John Knox penned his Last Will
& Testament in 1853. Are there any previously
undetected clues in his will that might help us unlock his, or Mary's,
ancestry? Let's take a fresh look…
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LWT of
John Knox Dated probated July Term 1860, Recorded in In the name of God Amen. I, John Knox, of the County of Mecklenburg and
State of North Carolina being of health of body and sound and disposing mind
do on this 25th day of June in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight
Hundred and Fifty Three [1853] do make and declare and establish this as my
last will and Testament in manner and form following 1st I give and bequeath to my wife Mary B. Knox a Negro woman named Milly three cows and calves one bed and furnature the Gray Horse called Crocket one Beaureaw the chars belong to the house & Table and
all the Kitchen furnature 2nd I give and bequeath to my Eldest Son, Robert J Wilson One Hundred and Twenty Six Acres of Land
Known by the name of the Blakely place on which he now lives and has a deed
for the same, a Horse Saddle & Bridle a bed which he has
received and my old wagon which he also has in possession 3rd I give and bequeath to my Daughter Mary B. Smith One Note on David S. Hutchinson
for the amount of One hundred Dollars 4th I give and bequeath to my Son Patrick J. Knox One Hundred Dollars
also one Gray Horse Saddle and Bridle which he has received, also one Bed and
furnature 5th I gave and bequeath to my Son John R. Knox one Gray mare, and White
Colt named Nelson also one Bed & furnature one
small Table also the small cubbord also one Beaurow 6th I give and bequeath to my Son Andrew S. Knox one mare called Fanny
one Bed and furnature one Beurow
also one Candle Stand 7th I give and bequeath the residue of my Land to my Two Sons John R.
Knox and Andrew S. Knox Subject to the dower of my Wife, Mary B. Knox and the
Same to the Said John & Andrew at her death - and further if either of my
two sons John or Andrew should die without heirs of their body their share of
the land shall go to the Survivour of the two Sons
John or Andrew. 8th My Negro man Jim to remain on
the farm until my Son Andrew S. becomes of age and it is further my will that
when of age my Sons John R. and Andrew S. to hold the Said Negro Jim between
them in equal Shears and if either of the two Sons John R. or Andrew S.
should die without heirs of their body the Survivour
of two John R. or Andrew S. shall be the Sole heir of the said Negro man Jim 9th It is further my will that after my funeral expences
and all just debts are paid if their Should be any money or Notes remain on
hand, that it should be equally devided between my
two Sons John R. and Andrew S. Knox. 10th It is further my will that my wagon gears and all my farmer utentials also the Ballence of
the Cattle, hogs & Sheep in equeal shares
between my two Sons John R. & Andrew S. Knox also Should I be called off
before their Mother that they should be Kind and allow her a decent and
Sufficient Support while She lives 11th I further constitute and appoint Robert J. W. & John R. Knox
my legal Executors to execute this my last will and Testament In Testamony whereof I have set to my hand and affixed my
Seal this day and year before written Signed and acknowlegd John Knox (Seal) In the presents of W. A. Gillispie E. A. McCaulay ---------------------------------- State of I Certify that the execution of the ______ and forgoing will was duly
process in open court on the Oaths of W. A. Gillispie
and E. A. McCauley the subscribing _______ thereto, and Ordered to be
Recorded, and that the Executors therein named appeared and was duly
qualified to execute the same. W. K. Reid, csc |
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The facts contained in John
Knox's June 1853 LWT include:
Names of Heirs:
Wife: Mary B.
Eldest son: Robert J. Wilson Knox
Dau:
Mary B. Smith [Mary B. Knox, Jr.]
Son:
Patrick J. Knox
Son:
John R. Knox
Son:
Andrew S. Knox
Significant Property Mentioned:
Two Negro Slaves: a Woman, Milly and a man, Jim
A "$100 note on David S.
Hutchison"
"Land" willed to 3 of his four sons:
1) Robert J. Wilson Knox: "126 A. known as the Blakely place where he now lives and which is already deeded to
him" and
2) John and 3) Andrew Knox: "residue
of my land to my sons John and Andrew, subject to the dower of my wife, and
if either should die the survivor is to inherit the share of his brother"
Executors: Robert J. W. Knox and John R. Knox
Witnesses: W. A. Gillespie and E. A. McCauley
First, let’s look at what it does not tell us…
John and Mary had three
daughters, but only named one in his LWT.
Neither Hannah, b. abt 1818, nor Margaret, b. abt 1814, are mentioned.
Hannah E. Knox, the youngest
daughter, died in August 1835 before her father. She is buried at Bethel Presbyterian,
Cornelius, Mecklenburg Co, NC; however, she never married, so had no heirs. Her
tombstone reads “Hannah E. dau. of John & Polly B.
Knox, aged 17 yrs. 9 mos.” We don’t
know what the E. stood for, but I speculate it was probably
That explains why Hannah was
missing, but what about Margaret – why was John silent about her?
Eldest daughter, Margaret Knox, b. abt 1814, married Amos
Alfred Alexander sometime before 1834, when their first child was
born.
Family tradition, shared with me
by Wilson Knox in October 1999, is that "one of John's daughters climbed
out an upstairs window one night and ran off to be married against her father's
wishes." It stands to reason that
if John was very upset, he may have disinherited Margaret. The details of this family tradition cannot
be verified, but seem plausible, given her omission in his Will.
We also do not know when Margaret
died. She may have died before her
father wrote his Will in 1853. Our last
record of her is the 1850 Census record, where she appears with her husband and
family living in Hickman Co, TN. She does not appear in the 1860 Tennessee
Census record with her family, so is assumed to have died there between the two
censuses. My guess is that she died after her father wrote his will in 1853,
but before he died in 1860, but this is speculation.
Her brothers’ deaths are the only
reason we know of Margaret’s existence. John
R. and Andrew S. Knox both died AFTER their father’s death in July 1860 -- both
without wills, wives, or heirs "of their body." John's Sr’s LWT
gave specific instructions as to the disposition of his sons’ legacy in this
event. In 1870, John's eldest son Robert J. Wilson Knox petitioned the Court to
distribute his brothers' combined estates among the surviving "heirs at
law" -- which by law included deceased daughter Margaret's heirs, who are duly
documented in Court documents and Loose Estate Papers. [Mecklenburg Co, NC – Loose Estate Papers.
Knox, Andrew S. & John R. 1863 Reel 60, Box 145]
I speculate Margaret’s namesake
was likely Mary B. Knox’s mother, Margaret (Henderson) Robison.
LWT of John Knox, continued next page
