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text top right [Dec. 27, 1814]
In the Name of God Amen. I Amos Johnston of the County of Edgecombe and State of North Carolina being in a reasonable State of health but sound in body and cauling to mind the mortality of the body and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say. Inprimis 1st. I lend to my beloved wife Catharine Johnston the land and plantation where on I now live bounded by a written instrumet which I have given her for that purpose for and during her natural life time I also lend [crossed out] my said wife two negro men and two negro women her choice of all my negros I may die possessed of (and not other ways disposed of) also my negro boy Cambridge and my negro garl Mourning for and during my said wifes life time. I also lend my said wife as much of my household and kitchen furniture and plantation utensils as shall be sufficient for her keeping house in a comfortable and decent manner and carrying on the farm to the best advantage. I also lend to my said wife three choice work horse creaturs and one yoke of oxen out of my stock for and during her said lifetime and it is my will and desire that after the death of my said wife all the property above lent to her may be equally divided in the following manner (viz) three fourths of the said property to be equally divided between my three daughters Esther Wilkins, Mary Battle and Nancy Evans them or their lawful representatives and the other one fourth part to go to the lawfull heirs of my said wife or whoever she may chose to devise or give it to (except the land and mill which will be hereafter provided for.) Amos Johnston Item 2. I give to my beloved wife Catharine Johnston one bed and bed stead curtains and furnitures compleat belonging to the said bed and which is commonly called hers also my set of chaney ware six silver table spoons and six silver tea spoons. I also give to my said wife my large sorrel mare commonly cauled the chane mare and the riding chair cauled hers and the choice of all my harness
also my young mare the colt of the chane mare that has always been cauled hers. I also give to my said wife twelve head of cattle such as she may chose out of my stock also twelve head of sheep and thirty head of hogs such as shall be of a good quality to begin a stock with alsoI give my said wife one hundred barrels of corn and three thousands weight of good fat pork if my death takes place about the time of housing a crop if not in proportion to the balance of the year also one hundred pounds of sugar and fifty pounds of coffee also twenty four bushels of wheat and one hundred pounds of fat and ten pounds of loaf sugar for her support for the first year. I also give my said wife my negro garl Syntha and child agreeable to a writing she holds for that purpose also all the property she my said wife possessed before our intermarriage agreeable to a written instrument between us to that purpose. I also give my said wife five hundred dollars in money together with five hundred dollars she holds my written deed of gift for to make up in all the sum of one thousand dollars. I wish her to have out of my estate exclusive of what she holds my notes for. I also give my said wife one small chest cauled her medicine chest and all the vials bottles and other instruments belonging to the same to her my said wife Catharine Johnston her heirs and assigns forever.- Amos Johnston Item 3. I give and bequeath to my daughter Esther Wilkins wife of James Wilkins my land on the south side of Town Creek bounded as follows: Beginning at a birch the corner on the creek of the land I brought of Sarah and Drewry Drake, then along the line that divides the Drake land from the Pitt land about a southerly direction to where the line strikes the horsepen branch a little to the south of where Jas. Pitt formerly lived now cauled the Pitt place then up the various courses of the said horsepen branch to theMeeting house Road t then a line due West to Jomas Walstons line than along said Walston, line to the line of the land I bought of Solomon Forehand where Zachariah Hicks now, lives then along that line southerly to Dempsey Skinners line then along his line Eastwardly to another of his lines then along his other line northwardly to the corner, then
to the Mill Pond at Skinners corner then along the highwater mark down the Mill Pond to a brick hole just above the tan vat then nearly north to a small branch where the road crosses it to the line of the land where Nancy Johnston lives then along that line down the run of the said branch to the Mill Swamp then down the various courses of said swamp to Town Creek then up the said Creek the various courses thereof to the first station (except the Dower wright of Nancy Johnston which is on said land and a loan to said Nancy of the small part between her Dower line and the land of Dempsey Skinner for life) to my said Daughter Esther Wilkins her heirs and assigns forever (except as above excepted) I also give to my said Daughter my large Church Bible that was my Fathers and my Pocket Hymn Book and my Oval Walnut Table to her her heirs and forever
Amos Johnston
Item 4. I give and bequeath to my Daughter Mary Battle wife of Joel Battle one tract of land lying and being on Town Creek on the north side joining the land of Drewry Willaims Hardy Flowers and others formerly the property of Martin Gardner which I hold by deed from James Wilkins who purchased it at said (Gamin?) Sale for four hundred acres more or less, also I give to my said Daughter my small church Bible and two Volumes of Erskins Works, to her my said Daughter her heirs and assigns forever.
Amos Johnston
Item 5. I give and bequeath to my daughter Nancy Evans wife of Peter Evans all the land I now own on Tar River that I bought of John Andrews, William Copeland and the heirs of Dempsey Copeland cauled the Copeland place containing about four hundred acres includng all my wright title and itnerest in the said Copeland land - also one other tract or parcel of land on the South side of Town Creek bounded as follows (viz) Beginning at the mouth of the gum branch in said Creek and running up the said branch to a gum a corner of the land I lately bought of the heirs of Rich. W. Johnston dec'd. and so bounded by the lines of that tract as to include the whole of the tract I gave to my son Richard W. Johnston cauled the Cartwright place containing
by estimation six hundred and thirty acres also several other tracts joining the same and each other (viz) One tract I bought of Peter Cartwright for two hundred acres one other tract I bought of Christopher Edwards for four hundred and forty acres (two deeds) one other tract I bought of Alex Balkum and a small peace took up for two hundred and forty three acres one other tract bought of Amos Hearne and John Dowden where John Everett lives for one hundred and sixty acres, one other tract bought of Edward Sumerling for five hundred and thirty acres containing inall about two thousand six hundred acres being all the land within the within described bounds to her my said Daughter Nancy Evans her heirs and assigns forever I also give to my said Daughter my laarge New Church Bible and Concordance to her and her heirs forever.-
Item 6. I give and bequeath to my Grand Son Amos Johnston Wilkins son of James Wilkins my land and plantation whereon I now live containing about nine hundred acres of land bounded by the land I bought of Hezekiah Cartwright and gave to my son Richard W. Johnston and lately bought of Peter Cartwright then west along that line to the line of Peter Hines then along the said Hines Line and Hines and wife to my Mill Pond then crossing the Mill Pond to Dempsey Skinners corner on the west side of the Mill Pond then down the high water mark of the Mill Pond to a brick hole just above the Tan Vatt then nearly North to where the road crosses a small branch the line of the land Nancy Johnston lives on, them down the branch along that line to the Mill Swamp then down the various courses of said Swamp to Town Creek then down the various courses of the Creek to a cypress at the mouth of the gum branch being the corner of the land I bought of said Cartwright and the first station (except the loan I have made to my wife Catharine Johnston upon the said land), to him my said Grand son Amos Johnston Wilkins his heirs and assigns forever nevertheless it is my will and desire that should my said Grand Son Amos Johnston Wilkins die intestate without lawfull issue that the [crossed out]
land of which I have given him in this writing shall decend to his Mother Esther Wilkins as it is my intention that the said land Mills shall be and decend to the lawfull heirs of my said Daughter in case of the death of her Son as above and not to decend to the family of his Father and it is also my intention that my clock and the large Looking Glasses that stand in the Hall Room and the large Brandy Mill that is planted on said land shall not decend with the land but be considered as personable property and be divided as such after the death of my wife (who is to enjoy them for life) and then to be divided as the other property lent to her.-
Amos Johnston.
Item 7. I give and bequeath to my Grand Son Amos Johnston Battle Son of Joel Battle my land and plantation on the south side of Town Creek where William Clark lives, bounded as follows (viz., Beginning at a Birch on the Bank of the Creek corner of the land now given to my Daughter Esther Wilkins and running along the line of that land to where it intersects the horse pen branch then up the Branch along said line ot the Meeting House Road then along said line West to Jonas Walstons line, then along said Walstons line North to the corner, then West to Dempsey (Gamin[?]) Line then along said Dempsey and Jonathan (Gamin)(?) Sons line to Benjamin Sharps line then along said Sharps line to a gum standing in a branch between where Lazurus (Gamin?) lives and the said Sharps corner between said Sharp and myself then down the various courses of the said branch to Town Creek, then down the various courses of the Creek to the beginning containing about nine hundred acres and including the Plantation where Riddick Barrett lives, to him my said Grand Son Amos J. Battle his heirs and assigns forever. -
Amos Johnston
Item 8. I give to my Grand Son William Horn Battle one thousand dollars in good notes to be put in the care of his father or next friend and kept at interest for him until he shall arrive of lawfull age and the Notes to be renewed every year so as for the money to have its lawfull increase to him my said Grand Son his heirs and