Mecklenburg County NcArchives Wills.....Pfifer, John 1777 ************************************************ 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: Nola Duffy nduffy@patch.net October 31, 2008, 11:38 pm Source: Nc Wills & Inventories - Grimes Written: 1777 JOHN PFIFER'S WILL. IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN. I, John Pfifer, of Mecklenburg County & Province of North Carolina, being of sound mind and memory and considering the uncertainty of life, & knowing it is allotted for all men Once to dye, do make & publish this my last Will & Testament in manner following: first and of all things I recommend my soul in the hands of almighty God who gave it, hopeing to find mercy; and as for my Body, I Recommend it to the Earth to be Buried in a decent like man- ner at the descretion of my Executors hereafter named; and it Is my will that my just debts & Funeral Expences to be duly paid and discharged. Item, I give, Bequeath & demise unto my beloved Son, Paul Pfifer, the Tract of Land, together with Mills and all other improvements on which I now live, only as sd. Land was not as yet conveyed to me, I therefore, beseech my Honored Father, Martin Pfifer, to Grant & convey unto my sd. son, Paul Pfifer, the above sd. Lands in as full & ample a manner as he ingaged to do to me. Item, I give, bequeath and demise unto my Beloved daugh- ter, Margaret Pfifer, her Heirs, Executors, Administrators or assigns, a Certain Tract of Acres of Land lying on both sides of english Buffelo Creek, joining on the upper side of Alexander Penneys Land, being Land Conveyed by John Penney & lying in Rowan County. Item, I give, bequeath & demise unto my beloved daughter, Anne Elizabeth Pfifer, her Heirs, Executors, admns. or Assigns, two Tracts of Land Lying on big Cold water Creek, nearly joining each other, the one known by the name of the Chris- topher Wolbirts old place, the other known by the name of the Meeting House Lands. Item, I give & Bequeath unto my Beloved wife, Catherine Pfifer, during her life, a tract of Land Lying on the Nine mile Branch, being land bought of Mickel Raddought to the end that she, the sd. Catherine, (is to) is to have free Liberty and access to act and do as she shall think fit during her life time, and all profits & advantages to be clear & free to her, provided she does not ask, & demand her Right of dowery in & on any other of my Lands which are Will'd, or to be Will'd, and after her death the sd. Land is to be sold to the best advantage; & the money so arising from such sale, to be equally devided Between the above Said, Paul Pfifer, Margaret Pfifer Ann Elizabeth Pfifer; and it is likewise my Will that such Lands as are Willed to my sd. Childring as above, is to be leased and Rented from year to Year, & the Rents of each Childs Land is to be applied to the end of Clothing & Schooling them until' they shall come of age. Itim, I give & Bequeath unto my son, Paul, a Negro Fellow named David; & Also a Negro Wench named Jude, together with their Issue, except the first child the said Jude shall be delivered of, which is to be disposed of as shall be hereafter mentioned. Itim, I give & Bequeath to my Daughter, Margret Pfifer, a Negro fellow named Charles, & Negro woman named Nanny, together with their Issue that they shall hereafter have. Itim, I give and Bequeath to my Daughter, Ann Elizabeth, Pfifer, a Negro Boy named Charles & the first born Child of the Body of the above mentioned Jude. Itim, I Give & Bequeath unto my Beloved Wife, A Negro Fellow Named Wall, & a negro Girl named Dina; also, it is further my will, that if any of my Children should die before he, her or them, shall be of full age, that then & in that case, the Estate of the deceased shall be equally devided Between the surviver or survivers of my Children: and father it is my will, that so long as my sd. Wife does continue to live single, & in Capacity of a widow, she may continue to live on the Premises which I have Hetherto lived on, & have all the profits of mills & Plantation, only to make no destructive use of Timber, except so much as will be wanting for repairing & keeping the fences & Plantation in good Order, and for House use; to the end that she shall Raise my Children; but in case she should alter her station of life & Marry, it is then My Will & Meaning, that my sd. Children shall be under the care and direction of my Executors herein hereafter Mentioned; & that as soon as they shall derect her, my sd. wife, to quit the sd. premises unto them, the Executors of my will, upon which they are forthwith directed to Rent or lease the sd. Premises as above mentioned; and farther, as to touching my personal Estate, It is my will that as soon as my debts is paid, my Funeral expences discharged, and my Executors Each Receive the sum of Six pounds as an Acknowledgement to them, to- gether with a Reasonable allowance for their trouble, that whatsoever there is remaining, if any, it is my will, that the one third part of my sd. personal Estate, be given to my sd. wife, the Remaining Two thirds to be devided equally Between my Children. It is also my Will, & I do humbly Request my Executors to take all Reasonable pains to have my before mentioned Chil- dren instructed in the Christian Faith, & to have a reasonable Education, & in particular my sd. son, Paul, to be put through a liberal Education & Colleged, if there should be any suffi- ciency of my personal Estate left to his Share. Also, I do hereby direct a Tract of Land lying on the head of Little Cold water Commonly Called Cains Place, to be sold & disposed of by my sd. Executors and the Money arrising from such sales to be applied to the End to the End of purchasing of some Vacancy ajoining the land on which I now live, in the name of my son, Paul Pfifer, if to be had from the proprietor, & if not, to be applyed to the use of my son, Paul Pfifer in schooling him or to be declared a part of his Estate. And I do hereby nominate & appoint my Honoured Father, Martin Pfifer, & my Honoured Father in Law, Paul Barringer, to be my Executors of this my Last Will & Testament, Revokeing all other Wills & Testaments heretofore by me made. In Testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 17th. Day of August, 1775. JOHN PFIFER (Seal) Signed, wrote & sealed with my own hand and Published as my Last Will & Testament: BENJAMIN PATTON, WM. WALLACE, SAMUEL PATTEN. NORTH CAROLINA, MECKLENBURG COUNTY, SS. This sheet contains a just & perfect copy of the Last Will & Testament of Colo. John Pfifer, Deceased. Given under my hand at Charlotte, the 22 Day of Jany., A.D., 1777. SAM MARTIN, Cl. C. NORTH CAROLINA, MECKLENBURG COUNTY. I do hereby certify that the Original Will of John Pifer, Esquire, deceased, (of which the above is a True Copy) was Duly proved before the Justice of said Court in their Sessions in Jany. Term, 1777, by the Oath of William Wallace, one of the Subscribing Wittnesses thereto. Certifyed by me this day of Feby., 1774. NORTH CAROLINA, MECKLENBURG COUNTY SS. AT an Inferior Court of &c. Jany. Seun., 1777. Whereas, it appears to this Court that Col. John Pfifer, is Dead and hath made a Will in Writing, whereupon proof thereof being made, Nom- inating Col. Martin Pfifer and Paul Berringar, Esqrs., Executors and Paul Berringer aforesaid by an Instrument of writing relinguishing his right of said Executorship, being produced in open Court Here, It is there- fore ordered that Letters Testamentary Issue to Said Col. Martin Pfifer, with a Copy of the will annexed, of all and singular the Goods & Chattles, Rights and credits of the said Deceased, (except in those particular Para- graphs which mention the land whereon the Deceased aforesaid lived, and also some other Articles not being the Estate of the Decd. but the Estate of the said Martin Pfifer) and the same in his possession take wheresoever to be found in this State, and an Inventory on Oath Return into the Court here, within ninety Days from the Date hereof, and all Just Debts of the said Deceased to pay so far as the Estate will extind or amount to. In Testimony hereof, I have fixed the public Seal of this County, at Charlotte, the 23d. Day of Jany., A.D., 1777. SAM. MARTIN, C. C. (Official Seal). Copied from Will filed in the Office of the Secretary of State. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/mecklenburg/wills/pfifer693nwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ncfiles/ File size: 8.8 Kb