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 of John Henderson, 1793. 1
Transcription:
The Last Will of John Henderson
In the name of God Amen, this 4th day of June in the year 1793 I, John Henderson of the County of Mecklenburg in the State of North Carolina, being sick & weak in body but of a Sound mind & memory thanks be to God, & calling to mind the mortality of my body & that it is appointed for all men to die, Do make and ordain this my last Will & testament, first of recommending my Soul unto God who gave it, my body to the earth to be Buried in a decent Christian manner without pomp hoping thru the merits death & (illegible?) of my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ to (illegible?) the same at the general resurrection by the mighty power of God to blefs me with in this life, I give & dispose of in the following manner & form, It is my Will & I order that all my Just debts & duties that I owe to be paid & Satisfied
Item I give & bequeath to my loving wife Jane my dwelling House & all the furniture therein belonging to me with the plantation on which it stands with all my negroes & Stock of every kind in clearing all plantation improvements during her natural life.
Item I give & Bequeath at my wife decease to my grandson James Davis the plantation on which I now live containing two hundred acres including my buildings, a spring & improvements the half of my Meadow (reserving the half of my orchard for the use of my son William, a young negro wench named Fan two horse creatures of her own choosing & as many plantation implements as will be sufficient to carry on his farm a good feather bed & furniture thereto belonging a large chest & cupboard, the half of all utensils of Cookery with one hundred acres of Western land & if the said James Davis should decease before Twenty One all above mentioned to him to descend to my son William son John Otherwise to be The said James Davis & his heirs & assigns forever---
Item I give and bequeath to my beloved Son William the Land on which he now lives Reserving the half of the meadow before mentioned to James Davis with the half of my Orchard including his buildings Spring & improvements with the half of my barley patch & to him and assigns forever be the same more of lefs
Item I give & bequeath to my beloved daughter Mary at my Wife decease my Negro Wench name dine(?) & the other half of my household furniture not before mentioned & to her heirs & assigns forever.
Item, I give and bequeath to my Niece Nancy Henderson at my wife decease one Cow & to her heirs forever
*Item It is my Will & I order that at my wife decease the Remainder of my Estate not before mentioned Except the Waggon which I allow to be the use of my Son William & James Davis Equally to enjoy to be Sold including two negroes Joe & Cats Equally divided between my Sons William, John & my daughter Mary & to their heirs forever---My Sons it is my will & I order that each of you take a Special Care of your helplefs Mother consider what She under went for you in your infant state & her love to you thro' the course of Life (illegible?) he in all your Visitations & also take care of James Davis & may the Sovereign of the Heavens grant each of you their blefsings that is promised to the performers of such duties--- And lastly for the True Execution of this my Last Will & Testament I appoint my loving sons William Henderson and John Henderson my Executors hereby Revoking & or disannulling all former Wills & Legacies by me made either by word or writing confirming this & no other to be my last Will & Testament.
In Witness whereof I have set my hand & seal the day & year first above written---Signed & Sealed & pronounced
By the said as his last Will & testament in presence
of Martha Lucas}
John Henderson} John Henderson {Seal}
William Graham}
Mary Henderson, daughter of John Henderson married John Davis Sr., son of David Davis and Jane Miles about 1762.
John Davis and Mary, his wife along with a brother lived for a while in Anson County before finally acquiring land in what is now known as Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
John Henderson the father of Mary, wife of John Davis, wrote his Will on 4 June 1793.
Between the year 1762 (Marriage of John Davis and Mary Henderson) and 1793 ( Writing of John Henderson Will) the John Davis family grew to 8 siblings; four sons and four daughters.
Between these eight grandchildren, three of his own children and a wife known as Jane in his Will above he left his estate as noted above with much of it going to his grandson James Davis.
James Davis was the 2nd born son and 4th born child of John and Mary (Henderson) Davis. I have no idea why he was the chosen one; but, I sure wish I had a grandfather that looked upon me in such a favorable light.
John Davis, Sr. husband of Mary Henderson is my 4th Great Grand Uncle. Mary Henderson is the daughter of John Henderson.
__________________
[1] John Henderson (1793), WILL BOOK: "D"; pages 43, 44, and 45; Probate Office, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Item I give & Bequeath at my wife decease to my grandson James Davis the plantation on which I now live containing two hundred acres including my buildings, a spring & improvements the half of my Meadow (reserving the half of my orchard for the use of my son William, a young negro wench named Fan two horse creatures of her own choosing & as many plantation implements as will be sufficient to carry on his farm a good feather bed & furniture thereto belonging a large chest & cupboard, the half of all utensils of Cookery with one hundred acres of Western land & if the said James Davis should decease before Twenty One all above mentioned to him to descend to my son William son John Otherwise to be The said James Davis & his heirs & assigns forever---
Item I give and bequeath to my beloved Son William the Land on which he now lives Reserving the half of the meadow before mentioned to James Davis with the half of my Orchard including his buildings Spring & improvements with the half of my barley patch & to him and assigns forever be the same more of lefs
Item I give & bequeath to my beloved daughter Mary at my Wife decease my Negro Wench name dine(?) & the other half of my household furniture not before mentioned & to her heirs & assigns forever.
Item, I give and bequeath to my Niece Nancy Henderson at my wife decease one Cow & to her heirs forever
*Item It is my Will & I order that at my wife decease the Remainder of my Estate not before mentioned Except the Waggon which I allow to be the use of my Son William & James Davis Equally to enjoy to be Sold including two negroes Joe & Cats Equally divided between my Sons William, John & my daughter Mary & to their heirs forever---My Sons it is my will & I order that each of you take a Special Care of your helplefs Mother consider what She under went for you in your infant state & her love to you thro' the course of Life (illegible?) he in all your Visitations & also take care of James Davis & may the Sovereign of the Heavens grant each of you their blefsings that is promised to the performers of such duties--- And lastly for the True Execution of this my Last Will & Testament I appoint my loving sons William Henderson and John Henderson my Executors hereby Revoking & or disannulling all former Wills & Legacies by me made either by word or writing confirming this & no other to be my last Will & Testament.
In Witness whereof I have set my hand & seal the day & year first above written---Signed & Sealed & pronounced
By the said as his last Will & testament in presence
of Martha Lucas}
John Henderson} John Henderson {Seal}
William Graham}
Mary Henderson, daughter of John Henderson married John Davis Sr., son of David Davis and Jane Miles about 1762.
John Davis and Mary, his wife along with a brother lived for a while in Anson County before finally acquiring land in what is now known as Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
John Henderson the father of Mary, wife of John Davis, wrote his Will on 4 June 1793.
Between the year 1762 (Marriage of John Davis and Mary Henderson) and 1793 ( Writing of John Henderson Will) the John Davis family grew to 8 siblings; four sons and four daughters.
Between these eight grandchildren, three of his own children and a wife known as Jane in his Will above he left his estate as noted above with much of it going to his grandson James Davis.
James Davis was the 2nd born son and 4th born child of John and Mary (Henderson) Davis. I have no idea why he was the chosen one; but, I sure wish I had a grandfather that looked upon me in such a favorable light.
John Davis, Sr. husband of Mary Henderson is my 4th Great Grand Uncle. Mary Henderson is the daughter of John Henderson.
__________________
[1] John Henderson (1793), WILL BOOK: "D"; pages 43, 44, and 45; Probate Office, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
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