There is plenty say about this copy of John Lewis's will, but I will save that for another post.
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| Old Tishomingo County, Mississippi Deed Book G, p. 139 |
John Lewis } State of Tennessee Be it Remembered that at a
Will }
Quarterly Court began and held at the Court house
in the Town
of Purdy County of McNairy the 3rd
day of April in the year of our lord
Eighteen hundred and forty three and Sixty Seventh ye-ar of
American Independence Present the Worshipful S D Pace G G Adams,
Dollison Sweat John G Gooch, E T Dodd, John Cham-vers, James
M Huggins, A C Housten, A M Brown, Jacob Lawrance W L
Anderson, Elyah Lynch Demis McKnight, Jacob Jackson and Joseph
Anderson, James Warran, Sherriff and A A Land Clerk This day the
last will and Testement of John Lewis decd was pro-duced in open
Court and the Execution thereof was duly proven by the Oaths
of William Dannele and James E Dannell For Subscribing
Witnesses thereto after which Baily G Eart was inter-duced and in
open Court and after being duly Sworn, deposeth and Said
that he found the Said Will, among the Said Lewis papers after
his death. and that he to gether with the other Witnesses Knows of
now other will After which the Executors appointed in the will
Jane Lewis, Joel D Lewis and Henry Lewis, app-eared in
open Court. and gave bond in the Sum of Fourteen Thousand
dollars with Green B. Babb, William Mason and William
Donnele for Securities who together with the Said Ja-ne Lewis
Joel D Lewis, and Henry Lewis. Came into Court and acknowledged
the Same. After which the Executric and Executors,
took the necessary Oath, and the Court Ordered th-at Letters
testamentary issue to them, and a Copy of the will, And that the
will be recorded and filed H.
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| Old Tishomingo County, Mississippi Deed Book G, p. 140-41 |
The
State of Alabama Jackson County I John
Lewis being in hea-lth
and Sound in mind and Knowing the Certainty of death do
make this my last will and testament as follows: viz, I give and
bequeath to my Son William Lewis five dollars out of my money
at my death if I have any and if none, out of my property And
I give and bequeath to my Son Daniel A Lewis, one dollar out
of my property, at my death, and I give and bequeath to my
dear Wife Jane Lewis an equal Shear with the balance of my
Children that is after paying out of estate the above named
Sums to my two Sons above named. I want my Estate divided
equally between my dear Wife Jane Lewis and my Sons Henry Joel
D Spencer P & John N Lewis and by daughters Celia, Matilda,
Rebecca, Margaret, Elizabeth, Jane, Susan, and Emily
Lewis Equal Shares. But if my dear wife Jane Lewis, Sh-ould
choos a dower that the Laws allow I desire she should have it
And the balance of my estate after paying my two Sons & Daniel A
Lewis, the above named Sums, I desire should be divided equally,
between the balance of my children, and I desire that
if I should have any more heirs, that they should shear eq-ually
with my present heirs except my two heirs first named And
if I should depart this life before my younger daugher Em-ily
Should get her education, and if I should have any more heirs,
I desire there should be a Sufficient Sum Set apart for their
Education, and then the balance of estte be divide as
before written. I desire that dear Wife Jane Lewis and my two Sons
Henry Lewis & Joel D Lewis be and I do appoint them Executors
of this my last Will and Testement And I desire that My
son Daniel A Lewis children that is to Say his first Wife &
Children to have as much of my estate between them as any other
of my Sons or daughters will shear, that is I want all of
my son Daniel Children above named to only have as much between
them all as one of my heirs Say Son or Daughter with the
Exception of one hundred dollars, that I want them to lack one
hundred dollars of getting as much between them all as one of
my other heirs. In testimony of this being my las will
and
testament. I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this 14th
day
of January 1840. John his Lewis
In
the presents of mark
William
Dannil
James
E Daniel [Jr?]
State
of Tennessee} I A A Sanders Clerk of McNairy County Court
McNairy
County} do hereby Certify this the forgoing
writing is A
correct copy of the last will and testament of John Lewis decd As
the same appears of Record in my office in Book No. 7 pages 36 & 37
together with the record of the county court annexed. In
testimony whereof I have Set my hand & Seal of Said Court at Office
in Purdy the 18th day of October 1843 A A Sanders Clerk
State
of Tennessee} I L D Pace Chairman of the McNairy County
McNairy
County} Court do herby Certify tht A A Sanders whose Name
is Subscribed to the above certificate is and was at the time of
Signing the Same active Clerk of the McNairy County Court duly elected
and qualified and that his Certificate is in due form of law and
that full faith and credit is and should be given to all his official
acts as Such Witenss my hand as office in Purdy the
18th
day of October 1843
L
D Pace {Seal}
Presiding
Trustee of the CC
My ancestor is Daniel A. Lewis. Do you have any speculation as to why he was treated so slightly in the will?
ReplyDeleteI have been working on Daniel A. Lewis, but have not come to a conclusion. It looks like he may have left his children with their grandparents and gone west to Crittenden Co., Arkansas with brother Wiley Lewis. There is a theory that he took up with Tempie DeSpain and had a second family. The question is whether he left Alabama while his first wife was still alive. Anyway, I sense strong disapproval aimed from John Lewis to son Daniel A. Lewis. I have started a facebook group for those of us researching the John Lewis family and would like to invite you to join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/935329476670467/
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