Johnson, Jeffrey III - 1788 - Wilkes County, NC - Will Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by Ed Teer edteer@bellsouth.net Will of Jeffrey Johnson III (Dated 23 March 1788, Proved Jan. Term 1789) At a County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions begun and held for the County of Wilkes at the Court house in Wilkes on the fourth Monday of January in the Thirteenth year of Our Independence Anno Domini 1789 Present Benjamin Herndon Charles Gordon Esquires William Nall The last Will and Testament of Jeffrey Johnson late of said county deceased was proved in open court by the oath of George Wheatley a subscribing witness thereto, in the following manner (To wit) You swear that you saw Jeffrey Johnson Publish and Declare this to be his last will and Testament and that you believe he was then of sound and disposing mind and memory and that he did it freely and without compulsion, and at the same time you heard Dianah Wheatley called upon to witness said Will and that the said Dianah Wheatley directed you to set her name as a witness to said will which you did immediately in her presents. Ordered by the Court that said will be recorded and that sellers testamentary ? to Rachel Johnson George Johnson and William Johnson The Executors nominated in said will Whereupon William Sharpe Esquire attorney for William Johnson and John Johnson moved for an appeal to the Superior Court of Law & Equity for the District of Morgan and the said William Johnson and John Johnson appeared and entered into bond with William Rutledge and John Parks securities in the sum of one hundred pounds payable to the aforesaid Rachel Johnson and George Johnson Exe and Exe for the Prosecution of Said appeal and to pay all costs and charges in case of failure thereof G.C. A copy of the above mentioned will In the name of God Amen, I Jeffrey Johnson of the State of North Carolina and County of Wilkes being sick and weak of body but of perfect sense and memory thanks be to Almighty God for it and calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die doth make and ordain to be made this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say first I recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave and my body to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter mentioned, and as to all the worldly goods it hath pleased God to bless me with I bequeath in manner and form following: Item I leave to my wife Rachel Johnson all my Personal Estate during her widowhood and likewise the land whereon I now live during her widowhood Item I give to my son Jeffery Johnson one Mulato boy named Harry to him and his heirs forever Item I give to my son Lewis Johnson one Mulato Boy named Ned to him and his helrs forever Item Give to my Two Sons Jeffery and Lewis Johnson the land whereon I now live to be equally divided between them at my wife's death or marriage if she should marry again to them and their heirs forever Item My will is that my negroe man named Ned remain on the plantation for the use of my two sons Jeffery and Lewis Johnson and if their mother should marry and they come of age my will is that they pay each of my other children their equal part of the value of the said Negroe Item I give to my son George Johnson one hundred acres of land whereon he now lives to him and his heirs forever Item I give to my son Lewis Johnson one young horse to him and his heirs forever Item I give to each of my three grand children namely Jarnes, Rachel and Winifred Dodson five shillings sterling Item My will is that my executors pay unto my five children namely Samuel, Barbary, Benjamin, Jeffery and Lewis Johnson out of my estate as they come of age or marries as much as I gave my former children that is already married a piece Item I give my son John Johnson a debt in the hands of Stephen Bailey of forty eight pounds Virginia money Item My will and Desire is all the remained of my estate be equally divided amongst all my children at the death or marriage of my wife Rachel Johnson, and whereas I gave my son Benjamin Johnson one horse 'Already,' my desire is that the value of the said horse shall come out of his part that he is to receive when he come to age And I do hereby constitute and appoint my beloved wife Rachel Johnson and my sons George Johnson and William Johnson executors of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 23 of March 1788 his Jeffery /// Johnson's /Seal/ mark George Wheatley Dianah Wheatley Lewis Johnson (at bottom is written " vide A.D. 1784 ") State of North Carolina, Wilkes County, January Term 1789 The within Will was proved by the Oath of George Wheatley a subscribing Witness thereto and ordered to be recorded. ====================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogy 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 may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than as stated above, must contact the submitter or the listed USGenWeb archivist.