Currituck County Wills
Henry
Bray of Pasquotank Co., NC
Sept. 20, 1745 - ????
In the name of God Amen I Henry BRAY of Pasquotank County province of North Carolina, planter being in perfect health mind & memory thanks be given unto God therefore calling unto mind the mortally of my body & knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die do make & ordain this my Last Will and Testament that is to say principally & first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it & my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my Executrix noting doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again but the mighty power of God and as ???? such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life
Item. I give to my well beloved Son William BRAY one shilling sterling to him & his heirs for ever.
Item. I give to my well beloved Son Christopher BRAY one shilling sterling to him & his heirs forever.
Item. I give to my well beloved Son John BRAY one shilling sterling to him and his heirs forever
Item. I give to my well loved Son George BRAY one shilling sterling to him & his heirs for ever
Item. I give to my well beloved Son Daniel BRAY one shilling sterling to him and his heirs for ever.
Item. I give to my well beloved Son Jeremiah BRAY my plantation containing one hundred acres of land to him & his heirs for ever & provided he dies without heirs then to go to my Son Jacob BRAY & his heirs forever & provid he dies without heir then to my Son Henry BRAY and his heirs for ever, only my will and desire is that my Dearly beloved Wife Dinah and my youngest Son Caleb BRAY should have whole use of ye sd. Plant. During their natural lives & all the rest of my estate both real & personal to be equally divided amongst my Wife & three Sons Jeremiah Jacob and Caleb.
Item. I give to my well beloved Daughter Mary Shaw DAILY one shilling sterling to her & her heirs for ever.
Item. Item I give to my well beloved Daughter Sarah SQUIRES [very faded and not sure of last name] one shilling sterling to her & her heirs for ever.
Item. I give unto my well beloved Daughter Elizabeth FORBES one shilling sterling to her & her heir for ever.
Likewise I do constitute make & ordain my Dearly beloved Wife Dinah my hole & sole executrix of this my Last Will & Testament and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disannul all and every other former Testament wills legacies bequest & Executors by me in any ways before named willed & bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my Last Will & Testament in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day & year above written.
/s/ Henry [his x mark] BRAY sealSealed signed published Pronounced and decleared by me the said Henry BRAY to be my Last Will and Testament.
In the presence of us
Jno. FORBES jurat
William WRIGHT jurat[Note: There is a recorded & qualified date but it was too faded to make out.]
[Source: North Carolina State Archives - MARS ID: 12.96.1.255 (folder)]
This will was contributed by Judy Merrell Brickhouse. No part of this document may be used for any commercial purposes. However, please feel free to copy any of this material for your own personal use and family research. If you find anything in these records that pertains to your families, it is strongly suggested that you look at the original record on your own to check for errors or possibly other additional and helpful information. Thank you!
© 2006
Kay Midgett Sheppard
