In the name of God Amen, this 18th. day of May, in the Year of our lord, 1752. I, Richard Skinner, of the County of Perquimans, & Province of No. Carolina, being Sick in body but of perfect mind & memory, Thanks be to Almighty God Therefore, Calling unto mind the Mortality of my boddy and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, doe make & ordain this my last will & Testament, That is to say, principally, & first of all, I give & Recomend my Soul into the hands of God that gave it; & my boddy I Recomend to the Earth to be buried in a Decent & Christian manner at the Discretion of my Exrs. hereafter Namd, Nothing doubting but at the Generall Resurection I shall Receive the same again by the power of Almighty God my Redeemer. And as touching Such Worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleasd God to bless me wth. in this life, I give, Demise & Dispose of the Same in the following manner & forme
Imprimis, I will & desire that as Soon as my Death all my Just Debts, that in Right or Conceine I owe to every person or persons, be dischargd & payd wth. Justice.
Item, I give & Bequeath to my Dearly belov'd wife, Sarah Skinner, the plantation whereon I now live, wth. the liberty of Timber for the plantation's use, but none to be Sold nor Carried Away, During her widdowhood, as farr back as the main Road. And in Case Marrys, my will is that she have the one half of said plantation, wth. the dwelling house, milk house, Smoke house & Kitchen During her Naturall life.
Item, I give & bequeath to my belovd Son, Saml. Skinner, the plantation whereon he now lives wth. the lands belonging thereto, to be Enjoyd by him & his heirs for Ever.
Item, I give & bequeath to my belovd Son, Eavens Skinner the plant'n. whereon John Simpson now lives, Lying in Chowan County, wth. Two hundred & Ninety Acres of Land, to be Enjoyd by him & his heirs for Ever.
Item, I give & Bequeath to my Belov'd Son, Joshua Skinner, my plantation Lying on the Sound Side, formerly call'd Fendells, Containing One hundred & fifty Acres of Land whereon he now lives, Beginning at the Sound Side & Running to the back head line, being the one half of the land I purchasd of Christian Reed, to be Enjoyd by him & the heirs of his Boddy Lawfully Begotten; & in Default of Such heirs to my Beloved Son, John Skinner; & the heirs of his boddy Lawfully Begotten.
Item, I give & Bequeath to my Belov'd Son, William Skinner, my back plantation adjoyning the plantation whereon I now live, from the back head line unto the Main Road, & in case my wife marrye I give the other half of the plantation whereon I now live Unto my Said Son, William, & After her Death I give the Said Plantation wth. the houses & lands belonging thereto, unto my Said Son, William Skinner, to be Enjoyd by him & the heirs of his boddy lawfully begotten; & in Default of Such heir, unto my belov'd Son, Samuel Skinner, & the heirs of his boddy lawfully begotten; And in default of Such heir, unto my Son, Joshua Skinner, & the heirs of his Boddy lawfully begotten; & in Default of Such heir to my Son, John Skinner, & the heirs of his boddy lawfully Begotten.
Item, I give & bequeath unto my Son, John Skinner, my plantation Lying on the sound Side, formerly called Petifers, wth. one hundred & fifty Acres of land, being the other half of the land I Purchased of Chris'r. Reed, to be enjoyd by him & the heirs of his boddy lawfully begotten; and in Default of Such heir unto my beloved Son, Joshua Skinner, &the heirs of his boddy lawfully begotten.
Item, I give and bequeath I give & Bequeath unto my Deariy Reloved Wife, Sarah Skinner, the Sole use of the plantation whereon Thomas Munds now lives, lying in Chowan County, during her widdowhood, &at or after her Marriage or Death, I give & Bequeath unto my belovd Son, SamL Skinner, the said plantation wth. one hundred & fifty Acres of land, to be enjoyd by him & his heirs for ever.
Item, I give & Bequeath unto my beloved Son, Saml. Skinner, my Negro Girl namd Serenah, to be enjoyd by him & his heirs for ever.
Item, I give & Bequeath unto my belovM Son, Joshua Skinner, my negro Girl Venus, to be enjoyd by him & his heirs for ever.
Item, I give & bequeath unto my beloved Son, willm. Skinner, my negro Girl nam'd Hannah, one feather Bed & furniture, four Cows & Calves, Six head of Sheep, two Iron potts & one Ovell Table, to the Value of twelve Shillings & Six pence Virga. Money.
Item, I give & Bequeath unto my beloved Son, John Skinner, my negro boy namd Frank, one feather bed & furniture, four Cows & Calves, Six head of Sheep, two Iron potts & one Ovell Table to the Value of twelve Shills, & Six pence Virga. money.
Item, my will & desire is that my two Negroes, Namly, Sall & Zangoe. be Continued in the possession off, & for the use of my wife Untill her Marriage, or death, & then my will is that the above namd two Negroes & their Encrease, if any, be Equally Devided between my five Sons, Namely: Samuel, Eavens, Joshua, William & John, to be enjoyd by them & their heirs for Ever.
Item, I give unto my belovd wife, Sarah Skinner, the use of my Negro woman namd Flora, & her Increase, if any, During her Naturall life, & at her Decease my will & Desire is that the said Negro woman Nam'd Flora, & her Increase if any, be Eaqually Devided between my five Sons, Namely: Samuel, Eavens, Joshua, William, & John, to be enjoyd by them & their heirs for Ever.
Item, I give unto my Dearly belovd wife, Sarah Skinner, the use of all the rest & Residue of my Personall Estate During her Widdowhood; & after her Marriage, to have one third of sd. personall Estate to her own use & Benefitt; the other two thirds of said Estate after my wife's part is taken out, to be Eaqually Devided between my five Sons, Namely: Samuel, Eavens, Joshua, William, & John, to be enjoyd by them & their heirs for Ever. It is my will & Desire that in case Either one or more of the Young Negroes bequeathed my Sons, Should Die before the Devision of my Estate, or they are possesd wtn. them, It is my Desire that the Value of Such Negroes or negro, as may happen to die as afforsd. Shall be made Good unto him or them out of my Estate.
My Will & Desire is that in Case there should hereafter arrise any Disputes or Differences between my wife & Children, or any of them, that Joseph White, John Harvey, & Benjamin Harvey, or any two of them, doe Decide or determine the Same, and they, the said Joseph White, John Harvey & Benjamin Harvey, or any two of them, is hereby Appointed whole & Sole Arbitrators of any Disputes or Differences that may arise between my wife & Children, or any of them, by Virtue of this my Will,
And Lastly, of this my last will Testament I doe Nominate, Constitute, Ordain & Appoint my Dearly beloved Wife, Sarah Skinner, Executrix, My beloved Son, Samual Skinner, my Beloved Son, Joshua Skinner, my belov’d Son, William Skinner, & my belov’d Son, John Skinner, Executors to this my last will & Testament, to See it Strictly fullfill’d in all its parts, Revoking & Disallowing all other will or wills by me made, Ratifying & Confirming this to be my last will and Testament.
in Witness whereoff, I have hereunto sett my hand & Seal, the day & Year Above Written.
..................... his
Richard X Skinner (Seal)
SignTd, Seal'd, Published, Pro- mark
nounced & Declared by the Said
Richd. Skinner, to be his last will
& Testament in Presence off us
who are likewise Witnesses to the
under written Memdm. at same
time
Joseph White, affd.
Peter Jones, affd.
John Harvey.
Memerandum: that it is my will & desire that my Grand Daughter have, & doe hereby Give & bequeath unto my Said Grand Daughter, Sarah Skinner, one Cow and Calf.
As Witness my hand the Date Above Mentiond
....................... his
Richard X Skinner (SEAL)
..................... mark
Sarah ) Qualified affm
Joshua ) & Willm Qualified by Oath
Peequimans County. ss. July Court, anno Dora, 1752.
Present His Majestys Justices:
These may Certifie that the will hereunto annexed and the Memorandum, was duly Proved in Open Court by the affirmations of Joseph White & Peter Jones, two of the Subscribing Evidences thereto, and at the Same time appeard. Sarah. Skinner Exx. & Joshua Skinner Exr. who was duly Qualified thereto by taking the affermation by law appointed & William Skinner another Exr. was duly Qualified thereto by taking the Oath by law appointed. Ordered that the Secretary or his Deputy of Said Province have notice, that Letters Testamentary issue thereon as the law Directs.
Test. Edmund Hatch, Cler. Cur.
Copied from Original Will, filed in the Office of the 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)
