MATHEW PRIDGEON
October 19, 1820

In the name of God Amen I Mathew Pridgeon of the State of North Carolina & County of Sampson [not readable] weak in body but of perfect mind & memory calling to mind the mortality of my body & that it is appointed for all men must die do make & ordain this my Last will & testament & first of all I sur mmend [surrender, commend?] my soul to God who gave it & my body to the Dust to be buried in a decent christian burial at the discretion of my [not readable] nothing doubting but I shall receive [?] the same again on the morning of the resurrection by the Power of of [sic] [not readable] & as touching the worldly Estate whereof it hath pleased the Lord to bless me with I do dispose of in the following form & manner & first of all I lend to my beloved wife Rebecca all my worldly Estate during her natural life after her decease I give & bequeath the same in the following form & manner & first I give my daughter Pegy a certain negro woman called Jude & her daughter Tabitha & to my Daughter Ann Jane I lend a negro woman called Venus & her daughter Satira & one feather bed & furniture for her natural life after her decease I give this [not readable] her children equally & to my Daughter Jem___ [another source has Jemima?] I give a certain negro girl Dinah also I have given to my Daughter Rebecca J. [or I.] mar ganfield [Marganfield?} [not readable] hundred Dollars as Ruseted [or Ruerted?] & dated March 11, 1817 also to my son Luke I have given seven hundred Dollars worth in Land & a negro fellow called Jacob & I give to him another negro fellow called Brister, also to my Daughter Deborah I lend a negro woman called Tobitha & a boy called _toke [?] & another called Charles during her natural life after her decease I give them to be equally divided unto her children. Also to my son Mathew I lend all my stock House [not readable] kitchen furniture plantation Tools Should my daughter Deborough become a widow & destitute & sees [?] cause I will her the privilege of one one hundred acres to Settle & live on during widowhood The land lying between my house & William Millers also I lend to him [?] the following negroes Aberdeen, Bill, & Simon during his [?] natural life after his decease I lend Bill & Simon to my daughter Deborough during her life & I give them to her children equally at her decease should my daughter Pegy become a widow & destitute I will her the priviledge to settle on my land House plantation & the negroes named To my son Mathew during her widowhood if she sees cause & will take good care of her Brother Matthew Mean Time after exposing [sic] of my property in the aforesaid mentioned manner I choose & desire Alfred Wood & Robert Ward to execute this my will & I do hereby atterly [utterly] revoke, renounce & disannul all former wills Leg____ bequeaths E____ before before by me made but declare & denounce [sic] this to be my last will & testament. In witness whereof I in the pris_n__ of & in the presence of ____other hath hereunto set my hand seal This the nineteenth day of October 1820.

Then was the within will proven in open court by the oaths of John Carlton & Nathan Jones & ordered to be registered. Jas. Holmes, C. C.

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