Amanuensis Monday~Will of Owen Ulrich Dry

Amanuensis Monday is a genealogy blogging theme. It was started by John Newmark who writes the TransylvanianDutch blog.
 His definition of Amanuensis is:
Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

Today’s subject is the Last Will and Testament of Owen Dry, 1840 



The Last Will and Testament of Owen Dry
WILLS: the Last Will and Testament of Owen Dry was produced in Open Court and the Execution thereof was duly proven by the oaths of Martin Widenhouse & Rebel B. C. Smith the subscribing witnefses thereto and the Executors Peter Kimble Jacob Miller there in named qualified and obtained Letters Testamentary whereupon it was ordered by the court that the Will be Recorded & Registered which is in the following word and figures, to wit:
In the name of God Amen I Owen Dry of the County of Cabarrus and State of North Carolina being old and weak in body but of sound mind & memory blessed be God for the same I do now make this instrument of writing the following, viz to be and contain my last will & testament as follows.
1^st It is my will that all my just debts be paid and my body to be buried in in <sic> a decent & Christian like manner.
2^nd I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Catherine Dry all the property which she brought into my possession when we were married to be hers forever and my Willing have garden & cotton patch and the full use of firewood and of the orchard as much as she strikthough may need and the half of the rent of the plantation to be hers during her natural life or widowhood.
3^rd It is my will that the executor here within named shall after my decease rent out annually the plantation together that with which is already willed to the highest bidder of the hereditaments thereof and the other half which is not that half willed to my wife to be applies to the use of repairing fences on the said plantation and all the rest of my property to be disposed to sale to the highest bidder after my decease and also after the decease or widowhood of my wife the whole of the plantation to be sold to the highest bidder and the money arising from such sales or otherwise to be divided as follows. One hundred to my daughter Christine Kimble hundred dollars to the heirs of the body of my son Daniel Dry and then my son John Dry is to draw an equal share of the remainder of my estate with the rest of the legatees already named and all the notes and receipts which I now have against any of my children shall be given up to them and not counted.
I constitute nominate & appoint my worthy friend Peter Kimble & Jacob Miller Sons in Law to be the Executors of this my last will & testament In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my Seal this Twenty first day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand Eight hundred and thirty nine in the [presence] of us witnefses who was present at the time.
Martin Widenhouse, Esq.                                                      Owen Dry {seal}
Rebel B. C. Smith

Owen Ulrich Dry was born 4 December 1754 in Montgomery County and died 5 March 1840. He was twice married; the name of his first wife and mother of his children is unknown. He married Catherine Polk, as his second wife, on 9 December 1834 in Cabarrus County, North Carolina.  

 Owen Ulrich Dry was the son of Charles Dry and Christina Muss. 

Owen Ulrich Dry is my 4th Great Grand Uncle. 
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[1] North Carolina, Pleas & Quarter Sessions (1839-1846): PQS #3, page 78, C.016.30003, Last Will and Testament of Owen Dry; North Carolina Archives, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina.My Thanks to Melissa H. Leahy for her help in transcribing this Will.