Franklin County Wills:

Will of JOHN WILLIAMS-1814 Will Book F, Page 42 In the Name of God Amen: I John Williams of Franklin County and State of North Carolina, being very sickly and weak in body, But of perfect & sound mind and memory, do make, ordain and establish this (revoking all others heretofore made) to be, continue & remain my last Will and Testament: And first of my body, I commit it to the Earth, to be buried in a decent and Christian like manner at the proper cost & charges of my Estate, & at the discretion of my Executors when I shall hereafter name And as touching such worldly Estate when with it has pleased God to bless me with in this Life: I give devise & distribute in the following manner & form Imprimis I lend to my beloved wife Mary Williams during her natural Life and to my three youngest sons Kinchen, Wilie and Bob the sole use and benefit of all my Land and Plantation I live and including all my improvements, houses, orchard, and cashs in the following manner (Viz) my said wife to have & enjoy one third part of the profits of the same during the term of her natural life and at her death the whole, to be equally divided betwixt my said three youngest sons, Kinchen, Willie & Bob giving & granting the same to them (after my said wifes dead) to them & to their heirs & assigns forever   Item The balance of my estate, including all my perishable property of all  kinds, consisting of Negroes, hack of all kinds, Household & kitchen furniture, Plantation tolls do I leave to be sold after my death at pub sale by my Executor hereafter named, and the proceeds, applied in the first place to the discharge of all my just debts, and the balance to be distributed as follows: Viz: I give to my beloved Wife the said Mary Williams the sum of One Hundred dollars to be raised and paid out of the property which I direct to be sold and I likewise give to Sally Piper(?) and Lucretia Harris & to Gilly Bridges to each of them the sum of seventy five dollars, to be raised & paid to them in manner aforesaid -- And the balance then remaining in the hands of my said Executor I leave to be equally divided amongst my said wife and my ten children namely Bridges Williams, Edy Dial, John Williams, William Williams, Polly White, Elizabeth Massey, Beady Massey, Kinchen Williams, Willie Williams & Bob Williams: each to share & share alike And I hereby constitute, make & appoint William Harrison, my son Kinchen Williams to be my Executor to this my last Will & Testament & require them to Execute faithfully every article & clause of the same be its plain sense & memory In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand affixed my Seal this Twelfth day of July in the year of our Lord One thousand Eight Hundred & fourteen John Williams Signed & sealed in presence of us as witnesses Drury Melton  Jurat John Amos  Jurat Robert Melton This will was proven in the December Court, 1815 and recorded in Book F, folio 42, Franklin Co., North Carolina