Amanuensis Monday~Last Will and Testament of Joseph Columbus Eddins, Jr.

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 Joseph Columbus Eddins, Jr.¹

Joseph Columbus Eddins, Jr., son of Joseph Columbia Eddins, Sr. and his wife Matilda Ann Tice was born 12 June 1872. There is no indication that Joseph Columbus ever married; thus remaining single his entire life. He wrote his Will on 1 July 1912 and named his mother Matilda indicating she was still living at the time of the writing. 

Sadly, Joseph Columbia passed away less that a year after writing his Will on 17 May 1913. This was before the implementation of death certificates and no obituary could be located for Joseph, so the cause of death is unknown. Joseph Columbus Eddins was  40 years old.  

His probate folder (#1079)  contains this copy of his Will. All his personal estate was left to his sisters Joanna and Ida Melissa along with his Mother if she was still living. Isa Melissa was names Executor of his Will. I have not found any evidence for her death date so I don’t know if she (Mother) survived Joseph Columbus or not. 

He was buried in the Pine Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.  


WILL of Joseph Columbus EDDINS, Jr.

 


Transcription:

       South Carolina}
Chesterfield County}
                                I, J. C. Eddins, being of sound mind but of bad health, and being desirous of arranging my worldly affairs in my life time, recognizing the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death, do hereby make and ordain this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me made. After my death I require that all my just debts, doctor bills and burial expenses be paid. I further require that my executor and manager hereinafter named take charge of all property I possess and pay the above named debts and expenses, if any and I further require that the remainder of whatever property at my death become the property of my beloved mother, if she be living, named MATILDA EDDINS and my beloved sisters, JOANNA EDDINS and IDA MELISSA EDDINS, same at this time consisting of personal effects and a telephone system known as my part in the Ruby and Mt. Croghan connections to be equal in share & share alike. I, reposing special trust in my beloved sister Ida Melissa Eddins. I hereby appoint her my executor to this Will and place the management of all my estate in her hands and relay upon her to carryout the provisions of this Will = The provisions of this Will meaning that the income from the said telephone system be equally divided between the beneficiaries named herein that the said system shall be the equal property of all three and shall not be separated unless the same shall become necessary by reason of sale of said property for assets, in which event the remaining balance if any, shall be equally divided between my mother and two sisters as stated above and in the event one of the three shall die, then the other two shall be the sole owners and heirs under this Will.
                In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 1st day of July, 1912.
Signed by the Testator in our presence}
And we each in the presence of each}
Other, and at the request of the Tes-}
tator subscribe our names hereunto}
As witnesses to this instrument which}
He the testator declares to be his}
Last Will and Testament, July 1st, 1912}
                                     A. P. Smith}
                                   L. S. Graves}
                                    T. H. Burch}










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[1] "South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19383-28404-16?cc=1911928 : 21 May 2014), Chesterfield > Probate Court, Estate records > 1865-1927 > Cases 1053-1137 > image 442-443 of 1673; county courthouses, South Carolina, and South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia.