"Where There's a Will" - Transcription of Levin Woollen's Last Will and Testament

How I descend from Levin Woollen. My father and I follow after Betty
Henderson Wood in the lineage shown above.

Levin (a.k.a., Leven, Leavin, and Leaven) Woollen was born in 1744 in Dorchester County, Maryland.  Various records show him living in Maryland up until the time of the 1800 United States Census for Dorchester County, Maryland.  By the time of the enumeration of the 1810 United States Census, Levin had moved about 400 miles southwest of Dorchester County and was residing in Rockingham County, North Carolina.  On 07 August 1820, the United States Census recorded him as living in Guilford County, North Carolina.  Then, on 14 February 1832, Mr. Woollen filed his last will and testament, as follows, with the Guilford County, North Carolina, Clerk of Court.

Last Will and Testament of Leven (sic) Woollen.

Transcription of Levin Woollen's Last Will and Testament

File # 0673

467.

In the Name of God Amen.  I Leven Woollen of the County of Guilford & State of North Carolina, Considering the uncertainty of life being of sound mind & (illegible) Memory.  Do Ordain & disclose this to be my last Will & Testament revoking all others.

Item 1.  I give & bequeath to my beloved wife Rebecca Woollen Our bed & furniture her natural lifetime.

Item 2.  I give & bequeath to my son William B. Woollen all my land which I may disposed & pop??ed of by his paying Five Dollars to each of the rest of the legates that is to say my son Levin Woollen, to my daughter Nancy Woollen, & To. my son Edward Woollen, to my son Benjamin Ellis Woollen, & to my son Charles W. Woollen.

Item 3.  I give and bequeath to my son Benjamin Ellis Woollen, one bed and its common furniture.

Item 4.  My Will is the remaining part of my property not otherwise disposed of to be sold and Equally divided Betwixt my son Leven Woollen, Nancy Woollen, Edward, William, Barns (sic), Benjamin Ellis, of Charles Wesley Woollen.

Item 5.  I do hereby Constitute Ordain, and appoint John A. Smith my executor to this my last Will & Testament.  Duly Executed, I do hereby Confirm the same in the presence of God, and here unto set my hand & Seal After Minute deliberation,

Signed Sealed & delivered in presence of us

this (illegible) 14th day of February in the year of} Leven Woollen {Seal}

our Lord 1832

Martin Weatherby}

Green (his X mark) Gordon} durant?

State of North Carolina

Guilford County} November Term 1832

The Execution of the the within Will was duly proven

in Open Court by the Oathes of Marin Weatherby & Green Gordon

Laboring(?) Witnesses Hereto.

Ordered to be Recorded

Then carrier(?) into Open Court.  John A. Smith Esquire Executor

appointed in said Will of qualified as such Accordingly.

Test(?)

A. E. Hanner(?) c/c


©Amy Wood Kelly, 2018 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint or repost this in full or in part or use excerpts from it without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put creating this.

"Valentine" - Transcription of Valentine (Val) Winecoff's Last Will and Testament

Valentine Winecoff, Sr. (13 November 1816 - 16 July 1887) is my maternal 5th great-uncle.  His brother, Mathias (1807-1876), is my maternal 4th great-grandfather.

Transcription of Valentine Winecoff's Last Will and Testament

State of North Carolina

Cabarrus County

I Valentine Winecoff, of the county and state aforesaid being of sound and disposing mind and memory, do make and declare this my last Will and Testament, in the manner and form following, that is to say –

Item 1st. I give and devise to my beloved wife Eliza Winecoff the Plantation on which I now live and with it – the Sheep Pasture which I now use said sheep pasture being in the bounds of the plantation on which my son Ross Davis Winecoff now lives.  (being 184 acres know as the A. C. McRee Home place and the sheep pasture not yet surveyed, joining it.)  I also will and devise to her the Rogers tract of 120 acres.  And with these said lands I will and devise to my said wife Eliza Winecoff all of my personal property to have and to hold the same both Real Estate and Personal Property during her natural life or widowhood.

Item 2nd. I will and devise to my daughter Karen Keziah Walter the plantation on which she now lives containing 103 acres more or less to her and her bodily heirs forever.

Item 3rd. I will and devise to my son Ross Davis Winecoff the remainder of the plantation on which he now lives after the sheep pasture is surveyed off (paid pasture not to exceed 12 acres) to him and his bodily heirs forever.

(There is not an Item 4 in the document.)

Item 5.  I will and devise to my son John Eugene Lee Winecoff as his portion of my estate ($1500) one thousand & five hundred dollars in cash to be paid to him as he needs it.

Item 6.  I will and devise that the Plantation which I have given my son Caleb Mathias Winecoff shall be his entire portion of my estate.  said Plantation joins Wilson Winecoff’s lands and contains (79) seventy nine acres more or less.

Item 7.  I will and devise that the children of Mary Julianna Overcash (being my grandchildren) shall each be paid ($25) twenty five dollars in cash provided they are satisfied with that amount, otherwise they are to receive nothing.

Item 8th.  Upon the death of my wife Eliza Winecoff I will devise and bequeath to my son Warner Jamison Winecoff The Plantation and Sheep Pasture mentioned in Item 1st of this will and (10) Ten acres of Bottom land off the upper end of the Rogers Place making in all about (206) Two hundred & six acres.  I also will and devise that my daughter Lunett (sic) Isabella Winecoff shall have the remainder of the Rogers place being (110) one hundred & ten acres more or less to them and their bodily heirs forever.

Item 9th.  I will and devise to my son Warner Jamison Winecoff the wagons yearing and all the tools in use on the Plantation provided he complys (sic)with the foregoing Items of this will said Plantation being the one on which I know live and two horses or mules his choice.

Item 10.  I also will and devise that after the foregoing clauses are complyed (sic) with that all the live stock and any property not mentioned in this will shall be sold at Public sale and the money be equally divided amongst the children of my said wife Eliza Winecoff and that all surplus monies, if any be divided in the same way.  And lastly I do here by constitute and appoint my son John Eugene Lee Winecoff my lawful executor to all intents and purposes to execute this my last will and Testament according to the true meaning and intent of the same and every part and clause thereof hereby revoking and declaring uterly (sic) void all other Wills and Testaments by me here to fore made.  In witness where of I the said Valentine Winecoff do here unto set my hand and seal this 25th day of March 1885

signed sealed Published  his

Valentine   X Winecoff     Seal

Mark

and declared in the presence of us

by the said V. W. to be his last will and Testament

and we at his request do

subscribe our names as witnesses there to

Harvey (illegible) Rogers

T(?) 6xR(?) C. M. Petree(?)

This post is part of +Amy Johnson Crow's 2018 #52Ancestors challenge.

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2018 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint or repost this in full or in part or use excerpts from it without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put creating this.

Transcription of the Last Will and Testament of John "The Clothier" Wood

John "The Clothier" Wood is my paternal 12th great-grandfather.  I previously posted about him in relation to his occupation. Recently, I've been researching him more extensively, and I wanted to share a transcription of his last will and testament (which I found here).

"John Wood of Dedham, Essex, clothier, 8 March 19th Elizabeth, proved 2 April 1577.  To eldest son Richard my tenement and grounds called Stevens in Dedham and twenty acres called Dawes and Bromeleye in Lawford, Essex.  My houses and lands in Carsey and Lynseye, Suffolk, both free and copy, to be sold within four years and the money divided between my two sons Henry and George Woodd, part and part alike, to be paid at their several ages of twenty and five years.  To wife Mary my tenement called Pidgewells, with all the grounds, being about ten acres, in Dedham, and all my lands called Foexes Pigtells in Lawford, an acre of free hold meadows in Stratford, holden of Sir John Syllyard, and one free meadow in Stratford, holden of the Earl of Oxenford and three Roodes of free meadow holden of Stratford Hall and one acre of copyhold meadows in Stratford holden of the said Sir John Sylliard, to have and to hold the above-said premisses during the time of her natural life; and after that to my son Robert, provided that if my said son Robert at the death of his mother be not then of the full age of twenty and five years, the above premises to be let and the rent &c. to be equally divided betwixt all the rest of my children then living until the said Robert do accomplish his said age.  And, if Robert die before that then these lands &c. shall be and remain unto my son John.  To my son John my farm house &c. with lands &c. in Starthford in the Co. of Hertford, he to enter at twenty-five.  If Richard died before my son Henry shall have all the said lands &c. next my son George.  To wife Mary my little meadow called Crab tree meadow in Stratford, Suffolk, for life, paying to the churchwardens of Dedham for the poor there twenty shillings at two several terms in the year.  After her decease the Governors of the Free Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth in Dedham shall have the meadow for ever, paying yearly the said twenty shillings &c.  To daughter Mary my warehouse or salt house in Harwich (at twenty one), remainder to daughter Frances.  To the latter ten pounds at twenty one.  If my said son Richard shall go about to trouble or otherwise deal with Mary my wife and Henry Sherman, my only executors, to the intent that this is my last will and testament cannot nor may not take effect then I will that the said Richard shall take no benefit of any of my lands &c. unto him bequeathed.  And the said Richard shall suffer my wife to carry away all such goods &c. as I have given unto her.  To my brother Thomas Wood ten shillings.  My wife May and my cousins Henry Sherman the younger of Dedham, over and besides his ordinary charges about this my last will &c. I give three pounds.  I make John Lucas of Manyngtree my supervisor, bequeathing him twenty shillings.  Among the witnesses was Henry Sherman the elder (by mark)."

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2017 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.

Transcription of the 02 Sep 1876 State of North Carolina Will of Probate for Mathias John Winecoff, Jr. (1805-1876), My Maternal 4th Great-Grandfather

Transcription of the 02 Sep 1876 State of North Carolina

Will of Probate for Mathias John Winecoff, Jr.

State of North Carolina SS. In the Probate Court.

Cabarrus County.

            A Paper purporting to be the last Will and Testament of Mathias Wihnecoff deceased, is exhibited before me, the undersigned, Judge of Probate for the said County, by M. H. Winecoff one of the executors therein mentioned, and the due execution thereof by the said Mathias Winecoff by the oath and examination of Jos. N. Brown & Jos. Gouny the subscribed witnesses thereto; who being duly sworn, doth depose and say, and each for himself deposeth and saith that he is a subscribing witness to the paper writing now shown him, purporting to be the last Will and Testament of Mathias Winecoff that the said Mathias Winecoff in the presence of this deponent subscribed his name at the end of said paper writing, which is now shown as aforesaid, and which beast the date of 2 day of October 1872.

            And the Deponent Further Saith, That the said Mathias Winecoff the teastor aforesaid, did at the time of the subscribing his name as aforesaid declare the said paper writing so subscribed by him, and exhibited to his last Will and Testament, and the deponent did th reupon subscribe his name at the end of said Will, as an attesting witness thereto, and at he request and in the presence of the said testator, this deponent further saith, that at the said tiem when the said testator subscribed his name to the said last Will as aforesaid, and at the time of the deponent’s subscribing his name as an attesting witness thereto, the aforesaid, the said Mathias Winecoff was of sound mind and memory, of full age to execute a Will, and was not under any restraint to the knowledge, information or belief of the deponent; And further these deponents say not.

Joseph Gouny(?) (Seal)

J. N. Brown (Seal)

Severally sworn and subscribed this 2 day

of Sept. 1876, before me, Jas C Gibson

How I Descend from Mathias John Winecoff, Jr. My maternal grandmother,
mom, and I (all living) would follow after Sgt. Murl Sanders Litaker, Sr.

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.

Transcription of the 02 Oct 1872 Last Will and Testament of Mathias John Winecoff, Jr. (1805-1876), My Maternal 4th Great-Grandfather

Transcription of Mathias John Winecoff Jr.'s Last Will and Testament

I Mathias Winecoff of the County of Cabarrus and state of North Carolina being of sound mind and memory and being aware of the uncertainty of life do make my last will and testament as follows viz:

Item 1^st I wish my executors herein after appointed to pay all my just debts.

Item 2^nd I devise and bequeath to my beloved wife Elizabeth one hundred acres of land including my dwelling and outhouses.  The miles and bounds to be selected by her to have and to hold so long as she remains my widow.  I further give and bequeath to my wife all the household and kitchen furniture which she owned previous to our marriage and all the personal property of every kind which she had before our marriage.  I further give and bequeath to my wife one years support (not to exceed the allowance made by law) and three hundred dollars in cash.

Item 3. I devise and bequeath to my son M. H. Winecoff the parcel or tract of land on which he now lives containing one hundred and two acres.  The miles and bounds of which are marked to have and to hold to him and his heirs forever.

Item 4^th I devise that my executors shall sell the balance of my personal property not given to my widow and I devise and bequeath to my grand child Josephine Winecoff five hundred dollars in cash to be paid to my executors and I devise and bequeath to my grand son Joseph N. Winecoff five hundred dollars in cash provided the settlement which I have made of his father’s estate as administrator shall not be interfered with.  I mean by this bequest to Joseph N. Winecoff that as I was Administrator of his father’s estate and the guardian of said Joseph during the war and owing to the troubles and difficulties the became mixed up with Confederate money and liner the war some of the notes have become worthlys and on the 20^th Sept 1871 I charged myself in the return as his guardian with the sum of two hundred and eighty  four 69/100 dollars in good money.  Now if said settlement and return shall stand and if myself or my executors shall not be held to account for any greater sum than two hundred and eight four 69/100 dollars due said Joseph on the 20 Sept 1871.  Then I desire that he the said Joseph shall have five hundred dollars in addition there to from my estate but if any greater sum than two hundred and eighty-four 69/100 shall be claimed on account of my said guardianship then it is my will and desire that that the said Joseph N. Winecoff shall have nothing whatever from my estate.

Item 5^th I devise and bequeath to my children  M. H. Margaret I. Sarah Ann. Harriet M. Layton M. and Jane Elizabeth. the balance of all my real and personal estate to be divided equally between them and in order that the division may be equal it is my will that my son M. H. shall account for the value of the tract of land which I have given him above but in the account he is not to be charged with the value of any improvements he may put on said land.

Item 6^th If my wife shall marry then it is my will and desire that the real estate which I have desired to her in the 2^nd Item shall be divided equally between my children mentioned in the 5^th Item, and if she never marries then at her death the said real estate shall be divided equally among my children mentioned in said 5^th Item.

Item 7^th I constitute and appoint my M. H. and L. M. Winecoff my executors to execute and carry out this my last will and testament.  This 2^nd day of October 1872.

Mathias Winecoff (seal)

Signed and sealed and published as the last will and testament of Mathias Winecoff in our presence and at his request and in his presence he have subscribed our names as witness thereto.

Joseph Louny(?)

J. N. Brown(?)

 Mathias Winecoff Last Will and Testament - page 1 -
North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 on Ancestry.com

 Mathias Winecoff Last Will and Testament - page 2 -
North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 on Ancestry.com

 Mathias Winecoff Last Will and Testament - page 3 -
North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998 on Ancestry.com

Depiction of How I Descend from Mathias John Winecoff, Jr. (Note: Below Murl, Sr.,
the pedigree chart would show my maternal grandmother, my mother, and me (all living).)

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.

Yandell Wood (1826-1906), 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 18, "Where There's a Will"

"Where There's a Will" is Week 18's prompt for the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge hosted by +Amy Johnson Crow and her blog, NoStoryTooSmall.com, I selected my paternal third great-grandfather, Yandell Wood, for this week's post.  In reading his short will, I learned about something completely new to me at the time - Civil War compensation claims (a.k.a., "war claims").  Without his mention of this in his will, I may not have learned about:

• The legal action war claims allowed
• Yandell's occupation
• Yandell's business partnership with his brother, J. L. Wood

How I descend from Yandell Wood, my paternal 3rd great-grandfather. My father (living) 
and I would be listed below my paternal grandfather, John Egbert Wood, above.

15 March 1906 Davidson County, Tennessee, Will of Yandell Wood.
(Probated on 14 June 1906).

Using FamilySearch.org's Historical Records Collection, I located a digital copy of Yandell's will (directly above) in the Tennessee, Probate Court Books, 1795-1927, Davidson County Wills, 1902-1908, Vol. 36, Images 209 and 210.  The second and third sentences of his will read:

"I will and bequeath to my wife Fannie Wood* all of my personal property, which includes all the interest I have in a war claim I have against the Government of the United States of America, amounting to several hundred dollars and now pending before Congress.  Said claim is for flour taken from the Mill of J. L. Wood & Co. Millers at Alexandria Tenn, of which Company I was a member - being equal partner with my brother, said J. L. Wood, and al so [sic] for damages resulting from breaking our mill and stopping the use of , [sic] or operating the same for about a year - all by order of General Reynold & Col. J. T. Wilder, officers in the Federal Army - in 1863 - As to the amount and dates I refer to said claim as present ed [sic] to Congress by Senator Frazier in 1906."

*Note:  Fannie was Yandell's second wife and is not my paternal third great-grandmother.  He first married Harriet Sneed (circa 1835-1896), and she is my third great-grandmother.

The Archives of Appalachia website, hosted by East Tennessee State University, indicates the following regarding Civil War compensation claims:

"In 1873, Congress established the Committee on War Claims. This committee expanded on the former Committee on Revolutionary Claims to include 'claims arising from any war in which the United States has been engaged.' The Committee on War Claims provided an avenue for individuals who lost property during the Civil War (1861-1865) to file for compensation from the federal government...According to the Fourth General Report of the Commissioners of Claims (1874), Tennessee had the highest amount of claims filed at 554 with Virginia following at 475."

After gaining a better understanding of what my third great-grandfather was pursuing, I did more research into his particular claim and learned that it was presented to the Court of Claims on 10 July 1912.

Excerpt from page 2002 of Catalogue of the Public Documents of the Sixty-Second Congress
and of All Departments of the Government of the United States for the Period from July 1, 1911, to June 30, 1913,
Volume 11 by the United States Superintendent of Documents.
(Publisher: Johnson Reprint Corporation, 1915.)

I also discovered that, during the Court of Claims' December 1914 term, a motion to dismiss almost all war claims for "Want of Jurisdiction under Act of March 4, 1915, sec. 5 (the Crawford Amendment)" was made and that Yandell's claim was #1716 on the list of approximately eight-five percent of Congressional claims then dismissed.

Book excerpt showing dismissal of Yandell Wood's war claim.
(From page 306 of Congressional claims by United States. Court of claims.
United States. Dept. of Justice; Thompson, Huston. Published 1915.)

©Amy Wood Kelly, 2015 - I am happy to share my genealogical research and writing with others, as well as to help others with their research efforts.  However, please do not reprint this post in full or in part or use excerpts from this post without giving full credit to me, Amy Wood Kelly, as the researcher and author as well as providing the permalink to this post.  Thank you, in advance, for showing respect for my request and the work I put into creating this post.