Will of Charles Connors

 

 

 

In the name of God Amen, I Charles Connors of Clarendon and State of South Carolina, Planter being infirm of body, but sound in mind, and Wishing as far as pofsible to adjust my Worldly concerns do make and declare this to be my last Will and Testament. hereby revoking and annulling all others

 

First I recommend my Soul to God, the giver, and my Body to be intered at the discretion of my Executors in the Burial ground long side my Children

Item   It is my will and desire, That my funeral charges and all my Just debts and Contracts be first paid and Complied with, by my Executors to be hereafter nominated

Item   I lend to my beloved Wife Elizabeth during her natural life, the use of my Dwelling House, out Buildings and Lands whereon they are Situated, Containing Eight hundred and Thirty six & three fourth Acres, bought of Capt I.N. Johnson, with the privilege of working her hands on lands bought of Brinkly Corbett containing five hundred & Eighty four Acres part of which Lands is now enclosed and Cultivated, and Eleven Slaves, as named Billy, Hannah, Jerry,  Wife Dinah & Child Peggy, Statira & four of her children, Lizy, Mary ann Isaac and Margaret and Susanna a child of Lucretia, and the use of the Stock of Cattle, hogs and goats on this plantation, my four Wheel Carriage and Carriage Horses, Household & Kitchen furniture, and Charlotte to remain Cook if Tis my wife’s desire and Sophia to be waiter in the house as heretofore, and after the death of my Wife, Tis my will and desire That the above named Tracts of Lands be given to my Son Mathew Henry to be to him and his lawful heirs forever, but will be subject to be worked and Cultivated, by the Undivided Slaves, as noted below for him and his Brother Julius Augustus, And the Slaves, that she my Wife Elizabeth may be pofsesfed of at her Death shall be Equally divided among my Children born of her, Share and Share alike, but the property of the Stock of all kinds, with the furniture above mentioned, with the Carriage & horses &c is to be Equally divided among the whole of my Children share and share alike to be to them & their lawful heirs forever

Item   I give to my beloved Daughter Elizabeth Henrietta Henry, the girl Slave Juliet long sence In her pofsefsion with her Increase, Also Eight Slaves Named, Morris & his Wife Sabina & six of their Children, Betty, Sheppard, Milton, Morris, Abel & Agnes which is also in her pofsefsion sence last January twelve months to be to her & the lawful heirs of her body forever

Item   I give to my beloved Son William John, The Boy Slave State, long sence in his pofsefsion as compensation made him, for the many years use of Cultivating his lands without his Charging Rent for the same, Also give him Eight Slaves as Named, Joe & his wife Phillis, & their Child Jack, Emperor & his Wife Molly, Emma & Parris a Child of Statira & Amanda a Child of Lucretia to be to him & his Lawful heirs forever

Item   I give to my beloved Son Charles Peter, Eight Slaves as named July & his Wife Harriet & their three children, Independence, Sarah & Clarifsa, Stephen, United & Penelope, with Lands, if I should Succeed in making a purchase of a Certain piece of Land I have in view for him if not, will give him Eight hundred  dollars in lieu of Lands, to be to him and his lawful heirs forever

 

Item   I give to my beloved Son Jared Banks, one moity or part of a Tract of land in Lancaster District whereon my Summer residence is established Containing nine hundred and thirty nine acres Tis the North East part of said land, is what I desire here.  Reserving the other part of said land for Another Son, as will be shown hereafter, Also give him Eight Slaves as named, Ben & his Wife Lucretia & five of their Children, Juliet, Margaret, Dorcus, Hannah and Lucretia, & William to be to him and his lawful heirs forever

Item   I give to my beloved Daughter, Esther Sophia, That Tract of land, bought of _.C. Dukes For four hundred Acres more or lefs, and Eight Slaves as named, Peter & his Wife Sally & their four Children, Nanny Nero, Peter and Ellen , Sammy and Susannah Sen.r to be to her & the Lawful heirs of her body forever

Item   I give to my beloved Son Thomas Harvey one Tract of Land bought of Asa Rhame on Taw Caw Containing, by resurvey Twelve hundred thirty nine acres with the improvements thereon, and Eight Slaves as named Robin & his wife Rosilla & their five Children, Celia, Patience, Anthoney, Serena and Robin and Sharper a son of Statira’s to be to him and his lawful heirs forever

Item   I give to my beloved George Washington one Moity or part of a Tract of Land in Lancaster District, whereon my Summer residence is established, Containing nine hundred & thirty nine acres Tis the south west part of said Tract of Land and includes all the Buildings, Fences and Cleared land  thereon, and trust that those two sons, will cause the dividing line made to the satisfaction of both parties, and nine Slaves as named Violet & three of her Children David, Lucy & Primus, Pagan & his Wife Fanny, Carloine & her Child Milly & Tom the shoe maker to be to him and his lawful heirs forever

Item   I give to my beloved Son Julius Augustus, one Tract of Land bought of Estate John Greening, Containing two hundred and Eighty three acres, and if I am spared to purchase a  piece of land that I have in view will give him more Lands if not will give him five hundred Dollars, and when his younger Brother Matthew Henry arrives at the age of twenty one years he will be intitled to one half of the Undivided Slaves, that are noted below to be to him and his lawful heirs forever.

Item   I give to my beloved son Matthew Henry all those two Tracts of Lands whereon we now live, but will be subject to my Wife’s Dower during her natural life, but after her death to be his property, with one half of the Slaves named below, as undivided property, when he arrives at the age of twenty one years, to be to him and his lawful heirs forever

Note   Here follows the names of the Undivided Slaves, Charlotte & four of her Children, Robert Edmond, John and Sophia, Mirer & her five Children, Jane, Nelly, Martha, Hannah and Milly Abigail & her two Children, Murrier & Cylinda, Teener a Child of Sabin Yellow Joe and Sam the black smith, Seventeen in number

Item   Tis my will & desire, That my Son Thomas H after being put in pofsefsion of the above named Property, should pay to my Daughter Esther S Three hundred & fifty dollars, for the purpose of putting their Landed property mor on an Equal Valuation, Well knowing this more to his Interest to pay her that sum, then for me to cause any division of that Tract of Land left to him

Item   It is my Will and desire, that should any of my Children die under age, or without leaving lawful heirs, such property as they rec.d by my Will, is to be taken & Divided Equally among my surviving Children share & shar alike to be to them & their Lawful heirs forever. No further distribution of property than what I have heretofore made. Shall take place among my Children after my death, till all my just debts & contracts be first paid and Complied with, then & in that Case, I wish for my Executors to give off those portions of Property as are named above, and should my Mill Plantation that Tract of Land on Black River bought of Wm Lloyd be not sold by my self, then I wish for my Executors to Dispose of them to the best advantage & when infunds for the same, I wish then to divide the money, among the whole of my Surviving Children, Share & Share alike to be to them & their Lawful heirs forever

Note   I here give my reasons for bequeathing more Lands to my Son Matthew H- than to other Children first because there have been lefs money expended to Educate him, Secondly because it Cannot be Apertain’d what may be the Clairing of Lands going on here, during his minority, or length of time may pafs away, before he obtains a fee simple, besides a large portion of this land is Unfit for Cultivation

Lastly I nominate and Appoint my Trusty & beloved friends William C. Dukes, William J. Connors, Thomas H. Connors & George W Connors to Execute this my last will & Testament

As witnefs my hand & Seal this third day of May one thousand Eight hundred and thirty six

 

Chas Connors   (SEAL)

 

Signed and Sealed in the presence of

Thos Chewning

Richard W Chewning

Mathew H Connors

 

Codicil

I Charles Connors, in the foregoing last Will and Testament having further Considered the same, do think proper to make and publish the following Codicil Or addition thereto, as having succeeded in purchasing the Lands from my Son William J Connors I then had in Contemplation, when my will was made, and exprefsed therein and whereas, those two Tracts of Land, Containing 1064 Acres as represented by a resurvey, do make it Known, that tis my Will and desire that those lands be Divided in the following manner, To Wit, that all the land lying East & South of the Public Road, which pafseth through both Tracts are to be given to my son Chas P Connors with the Primises thereon in lieu of the Eight hundred Dollars set down in the Will aforesaid, to be to him & his lawful heirs, and all the other part of said two Tracts of lands Lying North & West of said Road is to be given to my Son Julius Augustus in lieu of the five hundred Dollars set down in the Will aforesaid to be to him & his lawful heirs, And shewing that the Public Road is the Dividing line between them two Sons, Neverthelefs, these two Tracts of lands has not a full fee simple Conveyed with them, as I intend them to be Keep’d in my family’s name, to the end of time, that this my present residence be occupied or owned by any of my family and Name, And do herewith Authorize & empower my Executors to make null & void any Sale of those lands or any part thereof shpuld they be offered for sale to any Person or Persons whatsoever of a Different name or family then that of a Connors

Witnefs my hand & Seal this 10th Day of June, one thousand Eight hundred & Thirty seven

 

Chas Connors   (SEAL)

 

Signed and Sealed in presence of

Thos Chewning

Richard W Chewning

Math. H Connors

 

Codicil #2

I Chas Connors in the foregoing or Annexed last Will & Testament having Further Considered the same, do think proper to make and Publish the following Codicil or addition thereto, and where as, my son Chas P Connors, has thought it advisable to dispose of all the property I gave him Pofsefsion of, as are stated in his receipt given me, on the 18th day of Jany 1839- and from which Cause, I became again pofsefsed of said Tract of Land, Therefore be it known, That tis my Will & desire that said land be given to my two Sons Julius Augustus and Matthew Henry Connors & to be Divided Between them, in the following manner, That Julius Augustus is to take the part whereon the Buildings are Located, Say the Southwest side of the little hungry hall Branch & Matt.ew Henry to have the other part of said Land, lying to the North East side of said branch, making the run of the Creek of said branch, the dividing line between them, to be to them & their lawful heirs forever—but enjoins, on them both, never to make Sale of this Land, during their residence, or the holding the fee simple of other Lands Adjoining, and in Lieu of the Land now given them, I take from them, one share alloted to them, Say Teener a young wench a Daughter of Sabina, who is now in the Pofsefsion of my Daughter E H Henry, and now Sheweth That tis my Will & desire to give to my said Daughter E H Henry the said young wench Teener, to be to her & her lawful heirs forever—And do further make it known to my Executors, That tis my Will & desire That after my Death & when they are infunds from my Estate, That, they do pay to my Grand Son Charles Christopher Connors one gold Watch, Worth one hundred & fifty dollars to be to him & his lawful heirs forever—And whereas, I have become a Stochholder in the Louisville Cincinnati and Chas.ton Rail Road Company, for ten shares, and has also taken up ten shares in the Rail Road Bank, Wm C Dukes Esq.r of Chas.ton my agent, in said businefs, and should those works be Completed in my life time or afterwards, then &

in that case I wish my Executors to have the Shares divided among my Children in the following manner To Wit: First I give to my Daughter, E. H. Henry, one share in the Rail Road and one share in the Rail Road Bank, secondly I give to my son Wm. J. Connors two Shares in the Rail Road & two shares in the Rail Road Bank, Thirdly I give to my Son Chas P. Connors one Share in the Rail Road, and one Share in the Rail Road Bank,   Fourthly I give to my Son Jared Banks Connors one Share in the Rail Road & one share in the Rail Road Bank, Fifthly I give to my Daughter Esther S Connors, one Share in the Rail Road, & one share in the Rail Road Bank, Sixthly, I give to my Son Thomas H Connors one Share in the Rail Road & one share in the Rail Road Bank, Seventhly I give to my Son George W. Connors one Share in the Rail Road & one share in the Rail Road Bank,  Eighthly I give to my son Julius Augustus Connors one Share in the Rail Road & one Share in the Rail Road Bank, Ninthly I give to my son Matthew H. Connors one Share in the Rail Road & one share in the Rail Road Bank,  to be to them and their lawful heirs forever— And leave it Discretional, with my Executors, if practical, to divide by Shares, if not, to sell the Stock & divide the money--

 

Witness my hand and Seal this 28th day of February 1839--

 

Chas Connors (SEAL)

 

Signed and Sealed in presence of

Theophilus Chewning

Richard W. Chewning

Matthew H. Connors

 

Recorded in Will book D- 2 page 81

Recorded 13th day of April 1843

W. Lewis Ordy

Bundle 115  Pkge 3