WILL
AND CODICIL OF CHARLES YOUNGER
WILL
IN
THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN:
I,
Charles Younger of the County of Jackson in the State of Missouri, being of
sound mind and memory, in view of the uncertainty of life and wishing to dispose
of my property differently from the laws of decents as in all good conscience I
feel that I ought to do, do make and publish the following, my last will and
testament, hereby revoking all other wills or parts of wills, which I may have
heretofore made.
ITEM 1st. In view of the fact that I have
heretofore by deed of gift, conveyed to the six next named persons upwards of
Thirty Thousand Dollars worth of Real Estate in common, which is an equal share
of my Estate with others hereinafter named whom I am bound by every tie of honor
to provide for. I will and bequeath to my beloved wife Sarah S. Younger the sum
of one dollar, which with the property given her in said deed of gift is in liew
of dower in my estate. I give and bequeath to Henry W. Younger the sum of one
dollar. I give and bequeath to Littleton Younger the sum of one dollar. I
give and bequeath to Virginia L. Creek, wife of Jacob Creek the sum of one
dollar. I give and bequeath to Elizabeth D. Woods, wife of Thomas Woods the sum
of one dollar, and to Lucy S. Burten the like sum of one
dollar.
ITEM
2nd. I give and bequeath to Parnelia Wilson of Jackson County, the eighty acre
tract of land situated in said County which I bought of Hampton, reference being to Hamton’s deed to me. To Have
and to Hold the same to her and her heirs forever.
ITEM
3rd. I give and bequeath to Adeline L. Dalton, wife of Lewis Dalton, Jr., the
tract of land containing two hundred and ten acres on which said Dalton and wife
now live in Cass County near Harrisonville, and one negro girl, slave named
Minerva, about twenty-seven years of age which girl slave was hired to Todds at
the Noland House. To have and to hold the above land and negro girl unto her the
said Adeline and to her heirs after her in tail and not to the said Lewis
Dalton, Jr., nor his heirs nor assigns.
ITEM
4th. I will and bequeath that after my death the following slave belonging to me
be manumitted and forever set free from slavery or service or bondage to any
man, to wit: Elizabeth 22 years, of mulatto color and her two children named Catherine and
Simpson. Also Fany, aged between 35
and 40 years, and her two children named Nathan and Washing ton, and that
their freedom commence at my death.
ITEM
5th. I give and bequeth to said Elizabeth, Fanny, Catherine, Simpson, Nathan and
Washington, named in the 4th Item , jointly, the 300 acre tract of
land situated on Little Blue in Jackson County, which I bought in part from John
Ross and from Hawkins Estate and in part from the U.S. Land Office, all which
land is easily ascertained by reference to the deeds from the last named parties
to me and from the Land Office Certificate. To Have and to Hold the
same to said last mentioned legatees after their freedom,
Forever.
ITEM
6th. I give and bequeath to the children of Wilton Younger, deceased to
wit: Rebecca, Charles and Catherine Younger, the sum of one dollar each and this
I do because I have already given them as much as I intended to do besides this
legacy.
ITEM
7th. After the payment of my just debts and the special legacies herein
mentioned, I give and bequeath to Sophie S. Wilson, Charles F. Wilson, Mary S.
Wilson, Martha L, Wilson, Jefferson Wilson, Bruce Wilson and Sophronia
Wilson, who are sometimes called by the name of “Younger” instead of “Wilson” and whom I
acknowledge as my children by the said Parmelia Wilson their mother, all the
remainder of my Estate both real and
personal to be divided equally between said seven children. In this
testimony I hereunto set my hand and affix my seal this 26th day of February
M.D. 1852.
Charles Younger (Seal)
At
the request of said Charles Younger we hereunto subscribe our names as witnesses
to the foregoing Will and Signature.
I.
Brown Hovey
John
R. Swearinger
At
the request of Charles Younger we hereunto subscribe our names as witnesses to
the foregoing Will and Signature in the presence of the said Younger this 28th
day of October 1854.
Theodrick
Snuffer
John
Bedell
--------------
CODICIL
IN
THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN:
I,
Charles Younger, of the County of St. Clair and State of Missouri, being of
sound mind and memory, in view of the uncertainty of life, and wishing to make
some farther provisions in regard to my temporal after my death, I hereby
confirm each and every provision in my will made in Jackson County, Mo., on the
26th day of February 1852 and
reattested by Theodrick Snuffer and John Bedill as witnesses at my request
on the 28th day of October 1854 ratifying said will in every particular not
altered in the codicil No. 1, and revoking all other wills and codicils
heretofore made by me, save and except the will above described and this
codicil No. 1 to said will. It is my will and desire that the slaves Catherine
and Simpson, mentioned in my will, should, after my death, be known by the names
of Catherine Younger and Simpson Younger, and in addition to their freedom
absolutely at my death it is my will and desire that my Executor hereinafter
named, shall, as soon as convenient after my death, take said Catherine and
Simpson to a free state and place them in a respectable school where they shall
be well clothed and cared for in every respect and their morals particularly
guarded until they arrive at the age of twelve years each, and when they
respectively arrive at the age of twelve years each it is my will and desire
that my executor hereinafter named shall place each of said children, Catherine
and Simpson, at an academy or college of high grade where each may receive a
thorough classical education, and each be kept at said academy or college or
some other institution of similar character until each of them shall have
graduated according to the rules of such institution or institutions of
learning, and if necessary, to be kept at school until they are each twenty-one
years of age, all the expenses of educating said Catherine and Simpson,
including board, tuition and incidental expenses and cost of traveling, to be
paid out of my estate. It is my will and desire and I hereby give and bequeath
to the above named Catherine and Simpson the sum of Three Thousand Dollars to be
paid to them in equal parts when they have respectively arrived at the ages of
twenty-one years, and in case either of them shall die before he or she shall
arrive at the age of years, then, in that event the whole of the said Three
Thousand Dollars to be paid to the survivor, and in case both the said Simpson
and Catherine should die before either arrives at the age of twenty-one years,
then said sum of Three Thousand Dollars to be considered part of my Estate and
included and disposed of according to Item 7th of my will above described
and I hereby direct my executor to pay it over accordingly and said persons
mentioned in Item 7th of the aforesaid will are hereby confirmed as residuary
legatees. In. order that there may be no mistake as to the identity of said
Catherine and Simpson for whom I have made and wish to make by this
codicil, the most liberal provisions, I hereby state that Catherine is about 8
years of age and Simpson about 6 years of age, both of light mulatto colour,
both the children of my mulatto woman
Elizabeth and that said Catherine and Simpson and their mother are now
living with me in St. Clair County; Mo., and it is my wish and desire that the
provisions of my above described will as well as this codicil be liberally
construed to promote the Freedom, Happiness, Education and Respectability of
said Catherine and Simpson. It is my wish and desire that my son Coleman Younger
have and I hereby give and bequeath to him one half of the farm in Jackson
County, Mo., upon which I formerly resided for a few days but upon this express
condition, that he pay to my executor Twenty-five Dollars per acre for the other
half of said farm or pays to me during my life the said sum of Twenty-five
dollars per acre for one half of said farm, in either event I give and bequeath
to said Coleman Younger the other half. The land included in this bequest to
Coleman Younger is the Hamilton tract of land and all the Ross Wilkerson tract
of land lying East of the State road running from Independence South except a
little of the Hamilton tract and lying East of the Moultry tract of land
and said tracts of land above mentioned bequeathed on the above condition
contain between three and four hundred acres. I hereby revoke the bequest
made in Item 5th of the above mentioned will which shall hereafter be set aside,
revoked and held for nought, and the sane land is hereby included in the
bequest mentioned in Item 7th of my above described will and I hereby give and
bequeath to said persons mentioned in Item 7th the land mentioned in Item 5th
and who are confirmed as my residuary legatees. I hereby confirm unto all the
slaves mentioned in my above described will, their absolute freedom at my
death. I hereby give and bequeath to Fanny and Elizabeth, who are made free by
my will, and whos freedom is confirmed to them by this codicil No, 1, the tract
of land I own in St. Clair County, Mo., which I purchased of Comstock,
containing 40 acres, and also the tract of land noon which I now reside known as
the Gilliam Farm, it is hereby given and bequeathed to them jointly, and their
heirs and assigns forever. I hereby constitute and appoint Waldo P. Johnson
Executor of my Will above mentioned as well as of the codicil No. 1 and enjoin
on him the duty of strictly carrying out all the provisions of said will and
codicil.
In
Testimony Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 11th day of
November,1854.
Charles Younger
(LSS,)
At
the request end in the presence of Charles Younger we have hereunto set our
hands as witnesses, to the codicil and to his
signature.
L.
Lewis. S. A. Bruce, Sam’l. T. Hodges
Filed
November 15, 1854 James W. Beck,
Clerk
Book
“E” - Page 106, St. Clair Co., Mo,