Johnston County NcArchives Wills.....Johnson, Willie 1853 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Mark Valsame mv66nc@msn.com October 30, 2017, 6:30 pm Will of Willie Johnson Johnston County, NC Original Wills, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC; Recorded Copy, Johnston County, NC Will Book 1, 1760-1859, pp. 686-687. Devised October 29, 1853, Probated November Term, 1855. In the Name of God Amen, I, Willie Johnson of the County of Johnston and State of North Carolina foreseeing the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death and being of sound mind and disposing memory do make, ordain, and establish and declare the following to be my last will and testament (to wit) I loan my beloved wife Fereby Johnson during her natural life or widowhood all the lands I now own except that herein after specially devised including the mansion house and amounting to 297 acres (more or less), also the following negroes (slaves for life) to wit, Margaret aged 22, Elbridge aged 30, Handy aged 47, Mily aged 44, Esther aged 1 year, Veny aged 42 years, and Campbell aged 9 years with their increase. I also loan to my said wife as above mentioned all my household and kitchen furniture, one horse called John, one mare called Lady, one yoke of oxen, her choice two carts, and all my working tools of every kind. I give and bequeath to my said wife Fereby and her heirs forever four cows and two heiffers (her choice), four sows and pigs and twenty hogs for meat (her choice), all my gathered and growing crops and whatever bacon or other salted meat may be on hand at the time of my death. I give and bequeath to my son Rigdon Johnson and to his heirs forever the following negro slaves for life to wit, Briscoe aged 33 years and Devero aged 20 years, also the negro man Handy at the death or marriage of my said wife Fereby. I give and bequeath to my son Merritt Johnson two negroes (slaves for life) to wit, Ray aged 15 years and Lynn aged 14 years. I give and bequeath to my son Osborne Johnson the tract of land on which he now lives containing 212 acres (more or less), also the following negro slaves for life (to wit), Dempsey aged about 31 years, and a negro girl named Frony aged 20 years now in his possession, and all their future increase to him and his heirs forever. I give and bequeath to my beloved daughter Louisa Johnson at the death of or marriage of her mother my said wife Fereby the following property above loaned to my said wife to wit, the tract of land containing 277 acres more or less, the negroes named Margaret, Elbridge, Viney, and Campbell with all their future increase, one large pot the largest I have, one small cook pot [or] a dutch oven her choice, one pine chest always called mine, and a press with all the glass and ware of all kinds that belong to it to her and her heirs forever, at my death I also give to my said daughter Louisa one bed, bedstead, and furniture her choice. I give and bequeath to my son Alce Johnson one dollar. I give and bequeath the following negroes to my two grandchildren Sidney and Larkin Johnson, sons of Alce Johnson, the negroes named Mily and Esther at the death of my said wife Fereby, with all their future increase to be equally divided between them, to them and their heirs forever. I give and bequeath to my four grandchildren W. A. Griffis, Rufus Griffis, Lucetta Griffis, and Jane Johnson the sum of one dollar equally divided among them, having made sufficient advancement to their mother Leacy Griffis in her lifetime. I give and bequeath to the children of my son Edmund Johnson deceased fifty dollars to be equally divided among them. I give and bequeath to the children of my son Carrell Johnson deceased if any, the sum of forty dollars to be equally divided among them, if none living, the said sum of forty dollars is to be disposed of with the residue of my property herein after provided for. It is further my will that my executor sell after my death upon a reasonable credit all the residue of my property not herein before loaned or specially devised, and after paying all my just debts and funeral expenses, divide the remainder equally among my children who may be living at the death or marriage of my said wife Fereby. It is my will that all the property loaned to her except what has been herein before devised be sold, and the proceeds be equally divided as in the case of the residue of my property above provided for what my wife Fereby may have been made is not to be included in said sale, but is to be her own. I constitute and appoint Linn B. Sanders and my son Rigdon Johnson Executors to this my last will and testament. And now having lived to an advanced age and spent a laborious life, may the Lord receive my spirit and abundantly bless my Soul this the 29th day of October A.D. 1853. In the presence of witnesses: H. H. Finch Willie (x) Johnson Irby Stevens Johnston County Court, November Term, 1855. Then was this paper writing exhibited in open court and propounded for probate and was duly proven by oath of the subscribing witnesses thereto, and ordered to be recorded whereupon Rigdon Johnson qualified as Exr. J. H. Kennedy, Clk. [Note: No entry for probate of the will of Willie Johnson can be found in the Johnston County Court Minutes of November, 1855.] Transcribed by Mark Valsame, Raleigh, NC. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/johnston/wills/johnson2583gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 6.0 Kb