Orange County NcArchives Wills.....Debow, John July 31, 1783 ************************************************ 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 A, pages 259-260 Written: July 31, 1783 Recorded: Nov 1785 Testator: John Debow In the Name of God Amen I John Debow Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Sensibly observing the declining state of my body & expecting soon the approach of Death: do Judge it proper to settle, & dispose of my temporal property, by making & constituting this to be my last will Will[sic] & Testa ment, rendering null all before written ------------- My immortal Soul I will & bequeath to Jesus Christ my Redeemer & my Body to my native dust -- My temporal property, lent by a kind providence I dispose in the way & manner following ----- To my Son Solomon my heir at law; I will & bequeath my Tract of land lying on ye waters of Eno tho not to be in his possession before he is twenty one years of Age. To my Son Stephen I will & bequeath four hund- =red pound Specie in money or effects at money rates Judged by indifferent men, three hundred pound to be paid when he shall be twenty one years of age the other hundred to be paid when his Mother shall think proper To my beloved wife Lucy I ["will and" x-out] leave ["the" blot out] the care & management of my estate real & personal for the purpose of her support & assistance to bring bring[sic] up & educate my Sons.-- It is my desire that my Exrs. send my Sons to learning as soon as they may be capable until they have a good share [page 2] share[sic] of english education at the expense of the Estate And then if oppertunity will permit to put them to the Languages; and to defray a part of sd. expense I order my Exrs. at any time to sell the tract of land on which I now live & to dispose of the money, for the purpose afforesd. My Widow has her legal wright to my Eno Tract of of[sic] land, & the benefit of my estate while she remains a widow, the debts excepted, & at her death the residue to be divided between my Children; But in case my Widiow[sic] shou[l]d marry, she will have her third, except my books which are to be equally divided between my sons and in the case or of her death during the minority of my Children, I appoint Mr Lake as their guardian to bring them up, - hiring out the Negroes & plantation for there[sic] support, & to proceed according to the general import of [this] Will; I bequeath ten pounds to Lucy Lake at he[r] sixteenth year for cloathing I bequeath ten pounds to John De Hodge for his education I appoint my beloved wife Lucy Debow, & Mr Jacob Lake to act in full authority as my Executors ----- In testimony of this being my last will & Testament I have set my hand & seal this thirty first of July one thousd. Seven hund. & eighty three 1783 Witness present Wm. Tate mark John (X) Hodge John Debow Joel Rice Joseph Baker Jurat Mrs. Debow Qual. as Exx. [Will Book Volume A, page 259] In the Name of God Amen I John Debow Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Sensibly Observing the Declining State of my Body and expecting soon the approach of Death: Do Judge it proper to settle, and Dispose of my Temporal Property by making and Constituting this to be my last Will and Testament, rendering null all before Written. My immortal Soul I Will and bequeath to Jesus Christ my Redeemer, and my body to my Native dust My temporal Property, lent by a kind Providence, I Dispose in the way and manner following. To my Son Solomon, my heir at Law I will and bequeath my Tract of Land lying on the Waters of Enoe tho not to be in his Possession before he is Twenty one Years of age To my Son Stephen I will and bequeath four hundred pounds Specie in money or effects at money rates, Judged by Indifferent men, three hundred pound to be paid when he shall be twenty one Years of Age The other hundred to be paid when his mother shall think proper. To my beloved wife Lucy I leave the care and management of my Estate real and Personal for the Purpose of her Support and assistance to bring up and educate my Sons it is my Desire that my Executors send my Sons to learning as Soon as they may be Capable untill they have a good Share of English education at the expense of the Estate & then if opportunity will Permit to put them to the Languages; [And] to Defray a part of said expense I order my Executors at any time to sell the Tract of Land on which I now live, & to Dispose of the money, for the Purpose afosd. My Widow has her Legal wright to my Enoe Tract of Land, and the benefit of my Estate while she remains a Widow, the Debts excepted, and at her Death the residue to be divided [Will Book Volume A, page 260] between my Children; my in case my Widow should marry she will have her thirds, except my books which are to be equally Divided between my Sons and in the Case or of her death dureing the Minority of my Children, I appoint Mr. Lake as their Guardian to bring them up, hiring out the Negroes and Plantation for their Support, and to Proceed according to the General import of [this] Will; I Bequeath Ten pounds to Lucy Lake at her Sixteenth Year for Cloathing I Bequeath Ten Pounds to John De Hodg[e] for his Education: I appoint my beloved wife Lucy Debow, & Mr. Jacob Lake to act in full Authority as my Executors. In Testimony of this being my last Will and Testament I have set my hand and Seal this thirty first of July one thousand Seven hundred and Eighty three 1783 ~~~~~ Witness present William Tate John Debow (seal) his John (X) Hodge mark Joel Rice Joseph Baker Orange County ss. November Court 1783 The Executor of the within Will of John Debow Decd. was Duly prov'd in open Court by the Oath of Joseph Baker one of the Subscribing Witnesses there and Ordered to be Recording Test J J Benton C.C. Additional Comments: Will Book Volume A, pages 259-260 Recorded Nov 1785. Uses the archaic letter thorn once. Estate papers comprise 72 pages and are found in a folder labeled "Debow, John (1783)". Much of the material concerns the accounting and reporting of money spent by the children's guardian. There are numerous mentions hiring of the slaves even after Jacob Lake and Robert Scoby bought them in 1786. If there is a particular interest in these people, it may be best to re-examine these estate papers. Accounts of hiring of these slaves continue at least until 1798. Also mentioned is the hiring of "Fann and her children", indicating that perhaps Easter/Ester and Dick are Fancy's children. [Estate Papers - Inventory] An Inventory of the Estate of the Red. John Debow Dec. this 9th of Novr. 1783 ----------------- A tract of Land laying on Enoe Containing 174 acres 1 Do. laying in the Hanfields ... 120 acres 2 Negros between 20 & 30 yrs old 2 Do under 10 Do. 5 Horses - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 Cows - - - - - - - - - - - - - [sundry items] [Estate Papers - Agreement concerning Negroes] [Note: there are several copies of this agreement in the estate papers. This particulare copy was not the original, but was the most legible, but the signature were all in the same handwriting] The Revd. Jacob Lake and Mr Robert Scoby[?] agreed by consent and divided the within mentioned Negroes and Mr Scoby chuses Easter & Dick and pays to Mr Lake agreeable to the within Praisment Given under our hand this 7th day of Decembr. 1786 Tes Jacob Lake Wm. Mebane Robert Scoby Eli McDaniel The Last Friday in Dec - - Tom £ 130 Fancy . . 120 The Jury is to meet at Mr Debows Ester . . 80 Plantation on Eno Dick . . . 70 We Whoes names is hereunto anexed sumoned and sworn to apraise four Negroes as above named the part of the Estate of John Debow Deceased and after being sworn do say that they are worth in cash as above given under our hands and seal this 7th of Dec 1786 Jas. Mebane Eli McDaniel (seal) Alen Meban (seal) Robt. Milliken John Collins (seal) Wm. Hall (seal) John Glass (seal) Wm Mebane (seal) James Kennedy (seal) John Allen (seal) Wm. Strayhorm (seal) John Elliott