The Last Will and
Testament of
John Prior Stokesbury
Written : 29th August 1835
Probate : September 1847
[p.383]
State of North Carolina }
Beaufort County }
In the name of God Amen, I John Prior Stokesbury of the state and county
aforesaid being in perfect health, do make and ordain this my last will
and testament, in order following, that is to say I give and recommend
my soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it, and my body I recommend
to the earth, to be decently intered, at the discression of my son Arthur
H. Stokesbury whom I constitute, leave and appoint my executor, and touching
such worldly estate which it hath pleased God to bless me with I will and
bequeath in the following manner and form, I leave to Dosia Stokesbury
my wife, one shilling as her behavior to me was intolerable in many respects
that I could not put up with & I bequeath to my son Arthur H. Stokesbury
the whole and entire stock of cattle and hogs, that I possess now, and
the entire lands I bought of James and his son Simon Alderson being only
fifteen acres of land they bought of John Whitley adjoining the old Plantation
where I now live on as the old Plantation of 184 ½ acres is to be
divided equally between John, James, Ira & Arthur Stokesbury, and Polly
Manduel and Arthur Stokesbury is to have the land I purchased of the Aldersons
as his own property besides the division of 184 ½ acres both pieces
of land contains two hundred acres being the land commonly none by the
name of Naughtons Point, and all of the lands I posess in Ireland by the
name of Inch bride & Corbitstown which the leases will show that I
gave and renewed in the year 1811 [p.384]
to Dowling and Muldony besides the land of Esker which I let Will: Conery
as a brother in law have the one half of the lands of Esker for him to
care of for me and to receive the rents for me also and all the furniture
of beds and mahogany Chairs and tables silver spoons & sundry other
articles and horses, cattle that I left there postecheas phicton
(?) and all the plantation utensils &c which Connery has in his possession
of my property and never settled with me for any of them at all besides
several other things to the amount of four or five thousand pounds sterling
and never accounted with me for any part of it, to me which he is still
due to me for the amount which I give and bequeath the entire of it to
my son Arthur H. Stokesbury to be his own property forever and another
plantation on the main road to Wilmington near the town of Collumbus and
county [Bladen Co., NC] where I formerly lived, which my said son Arthur
Stokesbury will have forever as his own property and my household furniture
beds, chairs & tables, and half dozen silver tea spoons, Gigg, harness,
two sets of carpenter tols &c Cart and all farming utensils and all
the kitchen furniture, pots, dutch ovens and all other iron ware, coffee
mill, hand mill, and every thing else I possess to be the property of Arthur
H. Stokesbury to have and enjoy as his own property forever; and I do hereby
utterly disallow, revoke and disanul all and every other former testaments
and wills by me in any ways before named, willed and bequeathed ratifying
and conforming the and no other to be my last will and testament in Witness
thereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 29th day of August 1835
John Prior Stokesbury {seal}
Signed sealed published
and pronounced by the sd
John P. Stokesbury as his last
will and testament in the presents
of us ~
Samuel Topping, Witness }
Sharp B. Lucas, do }
Israel Eborn, do }
Proved at September Term 1847 of Beaufort County Court.
Source: Beaufort County Orphan Book F, 1845 - 1847. North Carolina State Archives: C.R. 009.501.7; Pages 383, 384; 1835. Will of John Prior Stokesbury
Note: Son William Clark Stokesbury had died previous to the writing of this will, sometime between 1830 when he appeared in the Beaufort Co. census and 1835. (Could he possibly have been named for William Clark of Lewes, Delaware??? Son Arthur H. Stokesbury died sometime between the writing of this will in 1835 and the probate of this will in 1847. Since he doesn't appear in the 1840 Hyde Co. census, we may assume that he died between 1835-1840. I believe that Arthur was probably the youngest of the children.
Note: Wife�s name "Dosia" Stotesbury is most probably a nickname for JPS's 2nd wife, Sarah (Gurganus) Stokesbury, possibly a nickname for Dorcas, which may have been Sarah's middle name. Sarah name is given as "Sally" in most records and she was deceased by 1850. She was a daughter of Aaron Gurganus (d.1810), a Revolutionary War veteran, and Wealthy Winfield. John Prior's eldest son was named John Aaron, probably after his grandfather.
Note: Judging from records available, I believe that the children of John Prior Stokesbury and Sarah Gurganus were as follows:
1 - John Aaron Stokesbury (1792-1862)
2- Mary "Polly" Stokesbury ( - ) [mar. (___?___) Manduell]
3- William Clark Stotesbury ( ? -by1835)
4 - James Bradish Stotesbury ( - )
5 - Ira H. Stotesbury ( - )
6 - Arthur H. Stotesbury ( -by1840)
Note: The area of land from the western bank of the Pungo River to Sinclare Creek (almost to Bath Creek), was part of Hyde County from 1712 to 1819. In 1819 this area of land became the eastern section of Beaufort Co., NC. When searching for deeds, wills and other records for this period, check the records of both counties.
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