In the name of God Amen. I John Hardy of Chowan in the Collony of North Carolina & Being weak in body Butt in perfect & sound mind and memory praise be therefore given to all mighty God Do make and ordain this my present last will & Testamt in manner & form following (That is to say) first & princapally I commend my Soul into the hands of All mighty God hopeing through the merritts death & passion of my Saviour Jesus Christ to have full & free pardon & forgiveness of all my Sins And to Inherritt Everlasting life, And my body I committ to the Earth to be Decently buried att the descretion of my Exceutors hereafter named, And as touching the Deposisiott of all my Temporall which itt hath pleased allmighty God to bestow on me I give & Dispose as followeth
Item, I give unto my Loving Brother William Hardy one Black hors of five year ould, And the best shute of Cloaths I have, AUso my Buckanear gun
Item, I give unto my brother Thomas Hardy one hundred acers of Land out of the tract where he now Dwell on the upper side of the line Joyning to Lewis Davis begining on the pocoson then running up to the head of the line And one gray broad cloath coate
Item, I give unto my brother Jacob Hardy one gray drugett coate
Item, I give unto katherine Stancell Widdow one cow & calfe
Item, I give unto Richard Pickering one young mare two years ould
Item, I give * * * all Johnson other * * * John Butler a certain debt of twenty two pound for which I have bis land mortgaged, And I do hereby give him the said debt And allso Discharge the said mortgage
Item, I give & bequeath unto my loving Daughter Elizibeth Hardy both my plantations lying on casiah river where Thomas Williamson now Dwell And contayning Six hundred & forty Acers Each as appears by the pattents bearing date november the forth 1707, Allso another tract of Land over casiah river called Hendersons folly contayning four hundred & forty acers as appear by the pattent bearing date aprill the first 1719
Allso I give unto my Daughter Elizibeth another tract of Land on the East side of rockquess contayning four hundred and twenty four acers Excepting the one hundred acors given to my brother Thomas
Item, I give unto my Daughter Elizibeth one tract of Light-wood land Lying on bucklesbury swamp so running back to Esqr Ducldnfield line contayning five hundred acers as appear by the patent bearing date octor 20 1717
All which said lands I give unto my said Daughter Elizibeth And to her heirs Lawfully begotten of her body
Item, I give unto my beloved daughter rnary hardy This my maner plantation where I now dwell contayning Six hundred and forty acers as appear by the patent bearing date november llth 1707 And allso another tract of Land Lying on the head of my said plantation And running to John Marshalls line contaynmg Six hundred & forty acers as appear by the patent bearing date the 20th: of July 1717 John Hardy
Allso I give unto my Daughter mary one plantation Lying on Casiah river on the East side contayning six hundred & forty acers as appears by the patent bearing date november the first 1712 Allso I give unto my Daughter mary one plantation in the fork of Casiah river where mary Lee now Dwell contayning Two hundred & five acers as appear by the conveyance from the patent All which lands & plantacons I give &, bequeath unto my said Daughter mary and her heirs Lawfully begotten of her body
Item, I give unto my well beloved wife Rebecah Hardy one tract of Land Lying aLong the pocoson or Bucklesbury swamp contayning four hundred & seventy acers as appear by the pat-tent bearing date October 19th: 1716 And called the gum swamp As allso another tract of land between David Hicks line & John Marshalls so along the pocoson side contayning Six hundred & forty acers as appear by the patent bearing Date the 20th day of July 1717 All which said land I give unto my wife Rebecah and to her Dispose
Now in case my wife Rebecah should be with child & Delivered within nine months from the date hereof: Then in such case being a son I give him this my manner plantation And also the other tract on the head of itt both willed to my daughter mary And allso both my plantations on cashia river both willed to my Daughter Elizabeth And in case itt shold be a daughter I give her one plantation Lying on the East side of cashia river wuled unto my daughter mary Allso one tract of Land over cashia river called Hendersons folly willed unto my Daughter Elizibeth And in case of the Death of Ether my Daughters or a child that may be born in the time above mentioned the sirvivers shall Equally Divid the part of the Deceased both personall & Reall between thum
Item, I give unto my Daughter Elizibeth these negroes hereafter mentioned—Viz Scipio: grace: Sharper: Mall & Morea with all their Increase unto her my daughter Elizibeth
Item, I give unto my Daughter mary these negroes herafter mentioned Viz kent Joane quasha & toney with all their Increase unto my said Daughter mary
Item, I give unto my wife Rebecah these negroes hereafter mentioned Viz Jack: Nanney george & Dido And my half of hector & qommsorer(?) and in case of a son or Daughter born as above mentioned the said son or daughter to have an equall share with the other children of all my personall Estate
Item, my money in England I give Equally to be Divided between my wife & the children Each child having an Equall part with my wife
Item, I give all my horsis cattle and sheep to be Equally Divided between my my wife and the Children Each having an Equall part, And while my wife shall remain a Widdow she has hereby liberty to kill out of all or any the stock of Cattle or Sheep for her family use
Item, I give all my houshold Stuff and Toles both within and without I give all Equally to be Divided between my wife & Children Equally
Item, I give unto my Daughter Elizibeth thirty pound in publick money to pay the publick dues & quittrents of her Lands
Item, I give unto my Daughter mary thirty pound in publick money to pay the publick dues & quittrents of her Land
Item, for all the rest of my publick bills With my debts by bill account or any other ways whatsoever I wold have all Reserved to all my Just debts from me due to any person Now here I would itt understood I wold have all mj Just debts paid in pitch & not in paper Excepting Elliotts debt And that not Excepting they sue for the same And all over & Above paying my debts I give unto my wife Rebecah Hardy
And in case my wife should marry I wold have the negroes belonging to the Children & Imployed on their own lands & plantations wholy for their own benefit And the rest of then. Estates to remain in their mothers hands: Except my Executors see apparent cause to take itt away
Lastly, I do hereby nominate and appoint my well beloved wife Rebecah Hardy Excutrix: And my well beloved Brother William Hardy And my trusty and well beloved friend Thomas Pollock Junior And my Trusty and well beloved friend Major Robert West my true & Lawfull * * * * * these my forementioned friends all joyntly my true and Lawful Executors to this my last will & Testament hereby Declaring owing & Confirming this as my Last will & Testament Revoking & Disanulling all other wills & Testaments for null & Voide
In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand and fixed my Seall this nineteenth day of January And the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & nineteen And the sixth year of the Reign of our Soveragn Lord king George, of Great Britton ffrance and Ireland King Defender of the faith
Contained in thre sheetts of
paper John Hardy (Seal)
Signed Sealed Declared and
Published as my last will & Testa-
ment in presence of
Hollbrook
Laurence Sarton
JOHN LuErTON
North Carolina ss By the Honble the Governor
John Holbrook came before me and made Oath that he see Mr John Hardy Signe Seal and publish the within will to be his last Will and Testiamt Given under my hand this 16th day March 1719
Charles Eden
Copied from Original Will, filed in office of Secretary of State
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)
