"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.

"Heirloom" - The Wood Family Watch

When my dad turned 21 in the mid-1960s, he inherited an heirloom watch from his father.

Dad wrote to his father asking about the watch's history; and my grandfather, John "Johnny" Egbert Wood (02 November 1919 - 29 December 1996), responded with the letter shown below.  The people mentioned in Johnny's letter are:

• My father, the addressee, "Son"
• My paternal grandfather, John "Johnny" Egbert Wood (1919-1996), letter writer
• My paternal great-grandmother, Susan "Susie" Bowers Wood (1860-1933), referred to as "Mother."
• My paternal great-grandfather, Albert Houston Wood, Sr. (1880-1967), referred to as "Daddy."
• My paternal great-great-grandmother, Susan Elizabeth Ford Bowers (1825-1901), mother of Susie Bowers who is shown above.
• Catherine Montye Foster Wood (1883-1965), wife of Albert Houston Wood, Sr. and my grandfather's mother.
• David Trousdale Foster (1880-1949), brother of Montye Foster Wood and Johnny's maternal uncle.

To further aid in understanding the context of the letter, here is a visual representation of the direct line lineage discussed in the letter:

Shown above the line of descent from my paternal great-grandmother to
my paternal grandfather. My father and I follow below Johnny in this lineage.

Page 1 of Johnny's original letter.

Page 2 of Johnny's original letter.

Transcription of the two-page letter shown in the above two photos.

In addition to the information in this letter, my dad shared with me that he had ascertained that the watch was made about 1903, as my grandfather had guessed.  Dad had to replace the casing of the watch, due to beyond-repair breakage, in the mid- to late-1980s.  The original watch case was circular, and he said it showed off the watch face much better than the current casing.  Also, the watch used to have a gold expansion band.  Dad replaced the expansion band with the leather one pictured after the gold band wore out in the 1980s.  The watch's crown (i.e., winder) has a stone set in it.

This heirloom turns 115 years old this year, and it's still worn almost daily and keeps on ticking.  What a wonderful treasure to have in the family!

Bibliography

• “Old Gold.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Feb. 2018.
• “Elgin National Watch Company.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Feb. 2018.

This blog post is part of +Amy Johnson Crow's 2018 #52Ancestors Challenge, as well as a #TreasureChestThursday post.

©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.

"Favorite Name" - Marie Rosalie Seraphina Toups

I have found so many names in my family tree that I could call "favorites" for a variety of reasons.  For this post, I decided to choose a name that I like based solely on the name itself - Marie Rosalie Seraphina Toups.  She is my maternal third great-grandmother.  I particularly like the Seraphina part of her name, as well as that her given and middle names reflect her maternal French heritage.

My mother and I follow after Andrew Pampas
in the above lineage.

Name Information

• Marie is a common French variant of the ancient names Mary and Maria. Its meaning is not clearly defined.
• Rosalie is a French form of Italian and Late Roman name Rosalia.  As one would expect, it means "rose."
• Seraphina is the feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus and is typically spelled as "Séraphina" in French.  The name is derived from the Hebrew word "שרפים" "(anglicized as "seraphim"), which means "burning ones" and is used to identify the angels surrounding the throne of God in the Bible.
• Toups was derived from the surname Dubs and came into its current form in the late 1600s to early 1700s.  Rosalie's paternal ancestors who had this surname lived in Switzerland, except for her third great-grandfather who lived in Germany, before emigrating to Louisiana circa 1724.  The Toups were some of Louisiana's earliest settlers, starting with Casper Dubs/Toups originally of Zurich, Switzerland.(1)

Timeline

• 22 January 1841 - Rosalie, which is the name by which she was called, was born in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana(2), to Drauzin (a.k.a., Drausin) Joseph Toups (Abt. 1812 - Aft. 22 Jun 1880) and Marie Eulalie Stevens (a.k.a., Istiben, Estiben, Estiven, Estievenne, and other variations) Toups (1818 - Aft. 22 Jun 1880).
• 1 August 1850 - She lived with her parents, two older siblings, and two younger siblings in Grand Couteau, Lafource, Louisiana.(3)
• 23 July 1859 - Rosalie married Marcelin (a.k.a., Marcellin) Stevens (a.k.a., Stephens, Estievens, and other variations) in Lafourche Parish.(4)
• 27 July 1860 - The new Mrs. Stevens and her husband lived in Ward 1, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana (Post Office: Thibodaux).(5)
• 01 June 1870 - Rosalie resided with her husband and their four children in Thibodaux, Lafourche, Louisiana.(6)
• 22 June 1880 - The U.S. Census shows Rosalie as widowed and living with her six children at Ellician Toups Plantation(7)(8)(9), now known as Ariel Plantation(10), located about "nine miles below Thibodaux," in the 5th Ward of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana.

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

Bibliography

1. Deiler, John Hanno. The Settlement of the German Coast of Louisiana and the Creoles of German Descent. vol. 8, American Germanica Press, 1909. pp. 31, 77, 82, 83, 95, 103, 124.
2. Toups, Neil J. The Toups Clan and How It All Began. Neilson, 1969. p. 98.
3. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJW-1MC : 12 April 2016), Rosala Toups in household of Dransin Toups, Grand Coteau, Lafourche, Louisiana, United States; citing family 37, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
4. Toups, Neil J. The Toups Clan and How It All Began. Neilson, 1969. p. 98.
5. "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFPD-WLW : 12 December 2017), Rosela Stevens in entry for Marcellin Stevens, 1860.
6. "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M87Q-Z2V : 12 April 2016), Rolelia Stephens in household of Marcelin Stephens, Louisiana, United States; citing p. 7, family 47, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,015.
7. Louisiana Sugar Planters' Association, Lousiana Sugar Chemists' Association, American Cane Growers' Association. The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer. vol. 1, Lousiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer Company, 1888. p. 198.
8. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD6T-1R9 : 15 August 2017), Rosalie Eliza Esteven, 5th Ward, Lafourche, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district ED 131, sheet 641C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0455; FHL microfilm 1,254,455.
9. Louisiana Sugar Planters' Association, Lousiana Sugar Chemists' Association, American Cane Growers' Association. The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer. vol. 15, Lousiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer Company, 1895. p. 198.
10. French, Benjamin Franklin, and Joh Gilmary Shea. Biographical and Historical Memories of Louisiana. Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1892. pp. 424-425.

©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.

"Invite to Dinner" - Family Recipes

For this post based on the "Invite to Dinner" prompt, I'm sharing a few recipes that have been passed along in my family and are perennial favorites.

My paternal grandfather, John "Johnny" Egbert Wood, made this delicious caramel cake
whenever we visited.  It was always one of the highlights of our times together.

This side dish has been a staple at my family's holiday dinners for many years.
(We went through an egg substitute phase, but now we just use a regular egg.)

My mom makes excellent bread dressing, and this is her recipe.  Her father,
Andrew Joseph Pampas, Jr., was from New Orleans and would always add
oysters (before cooking) to the dressing he made.

This casserole has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember.
It's delicious right out of the over or as leftovers.  Mom is more
ambitious than I am with the chicken.☺  I use chopped rotisserie chicken.

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.

"In the Census" - Mary Rodrigue and her grandson, Andrew Pampas

Over my years of pursuing genealogy, I've run into some perplexing census records as well as some enlightening ones.  Of course, the most frustrating census records, other than the missing 1890 ones, are those that hide no matter how have one looks.  Since there was quite a pool of census stories from which to choose, I decided to go with one that surprised me when I found it.

On 11 April 1930, John T. Whitehead, Census Enumerator, recorded my maternal grandfather, Andrew Joseph Pampas, Jr., living with his maternal grandmother, "Mary" Rodrigue, at 343 Alix Street in New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana (Part of Ward 15).

Section of the 1930 U.S. Census showing my maternal great-great grandmother
and grandfather living in part of Ward 15, New Orleans City, Orleans, Louisiana.

343 Alix Street, New Orleans as it looked
in March 2017.
(Photo courtesy of Google Maps.)

Map showing 343 Alix Street in relation to the Mississippi River.
It was about 3.5 blocks east of the river.
(Photo courtesy of Google Maps.)

This was an exciting find for me because:

• It showed a direct link between Agnes Lovincia "Mary" Stevens Rodrigue (1879-1948) and my grandfather (1923-1995).
• It gave me an exact residence address to research.

The record surprised me, because:

• My seven year old grandfather was living with his 54 year old grandmother instead of with one or both of his parents.
• No other family members were listed as residing with them on Alix Street.

As I did further research, I learned that Granddaddy's 1930 residence is part of a neighborhood that has been called "Algiers Point" since the 1970s.  According to my maternal great-grandfather's naturalization paperwork, my grandfather was born in Algiers.  Also, he lived with his parents at the time of his baptism at 311 Homer Street, Algiers, Louisiana, just seven blocks northeast of 343 Alix Street.  So, the residential pieces of his early years fit together nicely.

In 1926, my maternal great-grandmother, Margaret Elenora Rodrigue (1904-1985) divorced my great-grandfather, Andrew Pampas, Sr.  Then, in April 1931, Margaret married her second husband, Edward "Eddie" Paul Hunn (1899-1954).  To date, I cannot locate Margaret in the 1930 U.S. Census.  It seems from these facts that her life was probably a bit tumultuous around April 1930.  Perhaps she thought her mother would provide a more stable home for her son during that time?

In the years surrounding the 1930 U.S. Census, my great-grandfather traveled on ships for work throughout the Caribbean and South America.  With his extended absences, I'm sure he needed help to keep his son's life resembling some sense of normalcy and, thus, decided to let him live with his mother-in-law.  So far, I've also been unable to located Andrew, Sr., in the 1930 U.S. Census.

By 1934, it seems that my grandfather may have been living with his mom and step-father.  I'm basing that on this photo I inherited from my maternal grandmother, Mildred Jane Litaker Pampas (1927-2017):

Margaret Elenora Rodrigue Pampas Hunn, Edward Paul Hunn, and
Andrew Joseph Pampas, Jr. (left to right)
in Biloxi, Mississippi, on 08 July 1934.

As with so many genealogy "finds," questions were answered; and, immediately, more questions arose.  And so the hunt continues!

©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 post 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.

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

"Favorite Photograph" - Molsie Jane Talbirt (Talbert) Litaker

Molsie Jane Talbirt (a.k.a., Talbert) Litaker - circa 1900

Like most genealogists, I can't say that I have one favorite photograph.  However, this one of my maternal second great-grandmother definitely ranks in my top ten.

The main reasons I treasure this particular photograph are:

• My great-grandmother, Faye Elizabeth Litaker, gave me the original tintype picture in its original frame.  That makes it special to me because it was a gift from her and because she trusted me to preserve a special photo of her mother.
• This photo is the only existing one of Molsie of which I am currently aware.

About Molsie

Molsie was born on 09 March 1875 in Kershaw County, South Carolina, to Reverend William Thomas Talbirt (1840-1913) and Mary Ann Elizabeth West Talbirt (1843-1927).  She married George Franklin Litaker, Sr. (1868-1939) in Concord, Cabarrus, North Carolina, on 07 July 1897.  George and Molsie had six children of their own, five of whom lived past infancy.  They also raised the three living daughters from George's first married to Carrie White Dove.  Molsie passed away on 19 March 1939 in Concord and is buried in Center United Methodist Cemetery.

©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 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.

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

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 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.