborn filed suit in 1846 and the suit is reviewed in NORTH CAROLINA REPORTS for the December term, 1851. N.C. Reports is official record of the rulings of the N.C. SUPREME COURT. The copy of the will is in the file in the N.C. Archives in Raleigh, N.C. I do not think it survived in the local court house] ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by R.C. Richardson - RichardsonBoomps@aol.com ___________________________________________________________________