Rutherford County TN Archives Wills.....Davis, Lewis October 6, 1834 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/tn/tnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deborah Parks http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00002.html#0000452 September 3, 2006, 12:19 am Source: Rutherford County Court House Written: October 6, 1834 In the name of God Amen. Lewis Davis of the County of Rutherford and State of Tennessee being well in body and of sound mind, do make ordain and constitute this my last will and testament in the words following, to wit: First it is my will that at my decease all my just debts should be paid. Secondly it is my will that my below wife Elizabeth shall inherit, use and enjoy all the estate both real and personal of which I shall ______ if during her natural life or widowhood excepting such articles of property is that herein _______ and bequeathed to several of my children. It is my will that my daughters Elizabeth and Mary shall each receive a good feather bed and a good side saddle, it is my desire provided they shall not have been furnished with them as their own before my decease. It is my will that my daughter Martha Lavender shall inherit a certain Negro slave named Harriet and all her future increases to become her property at the decease of my wife Elizabeth or at my wish earlier as this my wife Elizabeth shall choose to give her, to my said daughter Martha Lavender. And it is also my will that my said daughter Martha Lavender shall inherit a good feather bed and a good side saddle at my decease, provide she also not have been furnished previously. It is my will that my sons William Lewis and James Monroe shall each inherit a good horse and saddle at my decease provided they shall not have been furnished with them prior to my decease and it is further my will that my two sons William Lewis and James Monroe shall receive out of my estate at my decease one hundred dollars each to be paid them by my executor or executrix and out of the moneys that may be on hand at my decease or moneys arising from the sale of personal property or in anyway which my wife Elizabeth shall prefer to raise it out of my estate, not otherwise herein bequeathed. It is further my will that my son Nicholas shall have at my decease receive and inherit a good horse & saddle provided he shall not have been provided for prior to my death and after the date of this instrument. It is my will that after the afore written bequests are fulfilled to my aforementioned children that my wife Elizabeth shall possess each and every of any and all my real and personal estate during her natural life or widowhood and that after her decease an equal distribution of the remains of my estate shall be made among my children their heirs if it is understood that all my children herein after named are to draw and inherit equal shares with the rest beside and in addition to the bequeath herein made to them. It is my will that in case my wife Elizabeth should remarry after my decease, she shall inherit her lawful dowry only and that my estate shall on hr marriage be divided & distributed according to law after the aforementioned bequeaths to my children are fulfilled. Lastly it is my will that my wife Elizabeth shall act as Executrix to this my last will and testament. She may be at full liberty to choose, select and employ any assistance which she may deem necessary without posting bond and security for the performance of duty. To this my last will and testament I have set my hand and affixed my seal in Rutherford this 6th day of October in the year of our Lord 1834. Signed and Sealed Lewis Davis From Record Book 9 of Rutherford Co TN, the following is an inventory of his estate on Nov 12, 1835: 28 head of horned cattle, 7 head of horses, 70 head of hogs and pigs, 30 head of sheep, 4 feather beds, and furniture, 1 press, 1 bureau, 1 sugar chest, 1 candle slane, 2 chests, 2 tables, 10 chairs, part of set blacksmiths tools, 1 reel, 1 looking glass, 3 spinning wheels, 1 log chain, 1 old wagon, 4 pair draught chairs, 6 ploughs, 1 set of kitchen furniture, 5 bedstands, 2 syth blades, 1 wheat fan, 1 grindstone, 1 set table furniture, 10 hoes, 6 pole arcs, 1 cat saw, 1 pair fur dogs. Negro slave Dinah and four children, Mary and four children, Jenny and 1 child, and Maria. Crop on hand of tobacco, cotton, and grain. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tn/rutherford/wills/davis41gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/tnfiles/ File size: 4.7 Kb