Will of William Coachman

YAUHANNAH WILLS

WILL OF WILLIAM COACHMAN

I William Coachman of Berkeley County Parish of St John South Carolina Planter, Being in sound mind and memory do with my ownhand write this my last Will & Testament Viz: My will is that my plantation or tract of Land on Pedee Winyaw containing acres bought of James Coachman & my tract of land at Wacamaw containing 325 acres bought of Henry Fairwell together with all my negroes or slaves, stock of all kinds, household furniture, plantation tools &ca that shall be found there on each tract at the time of my decease be sold as soon as the crop on said lands be got off by my Executrix & Exors hereafter named either at publick or private sale as they shall judge most for the advantage of my estate & the money arising therefrom to be applyed towards paying all my just debts and the overplus to be put at interest on mortgager for the use & behoof of my daughter Magdalen Coachman to her and her heirs forever. Item: I give & bequeath unto my wife Elizabeth Coachman the use of my Plantation or tract of land commonly called Coatbau containing 3000 acres during her life & no longer also my riding chair & two horses Viz: Swan & Silver Heels 10 head of cattle 10 head of sheep & ten head of hogs & also two hundred pounds currency worth of household goods such as she shall chuse by the Appraisement thereof to that amount at Coastbau. Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Magdalen Coachman all the rest of my stock household furniture plate & guns to be sold at public vendue by my Exrix & Exors & the money put at interest for her use & behoof & to her heirs for ever Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth Coachman after her Mothers death my plantation whereon I now live commonly called Coatbau containing about three thousand acres of land to her and the heirs of her body for ever & my will & true intent & meaning is that if my said daughter should decease without issue of her body begotten & also that issue should die without issue of their body that the said land shall go & be & belong to my daughter Magdalen Coachman & to the heirs of her body begotten for ever. Item all the rest of my estate real and personal I give & bequeath unto my wife Elizabeth, my daughter Elizabeth & my daughter Magdalen Coachman to be equally divided in three parts between them share & share alike to them & to their heirs for ever. Item My will is that in case my wife Elizabeth Coachman should prove ancient at my death & bear a son to me after my decease that then the said plantation called Coatbau so left to my wife Elizabeth during her life & then to my daughter Elizabeth shall & belong to the said son to him & to the heirs of his body begotten for ever & that my daughter Elizabeth shall receive the sum of one thousand pounds currency from my Executrix & Exors hereafter named at her coming of age & the said sum to be paid out of my whole estate & also my will is that my estate shall be instead of being divided in three parts equally in four between my said wife & my then three children, but my will is that if the said child shall prove a daughter that it shall inherit the 4 part of my estate as before directed but that the plantation or tract of land called Coatbau shall remain as before directed to my daughter Elizabeth Coachman and lastly I nominate & Appoint my Uncle Benjamin Coachman, my brother James Coachman, my wives Uncles John & James Postell Exors & my wife Elizabeth Coachman Exrix of this my last Will & Testament. As witness my hand & seal this first day of January 1770.

Signed: Wm Coachman

Sealed & Acknowledged in the Presence of us:

South Carolina By the Honble Wm Bull Esq Lieutenant Gov & Commr in Chief in and over the said Province and ordinary of the same------

Personally appeared before me Benjamin Smith, Esq who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelist of Almighty God made Oath that he was well acquainted with the hand writing of Wm Coachman the Testator that he the Deponent had received a letter from the testator last January which he compared with the testators signing of this the testators last Will & Testament & further saith that he verily believed the name subscribed Wm Coachman to be the testators hand writing.

At same time Qualified James Coachman Exor given under my hand 6 March 1770. Signed: W. Bull

By virtue of a Dedimus to me directed from his Execellency The Gov I have this 18th December 1772. Qualified Elizabeth Coachman Exr to the above will. Signed: Thos Skottowe

Recorded in Original will book 1767-1771, pg 420, Charleston, South Carolina

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