Jones County, NC - Wills File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Vera Burnham Will of John Wright Stanly In the name of God Amen I, John Wright Stanly, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament. First ; I appoint my wife Ann Stanly, my Executrix & Thomas Turner, my Executor, Guardians to my children, my wife's Trust however in both cases to cease on her second marriage. Secondly ; I desire that all my debts may be honestly paid. I mean in such kind of money as I agreed to pay when I contracted them, and not depretiated paper for Gold & Silver, and this as soon as the amount can be raised by the collection of debts due me, the produce of my Farm, rents of my Town property, or sale of my public secureties. Thirdly ; If my wife should marry it is my will, that a valuation of my whole estate be made on oath by, Gen'l Bryan, Rich'd Dobbs Spaight, John Green, John Sitgreaves & Edward Bryan, or any three of them. That my debts be deducted from the amount and the balance divided into equal shares ,( To Wit ) One for my wife & one for each of my children then living, my wife taking her choice of said shares which share by her chosen I give and bequeath to her & her heirs forever. But if my wife remains a widow I lend her during her life or wodowhood my lots in the Town of New Bern No 280, 281, 282, & 283 with my dwelling house and every other improvement on the said lots together with all my household and kitchen furniture, plate, china, Carriages and Carriage horses, and the following Negroes, To Wit; Venture, Nelly, Barbary, Phebe, Sam, Alcey, Little Garbary, Jack, & Moody, and I leave my said wife during her life or widowhood five hundred Spanish Mill Dollars or the value thereof in currant money per annum to be paid quarterly by my Excutor. Fourthly ; all the rest and residue of my estate not given or lent as aforesaid, I bequeath to my children, to be equally divided as they respectively arrive at age. And on the marriage or death of their mother I leave the property lent to her to be divided in the same manner, the valuation & division to be made by any three of the five Gentlemen named heretofore. Fifthly ; I desire my children may be liberaly educated & the boys put apprentice to learn such professions or trades as their abilities seem best adapted to, and when my eldest son arrives to the age of twenty one years I appoint him an Executor to this my last will & testament and a guardian to my other children. Sixthly ; I desire that the partnership of John Wright Stanly, & Co. or as it is now called Stanly & Turner, in which Thomas Turner is interested one sixth part and I five sixth , may continue under the direction of said Turner untill the debts due by the said Copartnership are fully paid or untill he has sufficiency in hand of the Companies effects to pay their debts after which if agreeable to said Turner, it is my will that the business of said Partnership be continued half on his account and half on mine, untill my eldest son shall come of age, in this case no charge to be made for the use of my wharf, stores, or Distillery, nor Mr. Turner, for his trouble of conducting the business and lastly I recommend that my slaves be kept at work on my farm under Industrious humane overseerers and that other farms be settled on my unimproved lands if my Excutors think proper. And I hereby revoke all former Wills by me made, & in testimony thereof have hereunto set my hand & seal this twenty second day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight. J.W. Stanly { seal } Craven County, Court June Term 1789 Then was the foregoing last will and testament of John Wright Stanly, Dec'd produced in open court, and there being no subscribing evidence thereto the hand writing of the said deceased was proved by the oath of Richard Caswell, John C. Bryan, William Shepard & William Slade, who swore that they were well aquainted with hand writting of the said deceased and verily believed that the said will was written & signed by him, which was admitted by the court and ordered to be registered, and at the same time the Executrix & Excutor therein named to wit Ann Stanly, & Thos. Turner, appeared in court and qualified as such agreeable to law, Ordered that Letters Testamentary Issue .Test Samuel Chapman, C.C. North Carolina Craven County I William M. Watson, Clerk of the Superior Court in and for the County and State aforesaid, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and perfect Copy of the last Will and Testament of John Wright Stanly, Dec'd, and probate thereof duly recorded in record of Will's "A" folio 198. In Testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand and affix the seal of said court, in office at New Bern, N.C. this 6th day of March A.D. 1908 W.M. Watson Clerk Superior Court { Court Seal } =========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. 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