Onslow County NcArchives Wills.....Morton, West May 29, 1866 ************************************************ 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: Bill Gibson bgibson@uncfsu.edu February 8, 2006, 5:35 pm Source: North Carolina State Archives Written: May 29, 1866 Recorded: September 12, 1871 I West Morton of the County of onslow and State of North carolina being of Sound mind and memory but considering the uncertainty of life do make and declair this my last will and testament in maner and form folloing that is to say first that my Executors hearein after named shall provid for my body a decent burial suitable to the Wishes of my family and pay all funeral exp enses to gether with my just debts out of the moneys that may first come in to his hands as a part an parsel of my estate Item I give and devise to my beloved wife Rachel four hundred and fifty acres of land includeing the mansion house and all other out houseis belong than onto to have and to hold the same during her na tural life in Satisfaction for and in lem of her- damen and thirds of and in all my real estate- Item I lend out my beaved wif all my perso nal estate hea# that I may not otherwise dispose of in my will during his natural life Item I give and devise to my two Sons John & - Edward four hundred and fifty acres of land where an I now live excpt the life estate of my wife devised in a former item of this my Will to have and to hold to them and than hirs in fee simple for ever #### # #### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### [this line appears to have been crossed out with a great amount of ink, affidavit to this erasure being made with the knowledge of West Morton was signed by his widow, Rachel Morton.] Item I give unto my Son Edward one Clayhank horse five years old Item I give unto my daughter Sharlotta one cow & calf and one sow and pigs to be hers and at her disposal absolutely for ever Item I give to daughter Adelia one Bed and Bed stid and furniture. one cow & calf and one sow & pigs [end of page] Item I give unto my oldest daughter Polly . one dollar in fee simple for ever Item I give unto my daughtter Seny one dollar to her ["my" insterted between "unto" and "daughtter" with caret character below line] own youse for ever Item Iive unto my daughter Brancy one dollar to youse for ever Item I give unto Sarah my Daughtter one dollar to her own yusse forever Item I give unto my Son Stephen one dollar in fee simple for ever Item I give unto my Son Benjaman one dollar to him and his hirs for ever Item after the death of my wife the resedew of my estate to be equally devided betwen my ["my" inserted between the words "betwen" and "Six" with caret below line] Six Daughters . Elisbeth. Faney Susan Ann Sharlotta Jain.&.Adelia to have and to hold to them and thar hirs forever And lastly I do hereby Constitute and appoint my Son John Morton my lawful executor to execute this my last will and testament according to the true intent and meaning of the same and declaring all other former wills by me hearto for made void in witness ##ha#e of I the said West Morton do hereunto Set my hand and Seal this the 29 day of May in A. D. 1866 West Morton {Seal}[signature & seal] Signed Sealed Published and declared by #### #### ### ### [Rest of line is illegible due to what appears to be the ink leaking through from the previous above page.] Morton to be his last will and testament in the Presants of us here at his request and in his Presants do Subenthe our names as wittnesses thareto Wm P. Watson [signature] Thos. B. Holland [signature] [end of document] [Outside of Will] Last Will & Testament of West Morton Sept 12th 1871 Recorded Page Record of Wills [end of document] [Separate document related to this Will.] State of North Carolina Onslow County One Rachel Morton widow of West Morton dec makes affidavit that the erasure of the #### # Seventh line of the Said will was made with the knowledge and at the direction of the Said West Morton her Sworn & Sub sibed Rachel -x- Morton before me Sept 12th 1871 name A. #. Hu#### Probate judg [end of document] [Separate document related to this Will] State of North Carolina Onslow County I Rachel Morton widow of West Morton do hereby renoun ce my right to qualify as Administrator upon the estate of my deceased hus band in favor of my Son Edward Morton. her Witness, A.C.Huggins Rachel -x- Morton Probate judge name Edward Morton [The name Edward Morton appears to be scratched out by two wavy continuous lines through both first and last name.] [end of document] [Separate "Probate of Will" typed form filled out as stated. Underlined words written in by hand.] PROBATE OF WILL.--Printed and for sale by NICHOLS & GORMAN, Raleigh, N.C. STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA,} Onslow COUNTY, }ss. In the Probate Court. A paper purporting to be the last Will and Testament of West Morton deceased, is exhibited before me, the undersigned, Judge of Probate for said county, by John Morton [Wavy line drawn through name.] the execut ["the execut" marked out] therein named, and the due execution thereof by the said West Morton by the oath and examination of Thomas B. Holland & Wm P. Watson the subscribing witnesses thereto: who being duly sworn, doth depose and say, and each for himself deposeth and saith, that he is a subscribing witness to the paper writing now shown him, purporting to be the last Will and Testament of West Morton That the said West Morton in the presence of this deponent subscribed his name at the end of said paper writing, which is now shown as aforesaid, and which bears date of the 29 day of May 18 66- And the deponent further saith, That the said West Morton the testator aforesaid, did at the time of subscribing his name as aforesaid, declare the said paper writing so subscribed by him, and exhibited, to be his last Will and Testament, and this deponent did thereupon subscribe his name at the end of said will, as an attesting witness thereto, and at the request, and in the presence of the said testator. And this deponent further saith, that at the said time when the said testator subscribed his name to the said last Will as aforesaid, and at the time of the deponent's subscribing his name as an attesting witness thereto, as aforesaid, the said West Morton was of sound mind and memory, of full age to execute a Will, and was not under any restraint to the knowledge, information or belief of this deponent, and further these deponents say not. Signed, Sealed and delivered in the presence of, Sept 12th 1871 A. C. Huggins Thos. B. Holland [SEAL] Probate Judge. Wm. P. Watson [SEAL] [SEAL] [SEAL] [end of document] Additional Comments: Note: The body of the Will was written in a very legible cursive hand. In comparing the body of the document and the signature of West Morton, it appears that the body of the document was not written by West Morton. Both the capital "W" and the capital "M" were formed differently. List of Persons as they first appear in the Will: West Morton (b.1802 - d. 1871) Rachel Morton (wife) John Morton (son) Edward Morton (son) Sharlotta (daughter) Adelia (daughter) Polly (daughter) Seny (daughter) Brancy (daughter) Sarah (daughter) Stephen (son) Benjaman (son) Elisbeth (daughter) Faney (daughter) Susan Ann (daughter) Jain (daughter) Wm P. Watson (witness) Thos. B. Holland (witness) A. C. Huggins (Probate Judge) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/onslow/wills/morton54gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 8.2 Kb