Orange County NcArchives Wills.....Brown, William H February 29, 1864 ************************************************ 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: Ben Franklin ben.franklin.ffru@gmail.com May 2024 Source: Loose Will, NC Archives CR 073.801, Will Book Volume G, pages 497-498 Written: February 29, 1864 Recorded: May 1866 Testator: William H Brown In the name of God Amen! I William H. Brown of Hillsboro North Carolina do make and publish this as my last will and testament, hereby revoking all other wills made by me. I give and devise to my wife Mary L. Brown during her life or widowhood all my property and estate of every kind the money part of the estate to be vested according to her best judg= ment by my executor as her agent in her name and the proceeds or interest to be paid to her annually or semiannually as the case may be. And she is charged with the support and maintenance of all my children who May remain with her as a part of her family. If my wife should mar[r]y again, an event not contemplated by me, and merely possi= ble in that event I give her just what she would be entitled to by law if I had died intestate, & the remainder of my estate to be divided equally among all my children in the manner hereinafter directed. At the death of my wife I give and devise all my estate to my children equally to be divi= ded among them. But the share of my daughter Lucy R Gordon wife of William B. Gordon, I give to my son Henry N Brown in trust for her sole and [page 2] separate use and benefit, and to be free from all liability for the debts or contracts of her said husband; And as a part of her share she is to have the house built by Mr. Gordon between my Mill and Tan yard and two acres of ground around it. And the share of my daughter Mary Jane wife of John M. Wolf, I give to my son Henry N Brown in trust for her sole and separate use and benefit, and to be free from all liability for the debts or contracts of her said husband. And the receipts of my said daughters in writing shall be a full discharge for whatever they may receive from said trustee, who may either permit them to have the possession and use of the property or hold it himself & pay the proceeds to them as he may think best. And I give full power to my wife with the approbation in writing of my son Henry to sell any part of said property which they may deem it advisable to sell; the proceeds of such sales to stand in the place of the property and to be held and applied as this will directs the property itself to be held and applied. And further I give power to my wife from time to time to advance to any of my children such portions of their shares of the property as their circumstances may require, as she can spare without injury to the rest, not however to be equal to their full [page 3] shares, & to be accounted for in the final settle= ment of the estate. And my executor is to permit my wife to have the possession of all the perishable personal pro= perty for her use as this will provides, and he is not to be accountable for any thing of it but such as remains when the estate is to be divided. And I appoint my son Henry N. Brown ex= ecutor of this my will. Signed Sealed published and declared by me as my last will and testament this 29th February 1864 In presence of WW Brown (seal) J W Siler John Laws [Will Book Volume G, page 497] In the name of God Amen. I William H Brown of Hillsborough North Carolina do make and publish this as my last will and testa- ment, hereby revoking all other wills made by me. I give and devise to my wife Mary L. Brown during her life or widowhood all my property and estate of every kind, the money part of the estate to be vested according to her best Judgment by my Executor as her agent in her name and the proceeds or Interest to be paid to her annually or Semiannually as the case may be. And she is charged with the Support and maintenance of all my Children who may remain with her as a part of her family. If my wife should mar[r]y again, an event not contemplated by me, and merely possible in that event I give her just what she would be entitled to by law, if I had died intestate, & the remainder of my estate to be divided equally among all my children in the manner hereinafter directed. At the death of my wife I give and devise all my estate to my Children eaqually to be divided among them. But the share of my daughter Lucy R Gordon wife of William B Gordon I give to my son Henry N Brown in trust for her Sole and Seperate[sic] use and benefit, And to be free from all liability for the debts or Contracts of her Said husband; And as a part of her share she is to have the house built by Mr Gordon between my mill and Tan Yard and two Acres of Ground around it. And the share of my daughter Mary Jane Wife of John M Wolf, I give to my son Henry N Brown in trust for her Sole and Seperate[sic] use and benefit: And to be free from all liability for the debts or contracts of her said husband. And the receipts of my said daughters in writing shall be a full discharge for whatever they may receive from said trustee. who may either [Will Book Volume G, page 498] permit them to have the possession and use of the property or hold it himself and pay the proce[e]ds to them as he may think best. And I give full power to my wife with the appro- bation in writing of my son Henry to sell any part of Said property which they may deem it advisable to Sell; the proce[e]ds of Such sales to Stand in the place of the property and to be held and applied as this will directs the property itself to be held and applied, and further I give power to my wife from time to time to advance to any of my chil- dren Such portions of their shares of the property as their circumstances may require, as she can spare without Injury to the rest, not however to be equal to their full share, & to be accounted for in the final settlement of the estate. And my executor is to permit my wife to have the possession of all the perishable personal property for her use as this will provides, and he is not to be accountable for any thing of it but Such as remains when the estate is to be divided. And I appoint my son Henry N Brown executor of this my will. Signed Sealed published and declared by me as my last will and testament this 29th February 1864. In presence of W. H. Brown (Seal) J W Siler John Laws Orange County Court May term 1866 The execution of the foregoing last will and test- ment of W H. Brown decd. was duely proved on open Court and ordered to be recorded and filed for probate see minutes, Additional Comments: Will Book Volume G, pages 497-498 Recorded May 1866 Estate Papers comprise 145 pages and are found in folder "Brown, William H (1867)". Family history found in these pages, but is not easily transcribed to include here. William Henry Brown married Mary Louisa Vasseur in Halifax County 16 Sep 1830 Lucy Rebecca Brown married William Brown Gordon Mary Jane Brown married John Miller Wolf This family is found in "Old Southern Bible Records" by Memory Aldrige Lester.