In the name of God Amen. I, Henry Baker, of Chowan, No. Carolina, being in good health of Body & of Sound & perfect mind & Memory, praise be therefore given to almighty God, Do make & ordain this psent. last will & testament, in Manner & form following, that is to Say:
First & principally I commend my Soul into the hands of almighty God, hoping thro' the merits, Death & Pasion of my Saviour Jesus Christ, to have full & free parden & forgiveness of all my Sins & to Inherit everlasting life; & my Body I commit to the earth to be buried at the Discretion of my Executors hereafter named; & touching all Such temporal Estate as it hath pleased almighty god to bestow upon me, I give as follows:
First, I will that all my Debts & funerall Charges be paid & Discharged.
Item. I give to my Son, Henry, all the Land whereon I now live, to him and his heirs.
Item. I give unto my Son, Henry, these Negroes, vizt: Guy, Clouse, Bobb, Ceasar, ned, Jacob, young Diner, & hagar & their increase.
Item. I give unto my Son, Henry, my watch, Seal, Desk, Six rusia Chares, ye great Glass, my Sword, one ovel table, besides what I have already or heretofore given him.
Item- I give to my Son John all my land at a place called Little Town, & my Land joining on Banks, Wynn & ascue, & the Land bought of William Garrat, all in Bertie precinct, with ye Stock thereto belonging, to him & his heirs.
Item. I give unto my Son John these negros vizt: Arthur, Juno, Finney, little Bobb & Dick & their increase.
Item. I give to my Son, Blake, my land bought of John and Thomas Wickings in Chowan, & five hundred acres thereto adjoining, wch I took up; & my land at Ahoskey marsh in Bertie & the Stock thereto Belonging, to him & his heirs.
Item. I give to my son, Blake, these negroes vizt: Cipio, Joe, Patt & Argalus & their increase.
Item. I Give to my Daughter Mary, these Negroes, Vizt: Darby, Lucey, & Peter, and their Increase.
Item. I give to my Daughter, Sarah, these negroes, Cato & Priss & their Increase.
Item. I give to my Son, David, 130 acres of Land at Meherring landing adjoining to the ferry, to him & his heirs.
Item. I give to my Daughter Ruth twenty shillings.
Item. I give to my Son Ladock (?) twenty shillings.
Item. My will & desire is that my wife, Ruth, have the use of these negroes, vizt: Tom, Benbo, Daniel, Dinah & Joyce, Brady, during her natural life & after her Decese I give Tom & Dinah to my Son, Henry, Daniel to my Son, John, & Benbo to my Son, Blake.
Item. I give to my wife, Ruth, all the rest & residue of my personall Estate whatsoever & my will & desire is that my wife, Ruth, have & enjoy the Back room and Entry & half ye Orchard to be Divided from the house Westerly & Land adjoining to the plantation to worke on Dureing her Naturall life or widdowhood.
Item. My will & Desire is that if it so happens that my Son, John, Should Die in his Minority, that then the Land I have green him Shall go to my Son, Blake, & his heirs.
My will is that my land at ye Knuckles, in Nansemond, be Sold by my Exrs. towards ye payment of my Debts.
I do hereby nominate, Constitute, ordain & appoint my Brother, William Baker, to be my Executor; & in case of his Death, I do appoint my Brother, James Baker; & in case of his Death, I do appoint my Brother, Lawrence Baker, of this my last Will & Testament, revoaking & making null & void all former Wills.
In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand & Seal, this Ninth Day of January, 1737.
................................................................................................................................................HENRY BAKER, (Seal).
Signed, Sealed, publisht & Declared
by the Sd. Henry Baker as his last
Will & Testament in prsence of us
the Subscribers,
Edward Vann,
John Brady,
Edward Warren.
.............................................................................................................................................May ye 1st., 1739.
Came before me Edward Vann, John Brady &. Edward Warren, & Made Oath that they Saw Henry Baker Sign, Seal and publish ye within as his last will & testament; & that he was of Sound & Disposing mind & Memory at that time & That these Deponents Subscribed as Witnesses thereto. At ye Same time William Baker took the Oath appointed by law to be taken by Executors.
...................................................................................................................................................W. SMITH, C. T.
Recorded in Grant Book Xo. 4., Will No. 81.
Source: North Carolina Wills and Inventories, copied from Original and Recorded Wills and Inventories In the Office of the Secretary of State by J. Bryan Grimes, Secretary of State, Published 1912) 
