I, John Isbell, In the name of God, Amen,
do make ordain and constitute this my last will and Testament, being of
sound mind & memory, but weak and (?) low (?) in body and calling to
mind that the appointed (?)aust(?) for all men to die first & recommend
my soul to Almighty God who gave it, my body to the dust to be buried in
a decent Christian manner at the disc of my executors and as touching such
worldly estate as it has pleased the almighty god to bless me with &
I do give and dispose of it in the following manner to wit: First that
all my just debts and funeral charges be punctually paid & discharged.
2nd I do give and bequeath to my beloved sister Prudence Cotton,
four hundred dollars worth of horse flesh to be valued agreeable to the
same rates of the other proffits that I give to my brothers and sisters
to be paid to her within a reasonable time after the death of my mother.
3rd I give & bequeath to my beloved sister Polly Isbell a negro
girl named Elvira and one hundr! ed d ollars in cash so soon as all my
just debts are paid and the money collected from the sale of my personal
property by my Executors the girl to be her property during her natural
life & then to aceed to her heirs. ?? is to be valued to her agreeable
to the valuation of the rest of the property so as to make her equal with
the rest of my brothers & sisters hereafter to be named. 4th
I do will give & bequeath to my beloved brothers Benjamin Isbell,
Livingstone Isbell, Thomas Isbell & James Isbell my negroes
Iarry(?) Iragett? his wife (?) her children Bita(?) & Evelina &
my negroe woman Nance & her youngest child Sal to be valued at their
worth by disinterested men with their increase by their paying my
beloved sisters Franky Fergason & Betsy Fergason of such calculation
and also I do further will and bequeath the whole of the residue of my
estate both the real and personal to Benjamin Isbell, Livingston Isbell,
Thomas Isbell, James Isbell, Franky Fergason, Betsy Fergason & Polly
Isbell to be so divided as to make them all equal and if any of them
should get money they shall be bound to pay the rest (?) valued equal
to money & its further understood that said division is not take place
untill after the death of my mother as above stated, & I further order
and direct that my personal property be sold at at least (?) months credit
and that the proceeds remain in the hands of my executors & that my
negroes remain in the possession and care of Benjamin Isbell until
the death of my mother as above stated unless she and brother Thomas
should move to this country & in that case to remain as theirs and
Benjamin's possession until the time aforesaid & further authorize
my executors of my estate to purchase a tract of land for my mother and
family to live all during her natural life free of rent if they should
think proper and do further order and direct that my executors heretofore
named do strictly attend to my (?) accts & the whole of my business
back in North! Carolina and this State and fur ther authorize and (?) them
to sell any lands that I now own either their or in the State of Tennessee
either at private or public sale & convey them accordingly & lastly
I do appoint my beloved brothers Benjamin Isbell & Thomas Isbell
my executors of this my last will and testament revoking all others in
testimony whereof I have here unto set my hand and affixct my seal this
18th day of June 1826.
John Isbell (seal)
Witness
Jos. Callaway
Nancy Callaway
Thomas H.(?) Callaway
(further pages exist attesting to the recording and that
the will was
proven in Monroe County, State of Tennessee as well as
in Wilkes
County, North Carolina. Dates are a little difficult
to read. It
appears that the date of death was December 26, 1826
and that the
will was proven in Summer Session in June (TN) and July
(NC) of
1827.)
Isbell Table of Contents
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