WILL OF WILLIAM ARUNDELL, Lenoir County In the name of God Amen: I, William Arundell, of the State of North Carolina and the County of Lenoir, being well stricken in years and quite infirm in body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do this second day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-two make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following: (to wit) I recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God that first gave it, my body to the earth to be buried in a Christianlike manner at the discretion of my Executors hereinafter to be mentioned, and as touching what worldly estate it has pleased God to bless me with in this life, I have and dispose of it in the following manner (to wit): 1st. I give to my daughter, Sarah Sutton, the following negroes (to wit) Hannah, Sherwood, and Jacob to her, her heirs and assigns forever. 2nd . I give to my daughter, Areneth Edmundson, the following negroes (to wit) Milly and London and one hundred dollars in money to be paid out of my perishable estate to her, her heirs and assigns forever. 3rd. I give to my daughter, Clarice Hood, four hundred and twenty acres of land whereon she now lives, which Thomas Hood and she is in full possession and likewise four acres more to be taken from the second division to prevent the line from running through Thomas Hoods fields, also three negroes, Fanny, Harry, and Sam, to her, her heirs and assigns forever. Th. I give to my daughter, Catherine Brown, one Negro man, Tony, to her, her heirs and assigns forever. Th. I lend to my daughter, Elizabeth Hood, eighty acres of land containing the Kennedy field during her natural lifetime or widowhood. I give to my said daughter, Elizabeth Hood, one Negro man named Peter, one bay horse and one cow and calf to her, her heirs and assigns forever. Th. I give to my daughter. Persis Parrot, four hundred acres of land whereon I live being the first division, also the eighty acres which is lent to Elizabeth Hood, after her death or widowhood, also three negroes, namely Agin, George, and Jesse to her, her heirs and assigns forever. Th. I give to my grandson, James Hodges, all the land contained in the second division, by estimation three hundred and eighty-three acres, the same, more or less to him, his heirs and assigns forever. Th. I give to my grandchildren, James Hodges, Nancy Hodges, Richard Hodges, Mary Hodges, and Elizabeth Hodges, the following negroes, Joseph and Finney to them, their heirs and assigns forever. Th. I give to my grandson, James Hood, one Negro girl, Grace, and one chest of tools which I purchased at William Hood vender to him, his heirs and assigns forever. Whereas I intend should I live to build a house on the eighty acres of land I have left Elizabeth Hood of the following dimensions: twenty feet in length and sixteen feet in width, a brick chimney at one end, and if it should so happen that I should not live to complete the said building, I do humbly enjoin the same on my executors to be done in common workmanlike manner and the expenses of the same to be paid out of my estate. All the remainder of my estate not heretofore given away (my Negro woman excepted) I leave to be sold by Executors and the money arising from which sale after paying all my just debts and expense of building Elizabeth Hood's house, be equally divided amongst all my children, share and share alike. Whereas I have thought proper not to give to any of my children my Negro woman, Abaigail, in consequence of her being a very faithful servant to me and she now considerably advanced in years, my desire and will is therefore that she, said Abaigail, be admitted to make choice amongst my children with which of them she will live and that she said Abaigail, be fully at liberty to work for herself all the rest of her lifetime. I do hereby nominate and appoint my son-in-law- Jacob Parrot, and Charles West brook, Executors to this my last will and testament ratifying and confirming it to be and the same disallowing and making void all other wills or will to be heretofore made. In witness whereof I have set hereunto and affixed my seal the day and year written above. Signed, sealed and published in presence of us. (Signed) William Arundell (Seal) Jesse Kennedy John Kennedy John T. Kennedy Copied from a copy of the original March 25, 1833. Jas. A. Hodges Drawn off by James A. Hodges, March, 1833. Lord have mercy on us a needy family, this said to be the last will and testament of William Arundell, died age 76 years. ************************************************************************ File contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Francis R Hodges 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. Return to the NCGenWeb Archives Table of Contents http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm#NC **************************************************************************