Will of John ISBELL ******************************************************************** File contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Lila Ashear USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. 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 non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Return to the NCGenWeb Archives Table of Contents http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm#NC ******************************************************************* I John Isbell, In the name of God, Amen, do make ordain and constitute this my last will and Testament, being of sound mind & memory, but weak and (?) low (?) in body and calling to mind that the appointed (?)aust(?) for all men to die first & recommend my soul to Almighty God who gave it, my body to the dust to be buried in a decent Christian manner at the disc of my executors and as touching such worldly estate as it has pleased the almighty god to bless me with & I do give and dispose of it in the following manner to wit: First that all my just debts and funeral charges be punctually paid & discharged. 2nd I do give and bequeath to my beloved sister Prudence Cotton, four hundred dollars worth of horse flesh to be valued agreeable to the same rates of the other proffits that I give to my brothers and sisters to be paid to her within a reasonable time after the death of my mother. 3rd I give & bequeath to my beloved sister Polly Isbell a negro girl named Elvira and one hundr! ed d ollars in cash so soon as all my just debts are paid and the money collected from the sale of my personal property by my Executors the girl to be her property during her natural life & then to aceed to her heirs. ?? is to be valued to her agreeable to the valuation of the rest of the property so as to make her equal with the rest of my brothers & sisters hereafter to be named. 4th I do will give & bequeath to my beloved brothers Benjamin Isbell, Livingstone Isbell, Thomas Isbell & James Isbell my negroes Iarry(?) Iragett? his wife (?) her children Bita(?) & Evelina & my negroe woman Nance & her youngest child Sal to be valued at their worth by disinterested men with their increase by their paying my beloved sisters Franky Fergason & Betsy Fergason of such calculation and also I do further will and bequeath the whole of the residue of my estate both the real and personal to Benjamin Isbell, Livingston Isbell, Thomas Isbell, James Isbell, Franky Fergason, Betsy Fergason & Poll! y Is bell to be so divided as to make them all equal and if any of them should get money they shall be bound to pay the rest (?) valued equal to money & its further understood that said division is not take place untill after the death of my mother as above stated, & I further order and direct that my personal property be sold at at least (?) months credit and that the proceeds remain in the hands of my executors & that my negroes remain in the possession and care of Benjamin Isbell until the death of my mother as above stated unless she and brother Thomas should move to this country & in that case to remain as theirs and Benjamin's possession until the time aforesaid & further authorize my executors of my estate to purchase a tract of land for my mother and family to live all during her natural life free of rent if they should think proper and do further order and direct that my executors heretofore named do strictly attend to my (?) accts & the whole of my business back in North! Carolina and this State and fur ther authorize and (?) them to sell any lands that I now own either their or in the State of Tennessee either at private or public sale & convey them accordingly & lastly I do appoint my beloved brothers Benjamin Isbell & Thomas Isbell my executors of this my last will and testament revoking all others in testimony whereof I have here unto set my hand and affixct my seal this 18th day of June 1826. John Isbell (seal) Witness Jos. Callaway Nancy Callaway Thomas H.(?) Callaway (further pages exist attesting to the recording and that the will was proven in Monroe County, State of Tennessee as well as in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Dates are a little difficult to read. It appears that the date of death was December 26, 1826 and that the will was proven in Summer Session in June (TN) and July (NC) of 1827.)