WILL OF PETER SIMONS
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, I Peter Simons of
Waccamaw in Craven County in the State of South Carolina Planter
being of sound Mind & memory do hereby make & ordain this
to be my Last Will & Testament in manner in form following. I
command my Soul into the handle of Almighty God in hopes of mercy
through the intercession of my blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ, my
Body I desire may be decently interred at the discretion of my
Executors, and as to the Worldly goods, which it has pleased God
of his bounty to be stow on me (after all my just debts &
funeral expenses are paid, I give & bequeath as fellows,
Imprimis: I give unto my beloved Wife Eleanor during the time she
shall remain my widow, & no longer the use of the dwelling
house, where in I now live, together with the necessary out
buildings & garden, & the liberty of planting with her
negroes on shares with my children under the direction of my
executors, during, her widowhood as aforesaid, I also give unto
my said wife Eleanor & to her heirs & assigns for ever
one fourth part of a Lott of Land in George Town, which I
purchased some time past of Benjamin Young & his wife and for
which they are to make titles, & it is my desire that the
conveyances for the same may be made to her my said wife an to
her heirs and assigns forever, and I do hereby give my Executors
full power and authority, when ever they shall judge it
convenient for my Estate to build at the Expense thereof &
convenient dwelling house, with necessary out buildings &
fences on the said Lott for my said wife, I also give, &
bequeath unto my said wife Eleanor, & to her heirs &
assigns two negro women which she is at liberty to chose out of
all the Slaves, that I may die possessed of as also her choice of
either of the negro lads called Balam, which choice she is hereby
enjoyed to make within one month after my decease, I also give
and bequeath unto my said wife & her heirs all my House Hold
& Kitchen furniture Except a candle cup & six table
spoons, which I had of my Brother Edward) as also all my House
Stores, my Chaise two young Black Horse & a bay Horse called
Con Troller all these bequeathed together with an equal share
with my children, of all the remainder of my personal Estate as
herein after mentioned are in Lieu of her jointure, Dower &
all claim, or demand whatever which she may have to any other
part of my Estate either real or personal, Item: I give and
bequeath unto my son John & to his heirs and assigns two
negro boys named Sam & Guy as also my silver candle cup &
six table spoons, which I had of my brother Edward & a long
gun. Item: I give & bequeath unto the child my wife is now
pregnant with and to his or her heirs and assigns two boys called
Charley and James. Item: I give and bequeath unto my daughter
Elizabeth and to her heirs and assign two negro girls called
Fanny, and Venus. Item: I give and bequeath unto my daughter
Martha two negro girls called Molly and Rose to her and to her
heirs and assigns. Item: I give and bequeath unto my Executors
herein after named or to such of them as shall take on them the
probate of this my Last Will & Testament, full power &
authority ( If they shall think it necessary) to dispose of my
Sea Shore Plantation together with the pine land adjoining
thereto so far as the Old Cape Fear road, and to make good and
sufficient titles for the same, and the monies arising there from
to be applied towards, payment of my debts, but in case my said
Executors should not think it Expedient to dispose of the same, I
then give and bequeath the said plantation to my son, and the To
the child my wife is now pregnant with. If the same shall be a
son, to be equally divided between them, and their respective
heirs and assigns, and in case the child, my wife is now pregnant
with shall be a daughter, then I give the whole of my said Sea
Shore Plantation unto my, said Son John & to his heirs and
assigns for ever. Item: It is my will and desire, and I do hereby
enpower my Executors ( in case the child my wife is now pregnant
with should be a Son) to make such division, of my two
Plantations, on Waccamaw River as they shall judge most
convenient for two Settlements, and the part where I now live, I
give and bequeath unto my son John, and to his heirs and assigns
for ever, and the other part, (in which is included the
Plantation I bought of the Executors to my Brother Edwards Estate)
I give and bequeath unto the child my wife is now pregnant with,
If the same child be a son, and to his heirs and assigns for ever
but in case the same shall be a daughter than I give &
bequeath the whole of my lands on Waccamaw Neck except the Sea
Shore Tract should be sold) unto my Son John & to his heirs
and assigns for ever, subject to my wife's dwelling and planting
thereon, during her widowhood as before mentioned. Item: I give
and bequeath the whole of the remainder of my personal estate to
equally divided between wife Eleanor and my children including
the one my wife is now pregnant with and to their respective
heirs and assigns, my Sons parts of my Estate to be delivered to
them, when they shall respectively arrive at the age of twenty
one years and my daughter at the age of eighteen years or day of
marriage, which shall first happen, and in case any of my
children, shall happen to die, under the respective ages, before
mentioned and without issue (and my daughters unmarried) then it
is my will that such childs' share - dying be divided equally
between the survivors of them and my wife share and share alike,
and is case all my children shall to die as aforesaid under age
without issue and my and my daughters unmarried then I give the
whole of my estate both real and personal unto my said wife
Eleanor, and to her heirs and assigns forever and it is my will,
that my estate be kept together and improved in common for the
benefit of all my children, until they shall arrive to the
respective periods above mentioned, and it is my will that my
children be mentioned and liberally educated out of the income of
my said estate. Lastly, I do hereby nominated and appoint my
friends Benjamin Young, Thomas (Young ?), Thomas Mitchell and
Edward Mitchell when he attains to the age of twenty one years to
be the Executors of this my last Will and Testament, giving them
full and ample powers to carry in to Execution the several
matters herein contained, to sell or purchase slaves, set moneys
at interest, or in any other manner improve my estate in such
manner as they shall judge most beneficial thereto in witness
thereof I have here unto set my hand and Seal this 28th day of
February in the year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and
Seventy Seven.
Signed: Peter Simons (LS)
Signed, sealed, published and declared by the
Testator to be his last Will and Testament in presence of us, the
words or demand whatsoever which in the 34th line of the first
page and the word plantation in the 16th line being first
interlined of second page.
James Mackie, Mary Taly, Robt Simons
Feby. 16, 1785, Qualified Edward Mitchell, Exor. Before Daniel Dwight, Esquire by virtue of a Dedimus.
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