Chester County, South Carolina LAST WILL and TESTAMENT of John Ashcraft Written October 13, 1816 - Recorded December 2, 1816 Chester Co. SC     MSS Will-Estate Book F: Folios 122-123 SC Archives - Series No: S108093, Reel No. 006, Frame 00454       Judge of Probate, Chester SC -  Apt. No. 1 - Pkg. No. 16       I, John Ashcraft, being in perfect mind and memory But in a low and afflicted state of Body, calling to memory the mortal state of man, Do make this My last Will & Testament, that is to say ~ First  I submit My soul to God the giver & My Body to be Decently To be Intered from Whence it came ~ Secondly I Allow all my lawful Debts to Be paid. Thirdly I Bequeath to my beloved Wife Rebecca, the plantation on Which we now live In our life time  [“untill her death” was written and struck through] for widdowerhood, then to my son Jesse to be his Property. 4thly  I Bequeath to my Son Joel the plantation that Levi Sides formerly Resided on. 5thly  I Bequeath to my son Joel the Brown Filly & Unto my son Jesse the sorrel Filly 6thly I Bequeath To my Daughter Tilitha a Bed & Furniture. 7thly  I Bequeath To my Daughter Agness a Bed & Furniture. 8thly  I Bequeath To my Daughter Holly a Bed & Furniture, I also Bequeath to my Daughter Esther a Bed and Furniture or the Price of one in money ~       All my stock & Tools are My Beloved wife’s Untill Her Death. I Bequeath to my son Drury Ten Dollars and unto John Sides one Dollar; Unto my son James Ten Dollars To Henry Sides ten Dollars to James Lee Ten Dollars & to the Heirs of my son John one Dollar To Thomas My son one Dollar To my Daughter Angellica Twenty Dollars & If after my Children Receives their Respective shares any thing shall Remain To be Divided Betwixt my sons & Daughters, Joel, Jesse, Tiitha, Agness, Holly & Esther at the Death of their Mother & that I do Nominate and Appoint My Son James & James Lee to see this My last Will & Testament completely Carried into Effect~         I[n] witness Whereof I do set my hand & Seal this 13th Day of October in Year of our lord Lord one thousand Eight Hundred and Sixteen ~ In presence of Us  Green Owens  John Ashcraft  his mark Joel Ashcraft Jesse Ashcraft     So. Carolina By Esty Crt ordinary of P.D. Chester D’t.          Personally appeared before me Green Owens & Joel Ashcraft who being sworn as the law Directs each made oath and say they saw John Ashcraft sign seal publish pronounce and declare this Instrument to be and contain his last will and testament and that the S’d [said] John Ashcraft was then of sound and disposing mind memory and understanding to the best of deponents knowledge and belief and that they the S’d Green Owens & Joel Ashcraft did sign their names as Witness there to at the request of the Testator & in his presence & at the same time gave?……….to ….act? co of Executors Given under my hand this the 2nd day of Dec’r 1816 ~                                                        Green Owens                                                 Joel Ashcraft            Some of the script of the above section that relates to the recording of the will is nearly impossible to read. Vertically, from the bottom extending upward over the horizontal lines of script are the words “John Ashcraft Senior Last Will” which obliterates some of the words over which the phrase was written.        I have, however, interpreted the greater part of it. I was unable to determine all the words of the last sentence, but it has something to do with the executors. The two men that John Ashcraft named in his will to see that the document was executed were his son by his first wife, James Ashcraft, and his son-in-law, James Lee, husband of Lucy Ashcraft.                                                 Transcribed by -Sharon Spielman Ashcraft November 11, 2007    This  is a FREE website. If you were directed here through a link for which you paid $ for, you can access much more FREE data via our main Genealogy Trails History Group website at http://genealogytrails.com/ © all rights reserved to the original submitter