Will of Henry Evans - 1815
Orange County, NC, Will Book D, Page 427-429
In the name of God, Amen. I HENRY EVANS of Orange County and State of North
Carolina being sick and weak in Body but of perfect soundness of mind & memory.
Thanks be to Almighty God And knowing the mortality of my body, and that it is
appointed unto all men to die, I do make constitute & ordain this my last Will &
Testament in manner & form following, Viz;
First & principally, I recommend my Soul to God who gave it and my Body to be
decently buried at the discretion of my friends & Executors trusting through the
merits of my Saviour Jesus Christ for a Joyful resurrection at the last day. And
as touching such Worldly Estate as it has pleased God to bless me with in this
life I give devise and dispose of as follows
Item. I lend to my beloved wife ELIZABETH EVANS during her lifetime or
widowhood one Negro Woman and Child namely SYLVIA & KIMBRO also three feather
beds with all my Household & kitchen furniture, also one Mare & Colt, also as
many of my Hogs as my Executors shall think proper for her use, also four head
of Sheep, also three head of Cattle, also as much corn fodder as my Executors
shall think is sufficient, also one hundred Acres of Land lying in Wake County
to live on if she pleases if not to be rented by my Executors and money arising,
therefrom to go to the support of my Wife and family. Also it is my Will that
my Negro man GABRIEL be hired out by my Executors. Also it is my Will that my
pocket Watch, and one Hourse and four head of Sheep and the balance of my Hogs
and Corn & fodder be sold. Also it is my will that if the child my wife is big
with should be a girl, it shall be entitled to one third part of Estate except
my Land, and if it should be a boy it is entitled to one half of my Estate
except my Land. Also I give to my beloved son ASA one hundred acres of Land
lying in Wake County, also half of my other Estate. It is my Will that my son
ASA be put to school at nine years old and kept at School till he is fourteen
years old, then to be bound to some trade trade as my Executors shall think most
profitable for five years. It is my will that the other two minor years he be
kept at his Trade or School as my Executors shall think most proper. Also it is
my Will that if the Child my Wife is big with should be a boy, that it be
schooled and bound to some Trade the same as my son ASA, and if it should be a
girl, it shall have such schooling as my Executors shall think best and to
continue with her mother, also it is my Will that ARCHELUS M. THOMPSON be sent
to school Eighteen Months also that the said ARCHELUS M. THOMPSON continue with
my wife if they can agree, and if not that he be hired out by my Executors till
he is twenty one years of age. Also I give to said ARCHELUS M. THOMPSON twenty
five pounds. It is my will that all my just debts be paid first out of the
notes that is now on hand, and all the rest of my money to be put out on
Interest for the use of my children. My will is that when my children comes of
age that all the money that the Executors has on hand at that time, and GABRIEL
be divided as before mentioned. Also my Will is that my Negro Woman SYLVIA &
KIMBRO and her increase if any and all the property I left my Wife shall be
divided between the children as before mentioned after my Wife's death or
Widowhood.
Furthermore I do hereby nominate & appoint my trusty friends CHESLEY P.
PATTERSON, WILLIAM RHODES & BENJAMIN RHODES Executors to this my last Will &
Testament. In witness whereof I have here unto set my Hand and Seal the
twentieth day of September in the year of Our Lord One thousand Eight hundred &
fourteen.
HENRY EVANS
Test
JOHN RHODES
THOMAS HUTCHINGS ("X" his mark)
Orange County February Term 1815
The Executors of the foregoing last Will and Testament of HENRY EVANS dec'd was
duly proved in open Court by the oath of JOHN RHODES & THOMAS HUTCHINGS
subscribing witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded, at the same time
CHESLEY P. PATTERSON one of the Executors therein named qualified.
Note: HENRY EVANS, b. 1781, was the son of Gilbert Evans & Phoebe Lumley of Wake Co.,NC. He was married 1st to Martha Phillips on May 27, 1800, and 2nd to Elizabeth Hutchins on July 5, 1810. He and Elizabeth had 1 child, Asa H. Evans, since the other child mentioned in Henry's will who was unborn at the time of his death, apparently did not survive. Elizabeth remarried to Andrew Cole in 1817, and they moved to Weakly County, TN. Asa married Elizabeth Jenkins in 1826 Wake County, but he died sometime early in 1837, after having 3 children with Elizabeth - Joel, William and Nancy Evans. Elizabeth remarried to Thomas Copeland of Wake Co. in October 1837.