In the name of God, amen. I Thomas Welch of Rutherford County state of North Carolina, farmer, being of sound mind & memory thanks be to God therefore calling to mind the mortality of the body and that it is appointed for all men to die do make & appoint this to be my last well and testament, that is to say, principally and first of all I give and bequeath my soul to almighty God who gave it. Nothing doubting by I shall receive the same again reunited to my body at the general resurrection or by the almighty power of God; & my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in a Christian and Decent manner at the discretion of my executors and as to such worldly goods as it hath pleased God to bestow upon my in this life I give divide and dispose of all my lawful debts and funeral charges to be paid out of my estate.

Secondly, I give and bequeath unto my well beloved wife Agnes Welch the improvements I now live on including my dwelling house and all of my necessary buildings thereon and also all house furniture including all the live stock to be at her disposal the land that only excepted and that only during her natural life and that to be disposed as hereafter mentioned; thirdly I give and bequeath unto my son James one hundred & forty acres of land whereon he now lives according to the boundary now laid off; fourthly, I give and bequeath unto my son Thomas a part of my old survey whereon he now lives including his improvements according to the boundary now laid off; fifthy, I give and bequeath unto my son John a part of a tract including the mill hole and certain boundary now laid off; sixthly, I give and bequeath to my son David Alexander a certain piece of land being part of my old plantation according to certain boundaries now laid off; seventhly, I give and bequeath unto my son Joseph the old improvement supposed to be two hundred acres at his mother's death according to the boundary now laid off; eightly, I give and bequeath unto my daughters to, 1st Elizabeth McGaughy one shilling sterling, also I give and bequeath unto second daughter Agnes Suggs one shilling sterling also I give & bequeath unto my third daughter Mary Snowdon one shilling sterling, 4th I give and bequeath unto my daughter Jean Proctor one shilling sterling and lastly I hereby nominate, constitute & appoint my wife Agnes Welch to be my whole and sole executor of this my last will and testament and do hereby utterly disavow all former wills & testaments whatsoever made or found to be made in witness whereof I have set my hand & seal this 21th day of August 1793.

Thomas Welch (seal)

Signed sealed in the

presence of us

name indecipherable

name indecipherable