Amanuensis Monday~Will of William M. Pitts, 1916

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 Will of William M. Pitts, 1916.



State of South Carolina}
County of Chesterfield}
In the name of God, Amen!.
I, Wm. Pitts, of above state and county, of sound mind but somewhat feeble in body, hereby make, declare, and publish this to be my last Will and testament, revoking all will by me heretofore made.
1^st. I desire that all my just debts be paid, including Doctors bills and funeral expenses and that my grave be marked with a suitable monument.
2^nd. I will, desire and bequeath to my wife, Sarah Pitts, all my real and personal property, including notes and mortgages, for the term of her life.
3^rd. after the death of my wife, Sarah Pitts, I desire that the Executor herein appointed, sell at public auction, after due advertisement, all my property, both real [and] personal that I have in paragraph 2 left to my wife for life, - all of said property to be sold for cash to the highest bidder, and, after paying for my wife’s doctors bill and funeral expenses and debts incurred for her support, to provide and place a suitable monument at my wife’s grave.
4^th. The residue of my estate after my wife death - and the foregoing has been attended to – I bequeath and devise to my nephew and nieces Charlie Pitts, Frances Johnson, Margaret Polson, Susie King and Lizzie Melton, share and share alike – equal division among the five.
5^th. I hereby appoint, nominate and constitute John G. Hursey to be my sole executor to carry out this Will, especially charging him with the care of my beloved wife.
Witness my hand and seal this August 24, 1916.
                                                               W. M. Pitts {seal}

Signed, sealed and delivered and witnessed this Aug. 24, 1916 at the request of the testator, in his presence, and in the presence of each other after being read over to the testator.
                                                               J. A. Hurst

William M. Pitts was born 1 Dec 1819, a son of Isaac Pitts and his wife Elizabeth AKA ‘Betsey’ [LNU]. He died 26 Nov 1916 and was buried in the Pitts cemetery.




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[1] "South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939L-NW9C-2J?cc=1911928&wc=MPPY-MNL%3A190567401%2C190561002%2C190567402%2C192347301 : 21 May 2014), Chesterfield > Probate Court, Estate records > 1865-1927 > image 442 of 831; county courthouses, South Carolina, and South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia.