SPRUILL FAMILY WILLS
DEMPSEY SPRUILL
October 11, 1841
State of North Carolina Washington County
In the name of God amen I Dempsey SPRUILL of the State and County
aforesaid being of sound mind and in good helth do make and ordain this
my last will and testament in manner as following, my desire is that my
Executors shall pay for all my just debts and funeral expences viz:
1st Item) I lend unto my beloved wife Mary SPRUILL the house and
Plantation whereon I now live, together with all of the lands that I am
seased and possed of (viz.) the tract of body land
whereon William SPRUILL lives also the tract of land whereon my
son Downing SPRUILL moved from adjoining the poplers land together
with all my working tools, horses, mules, cattle &
hoggs, sheep & household & kitchen furniture of every discription
during her life time.
2nd I now lend unto my wife Mary all my stock of Negroes of every
discription both young and old to her disposal. Also those Negroes that
is lent out to my children, to her disposal to take or let her keep them
to be to her disposal her life line or she has a right to lend any one
of the negroes to any one of the children as she may think proper or to
take them away at her pleasure.
3rd And I further give unto my wife all of my money and notes that are
in the house to the use of my Mary. Also all of my constable receipts
to her also.
4th Item Now my will and desire is that all of my Negroes at the death
of my wife Mary shall all come in together of every discription
and to be equally divided among my lawful heirs except my son Downing
SPRUILL.
5th Item Now I give unto my daughter Ann Caroline one bed and furniture
the first choice, two cows and calves to her and her heirs forever. Also
two ewes & lambs and one hundred and fifty
dollars in money to her and her heirs and assigns forever.
6th I now gave unto my daughter Henretta DUNSTON to her and her
heirs forever which is now in my possession all of her own property. I
gave also to her three cows and calves of the stock
that will be in the possession of my wife Mary SPRUILL at her death
and three ewes and lambs.
7th Now my will and desire is that all of my household and kitchen furniture,
horses, cattle, sheep and all of the rest of my chattle property of every
discription after taken out the chattle property I have givin away to my
two daughters (viz) Ann Caroline & Henretta DUNSTON to be equally
divided between my lawfull heirs of after the death of my wife Mary
SPRUILL excepting my son Downing SPRUILL as he is not to come
in as my heir as I have givin away to him his legacy before.
8th Now I give unto all of my lawfull heirs at my death money enough to
buy them a mourning suit except my son Downing SPRUILL.
9th Now I gave unto my son Downing SPRUILL one Negroe woman by
the name of PATIANEL and one Negro boy by the name of MOSES
which he has now in his possession. Also I gave unto him one dollar in
cash which is in full of any estate as to his part to heir and his heirs
forever.
10th Now I gave unto my grand son Dempsey SPRUILL the son of William
A. SPRUILL ten acres of land adjoining of the land of P.C. DUDLY
& others to him and his heirs forever.
11th Now I gave unto my daughter Clarisa & P.C. DUDLY one tract
of land known by the PINNER land by estamation eighty acres of the
same more or less adjoining of the land of Caleb PHELPS & others
to them their heirs and assign forever.
12th (item) I gave unto my two daughters Ann Caroline & Heneretta
DUNTSON all of my lands whereon my son Downing SPRUILL moved
from adjoining of the lands of Elias OL??ES heirs and others by
estamation two hundred and twenty acres be the same more or less with the
land to be equally divided between the two girls and the dividing line
to run through the middle of the East and West including of all of the
lands on the East side of my bigg ditch and my daughter Heneretta DUNSTON
to have the North side of the said dividing line and Ann Caroline
to have the South side of the said line to them and their heirs forever
after the death of their mother Mary SPRUILL.
13th I now gave unto my daughter Sallah wife of Isac C. BATEMAN
one tract or parcell of land adjoining of the DAVIS land and known
by the Saudacy DAVENPORT land laying in the west side of my bgg
ditch estamated to be eighty one acres be the same more or less to her
and her heirs forever after the death of my wife Mary SPRUILL.
14th I gave unto my son William A. SPRUILL one other tract of land
adjoining of the lands of the widow SNELL called Green Land Swamp
by estamation sixty five acres more or less to him and his heirs forever.
15th Now I gave unto my daughter Mary SWAIN the wife of Jeremiah
SWAIN seventy five acres of land to be laid off to her out of the east
end of the said tract of land whereon I now live with the line to run North
and South to her and her heirs forever after the death of her mother Mary
SPRUILL.
16th I now give and bequeath unto my daughter Ann Caroline the house
and plantation whereon I now live that is to say after taking out the seventy
five acres that I gave away Harry SWAIN as
above stated to her the said Ann and her heirs forever after the
death of her mother.
17th I gave unto my grand son Dempsey WOODEY (sic) the son of Eli
WOODLEY twenty acres of land adjoining of the lands of Benjamin
ARNOLD and James M. DAVIS and others to him and his heirs forever
after the death of his grand mother Mary SPRUILL.
18th I now gave unto Ebenezar DUNSTON my grand son whereon John
DUNSTON last lived adjoining of PETTIGREWS Chapple to him all of the
said tract of land and of my right and title interest in the said tract
of land to him and his heirs forever.
19th I now gave unto John DUNSTON my grand son one tract of land
known by the Buckhead Land laying in Tyrrell County all of my interest
in the said tract of land to have his heirs and assigns
forever.
Now I revoke all other wills and this will to be my true and last will
and testament. Now I leave & ordain as my worthy friends my beloved
wife Mary SPRUILL and my son William A. SPRUILL my hole and
sole Executors to this my last will and testament in witness whereof I
have hereunto set my hand and fix my seal this 11th day October in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty one.
(signed) DEMPSEY SPRUILL {seal}
Witness:
(signed) R.B. DAVIS
(signed) ASA ANSLEY
It is my wish and desire that all the legacies and bequests herein
mentioned in this my last will and testament should be all considered as
given subject to the life estate of my wife Mary according to the
first, second, and third clauses of this my will except the sum of one
hundred and fifty dollars in money given to my daughter Ann Caroline
which I desire to be given her without interest at any time according to
the direction of her mother and such gift to be considered independent
of and apart from any share she may entitled to receive in the division
of my estate according to the direction of this my will given under my
hand and seal this 4th day of March 1842
(signed) Dempsey (his X mark) SPRUILL {seal}
Witness
HARDY HARDISON (signed)
(signed) JOSIAH COLLINS
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State of North Carolina
Washington County
Court of Pleas & Quarter Session May? Term 1842
The due execution of the foregoing last will and testament of Dempsey
Spruill deceased was duly proved by the oath of Robert B. DAVIS
one of the subscribing witnesses thereto who made oath that the said testator
Dempsey SPRUILL in the presence of him said Robt B. DAVIS
and also in the presence of Asa ANSLY the other subscribing witness
signed sealed published and declared the
foregoing paper writing preceding the codicil as and for his last will
and testament and that he the said DAVIS and the said ASA ANSLY
subscribed the same at the request of the said testator in
his presence and in the presence of each to her as witnesses. And the due
Execution of the foregoing codicil to the last will and testament of the
said Dempsey SPRUILL was duly proved by the oath of Josiah COLLINS
one of the subscribing witnesses thereto who made oath that the testator
Dempsey SPRUILL in the presence of him said COLLINS and in
the presence of Hardy HARDISON the other subscribing witness signed
sealed published and declared the same as & for a codicil to his last
will and testament in the presence of said subscribing witnesses who at
the request of said Dempsey SPRUILL subscribed the same as witnesses
whereupon Mary SPRUILL & William A. SPRUILL the Executrix
and Executor named in the said will qualified thereunto and it is ordained
that said will and codicil be recorded and that letters testamentary issue.
(signed) T.E. PENDER Clk
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State of North Carolina
Washington County
I F.F. FAGAN Clk of the court of Please and Quarter Session of said
County do certify the foregoing to be a true copy from the records of my
office 15 Sept 1852.
F.F. FAGAN Clk