Alabama Probate Records
Will of Nathaniel Woodruff
Recorded in Bibb Co., Ala.
Admr. Rec. Book D, Page 89
State of Alabama
Bibb County
In the name of God, Amen.
I, Nathaniel Woodruff of the State and
County aforesaid, being in perfect mind and memory and in good
health and strength of body and
intending to travel and not knowing
whether I may live to return and for other good causes, do make this
my last will and testament and
do make and ordain it to be my will and
none other heretofore written.
Item 1st
As tutchin/(touching) the property
that I have been blessed with in this life, all to be valued
agreeably to law,
and after all my debts is discharged
and expenses paid.
I give and bequeath unto my beloved
wife Anny, my negro man named Juley for her use and benefit
during
her natural life, and then for her to
have the right of disposing of him as she may think proper.
And I further give her my negro woman
Winney for her use and benefit during her life and at her death the
remain
the property of my children, the
lawful heirs of my body, to be divided equal among them, as every
other fact of my
property that will be hearafter
mentioned.
It is also my will that my wife Anny
shall have one fourth part of all my stock such as cattle, horses,
hogs and
household furniture, and one fourth
of the property of the cleared land, together with the mantion house
and building,
for her use and benefit.
I now give and bequeath unto my three
children; Newton, Henry and Martha Ann, all the remainder of my
negroes, that is
Ephraim, Cuft and Caroline, together
with all the balance of my estate of whatsoever it may consist to be
and remain in the
possession of my beloved wife Anny
for the use and benefit of my above named children as long as she
may think proper
to be their guardian and for her and
them to have the benefit of the whole jointly as one family, and
when she wishes to
resign this charge or any part of the
same, I wish Thomas Crawford, whether then officiating as
Judge or not, to act for the
children's benefit in keeping their
estate in service and usery; this is to hire the negroes and keep
all in service jointly for their
benefit until the oldest child may
come of age to act for himself and then to divide by lot equally as
the law directs, but I do
not wish the Negroes to be sold, but
to remain in the possession of my children that may then be living
as the law may divide
them.
But lastly and finally, if my three
negroes within mentioned, that is Epriam, Cuff and Caroline, is
alive when my within named
children is of age to receive their
dower my Will is for Newton to have Epriam and Henry, Cuff and Mary
Ann, Caroline
and the balance if any to be equally
divided as the law may direct.
I do hereby ordain and appoint my
beloved wife Anny to be the sole executriz of this my last will and
testament made this
11th day of January 1830 signed,
sealed and acknowledged in the presence of:
Nathaniel Woodruff
Attest:
D. B. Boyd
N. L. McGuire
Probated 8 Jan. 1835
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