John Etheridge
April 3, 1744 - July Court 1744

  North Carrolina
Corrotuck County

In the Name of God amen John ETHERIDGE Being Week of Body But of Sound mind and memery Blessed Be the Allmyty God for it I Dow make and ordain this my Last will and Testement In maner and form as followeth.

Imp^s.  I Committe my Spiritte unto God that gave it and my Body to Be Desently Buaried at the Decresion of my Ext^x.

Item  I Give and Bequeath unto my Eldest Son amos ETHERIDGE one Hundred acers of Land Commonly Cauled and Known By the name of the Bullyard it Being the plantation and the South East parte of that Tract of Land I Bought of Samuel SIMMONS to him and his Hears for Ever and one horse Called Caper and one mare Called pleashur to him and his Hears for Ever.

Item  I Give and Bequeath unto my Second Son Willis ETHIRIDGE one plantation and Tract of Land that I Bought of Sollomon ETHERIDG Containing of Foure Hundred and Eleven acers of Land Commonly Called BALLs? old feald to him & his Hears for Ever and two Likly? Cows and Cauls upon the plantation to him and his Hears for Ever.

Item  I Give and Bequeath unto my 3^d Son Callib ETHERIDGE that Tract of Land and plantation that I Bought of John BRENTIEL? Containing one Hundred and fifty accers of land Commonly Cauled and Known by the Name of NORTHERNs to him and his Hears for Ever Likwis I Give to my Son Callib ETHERIDGE one hundred and forty five acers of Land Being the Lower parte of that Tract of land that I bought of Elezebeth ISLAND Commonly Cauled By the name of Stone houses to him and his Hears for Ever Likwise I Give to my afors^d Son Callib one Negrew Gairle Cauled Jeny to him and his Hears for Ever But and if the afore Said Negrew Should Deseas Before My afore S^d Son Callib Should Com to the age of Twenty one then my will and Desire is that my Exceutrix Should Rase as pay out of my Estate to my afore Said Son Callib ETHERIDGE the full Sum of fifteen pounds proklimatian money.

Item  I Give and Bequeath unto my Son Jams ETHERIDGE one Tract of Land and plantation where Henry BLOUNT Now Liveth Containing one Hundred and fifty acers Held by pattain to him and his Hears for Ever Likewise I Give to my afore S^d [son] JAMS ETHERIDGE one Hundred and forty five acers of Land it Being the half of that Tract of Land I Bought of Elezebeth ISLAND Commonly Cauled and Known By the Name of Stone Houses to him and his Hears for Ever and Likewise I Doe Give to my afore S^d Son Jams ETHERIDGE fifty acers of Land it being the Northern part of that Tract of Land that I Bought of Samuel SIMMONS Commonly Cauled and Known by the Name of the Bull yeard.

Item  I Give and Bequeath unto my 5^th Son John ETHERIDGE this plantation and Tract of Land whereon I Now Live to him and his Hears for Ever Likewis I Give to my Son John ETHERIDG one Hundred acers of Land Begining at a Swamp Cauled Capp Swamp and so Joyning on Solloman ETHERIDGEs Line and the Head of Beckleys Run to him and his hears for Ever.

Item  I Give and Bequeath unto my Son Josias ETHERIDGE that Plantation where Samuel JONES liveth and all the Land Belonging to the Said plantation and one Hundred acers of Land that I Bought of Richard ISLAND to him and his hears for Ever.

Item  I Doe Give and Bequeath unto my Dafter Sarath BIGGS one mare and Cow and Calfe which She hath now in hir parsesean to hir and hears for Ever.

Item  I Doe Give and Bequeath unto my Dafter Dinath ETHERIDGE two Cows and Couls to hir and hir hears for Ever.

Item  I Doe Give and Bequeath unto my well Beloved wife Elener ETHERIDGE the use and Labour of my Indian woman Cauled Pegg and hir two Sons Ishmill and Jonas Dureing hir Natural Life and after my afore S^d wife Deseise my will and Desire is that my Indian woman Pegg and hir two Sons Ishmale and Joness and all the Rest of Peggs Increase Should Be Equilly Devided amungst my Chilldren amos EHTERIDGE Willis ETHERIDGE Callib ETHERIDGE Jams ETHERIDGE John ETHERIDGE Jonas ETHERIDGE Sarath ETHERIDGE BIGGS Dinath ETHERIDGE and there Hears for Ever.  and further I Doe Give to Leve the use of three featherd Beads and the furniture Belonging to them and three? potts and forty weayht of grewlesd? one ovell Table and Six Chears two Chests and forty Head of Hoggs one half Long the other Small and twenty Head of Sheep to my afore Said wife Dureing hir widowhood and further I Doe Leave the use of a Cotten Mill to my afore S^d wife Dureing hir widowhood as afore S^d and Likewis I Doe Leive the use of two Horses prence and Sparke and my own hunting gun to my afore S^d wife Dureing hir widowhood and Likewise I Doe Leave the use of my Still Dureing of hir widowhood.

Item  my Will and Desire is that after my worldly Depts is paid that my aforesd wife Elener have one third parte of my personale Estate that is Not heare to fore mentioned in this will to hir and her hears for Ever and further my will and Desire is that all the Resedue of my hole Estate that is Not before Given in this Will both Rale and parsonall Both within Dors & without Be Equilly Devided Between my afore mentioned Children and there Hears for Ever and further I will and Desire is that all my afore Said Sons Should Be possed [possessed] with there Estates Both Rail and personale as Soon as they arive to the age of twenty years and further I Doe ordain and apoint my wife Elener ETHERIDGE my hole and Sole Ex^tx of this my Last Will and Testement as wittness whereof I have heareunto Sett my hand and Seal this 3^d Day of Aprile Anno Dom 1744.
    /s/ John ETHERIDGE

Test
This within Will was assigned and acknolidged to Be his Last will and Testament In Presents of
    Tho^s WILLIAMS
    Solomon ETHERIDGE
    John PIRKENS
    Absalom LEGETT

   North Carolina }        July County Court 1744
Currituck County }
    Present His Majesties Justices

These may Certify that Thomas WILLIAMS and Soloman ETHEREDGE Subscribing Evidences to the within Will came into appeared in open Court & made Oath on the Holy Evangelests that they were present & Saw John ETHERADGE Sign Seal Publish and Declare the within to be & Contain his Last Will and Testament & that they saw John PIRKINS and Absalom LEGETT the other Subscribing Evidences Sign their Names at the same time.  Then also appeared Elenor ETHERADGE Executrix in Open Court & took the Executors Oath in Due form of Law.  Ordered that the Hon^ble Nath^l RICE Esq^r Secretary of the said province have Notice thereof that Letters Testamentory Issue thereon as the Law Directs.
    Test: Rich^d McClure Clk Cor^t

[On the back of this will is written: Letters iss^d Aug^t the 10^th 1744]

[Source: North Carolina State Archives - MARS ID: 12.96.1.664 (folder)]

This will was contributed by Kay Midgett Sheppard. 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