ADAM ELROD SR. - WILL
Stokes Co. NC
(husband of Rachel Winscott/Wainscott
son of Christopher Sr. and Aaltje Soelle Elrod)
In the name of God, Amen. I, Adam Elrod, of Salem in Stokes County, in the state of North Carolina, being at present in perfect health and of sound mind and memory, thanks be given to God, calling unto mind the mortality of man and knowing it to be the destination for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament; that is to say, principally and first of all, I recommend my soul unto the hands of my creator, Jesus Christ, who gave it and my body to be decently buried, and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased Almighty God to bless me in the world, I give and devise the same in the manner and form following, viz: 1st: I give and devise unto Rachel, my dearly beloved wife, all my estate whereof I die possessed, to have and to hold the same during her natural life and have sole property, provided she remains a widow, but in case she marries again, the third part of said estate shall be her own sole property. 2nd: After the decease of my said wife all my plantation commonly called my old place which hath been in my lifetime divided between me and my son, Jacob, in two parts, with the so divided land thereunto belonging shall be the sole property of my son, Adam and his heirs forever. 3rd: I give and devise to my son-in-law, Andrew Cooney, a piece of land to possess the same, and after the death of my wife, Rachel, he shall have the same as his own property on condition that he shall pay Two and a half Dollars of U. S. money for every acre, the whole containing eighty-three acres more or less, and after he shall have made payment there- for to my estate then it shall be and remain his sole property and his heirs forever. 4th: I do hereby make, ordain, constitute and appoint my oldest son, Abraham, and my beloved wife, Rachel, executors of this my last will and testament, who are hereby empowered to pay all my lawful debts and settle my accounts; they likewise shall have power and liberty to sell such part of my personal estate, after my death, as they shall see cause and necessity, but the remainder shall remain in my wife, Rachel's hands during her life as aforesaid, but after the death of my wife, Rachel, all the estate remaining shall be equally divided among my ten children, share and share alike, namely, between my sons Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Adam, and my daughters Altje, wife of George McKnight, Rachel, wife of Andrew Cooney, Elizabeth, wife of Abraham Fletcher, Mary, Wife of John Lenert, Susanna and Lydia, the two last named, if I shall die shall have the same of my estate whatever the rest of my daughters had when they were married, and then they shall have over and above their equal share with all my children aforesaid. And I will that my executors shall duly fulfill and execute this last article. 5th: I give to Samuel Cheek One Dollar of U. S. money and no more, but his son, William Cheek, shall be counted equal with the aforesaid child- ren, and I give and bequeath to him, after the decease of my wife, Rachel, an equal share of the remaining estate with my aforesaid children as his own sole property forever and, moreover, I constitute and appoint my son, Abraham in particular, guardian of the said William Cheek during the whole time of his minority, that is to say, until he comes to be twenty-one years of age, any law, usage or custom to the contrary notwithstanding. And I do hereby disannul and make utterly void all my former wills and legacies done by me either in writing or by word of mouth, ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand and seal this the 14th day of June, in the year of our Lord, 1806. Signed: Adam Elrod Signed, sealed, pronounced and declared by the testator as and for his last will and testament, in the presence of us who at the testator's request subscribed and signed our names hereunto as witnesses, in the presence of each other. Witnesses: John Elrod, Jr. John Riglotz, Senior ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charlotte
Curlee Ramsey
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cramsey/index.html