Added May 20, 2002
1844 Will of Eleanor Rogers of Orange County
Provided by Tim Mitchell of Wellington, New Zealand
Copy of will at NC Archives, Raleigh, NC
Will of Eleanor Rogers – Orange Co. (1844)
Be it known that I Eleanor Rogers of Orange County in North Carolina have made
this my last will & testament this 30th day of March 1841.
As I gave to my children who have married such advancements as were in my power
when they left me, & those of them, who would probably take care of anything I
might leave them, are now in comfortable circumstances, I consider it my duty to
give the principal part of my property to my youngest son William Rogers, who
has not married but remained with me & hath been dutiful in his attentions to me
& my affairs & aided much in ??? my stocks & other property. Therefore I do in
the first place, give & bequeath to my said son William two negro men named
Peter & Nathan, all my stocks of horses, cattle, hogs & sheep, my farming tools
& implements, two beds and their furniture (his choice ont my beds & furniture)
& all the parts of my household furniture, except the remaining beds &
furniture. I also discharge my said son William from the payment of two bonds or
notes which he gave me & from any & every debt he may owe me at my death.
To my son James Rogers I leave one bed & furniture, the third choice of such as
I may have, and also the sum of ten dollars.
To my four daughters, Jane Holt, Ann Albright, Eleanor Johnston, & Mary Foust I
give my remaining beds & bedding or their furniture; equally to be divided
between them.~
To my son William I give my negro boy named Joe, for & during the term of the
natural life of my only sister Jane Rogers, wife of William Rogers, the Snr(?);
in trust, nevertheless, for the said Jane, to her sole & separate use & free
from the control or disposition of her said husband; and after the death of my
said sister I give the said Joe to my said son William to his own use &
absolutely.
To my daughter Eleanor Johnston I give my negro boy named Jack, for & during her
life; with remainder, after her death, to her two sons John & James, equally to
be divided between them. But if either the said John or James should die before
me, or should die after me under the age of twenty-one years & unmarried, then
the share of him so dying shall go & belong to the survivor.
To my daughter Mary Foust I give my negro boy Hil(?); and to my daughter Ann
Albright I give my negro woman named Charity & such increase as she may have
after the date of this will.
To my son John Rogers & to my daughter Jane Holt I give each sum(?) of twenty
dollars.
The said money legacies to my sons James & John & my daughter Jane shall be paid
by my son William; to whom, that is to say, my said son William, I give all the
residue of my Estate, not hereinbefore particularly disposed of.
I appoint my son William Rogers the Executor of this my last will and
testament.~
Signed & published by the Testatrix Eleanor Rogers
Eleanor Rogers before us who attested her mark
The same in the presence of the testatrix
& of each other
Jonas(?) Ruffin
Milton T Holt
Be it known that I Eleanor Rogers the maker of the will above written, do ordain
& declare the following provisions, as a codicil thereto and to be taken as a
part thereof~
My daughter Eleanor Johnston having departed this life & whom I had given by the
above will my boy named Jack for her life with remainder to her sons John &
James I now give the said boy Jack to my son William to have and to hold to him
absolutely forever. And I give to my above named grandsons John & James Johnston
the sum of ten dollars each to be paid to them by my son William in lieu of
their said remainder in the said boy Jack.
I also give to my grand daughter Sally Rogers who has waited upon me most kindly
& faithfully & who has assisted me in all my domestic affairs, the negro Boy
Milton(?), the child of Charity = And my desire is that my son William shall
hold the said Boy Milton(?) in trust for my granddaughter Sally and allow her,
if she should wish it, to keep the said Boy in her possession & service & at her
request to hire out the said Boy & pay over the hire to her for her separate use
& maintenance & free from any liabilities, claims & debts of such husband as my
Grand daughter may hereafter marry ~ And if the said Sally Rogers should die
unmarried or without children then I wish the said Boy Milton(?) to go to
whomsoever she may give it or to her legal representatives
Eleanor Rogers
Her mark
Signed & published by the Testatrix
Eleanor Rogers before us, who attested
the same in her presence & in the
presence of each other
John Rogers
Milton T Holt } Jurant
Exm qualifd