Transcribed by Cliff Berry Johnson  [email protected]

In the name of God Amen. I John Berry of Hancock County and State of Georgia of sound and disposing mind & memory & in good health, knowing that it is appointed ofr all men to die & that eer long I must go hence to be here no more, do ordain, make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form following,

Item: I remmand my soul to God who gave it & my body to the grave to be buried as the discretion of my executor in a decent Christian like manner.

Item: To my beloved son John J. Berry I give & bequeath one cow & calf, one feather bed and furniture & three Negro slaves by name Cary, Ben, Plumma, all of which have been heretofore given up and delivered to him and a Bill of Sale or Deed of Gift of the said Negroes made to him by me.

Item: To Elizabeth Boon my beloved daughter I give & bequeath one cow & calf, one feather bed & furniture & two Negro Slaves by name Abram & Abitha all of which has been delivered to her by me & one of which viz Abram has since been sold by Lewis Boon my son in law. Also give to the children of my said daughter Elizabeth Boon a Negro boy named Elijah a deed of gift of which Negro I have heretofore made to said children.

Item: To Nancy Lanier my beloved daughter I give & bequeath one cow & calf, one feather bed and furniture and three Negro Slaves by name Lewis, Clary & Gabrid all of which has heretofore been given & delivered to her & a deed of fift of said Negroes made to her & her heirs by me.

Since which time her husband Nicholas Lanier had sold said Negroes.

Item: To Margaret Collier I heretofore did give two Negroes, Stephen & Liza during her natural life & at her death to the heirs of her body, but since which time they have been taken by executions against her husband Richard Collier & sold to pay his debts which I still own & shall die with the aspertion that I never intended the right to be in said Collier and which I contended for when I defended the law suit relative to the trial of the right of said property. Also I give to the heirs of the body of my said daughter Margaret Collier a Negro boy named Turner, a deed of gift to that effect having heretofore been made--also I give said Margaret a cow & calf & a feather bed and furniture al of which has been delivered into her possesion by me.

Item: To William Berry my beloved son I give & bequeath one Sorrel Horse & three Negroes by name Isaac, Ned & Warren which Negroes I have made him the said William a Deed of gift

for--which horse & Negroes are delivered into his possesion by me--also I give said William one feather bed.

Item: To my beloved daughter Charlotte Ingram I give & bequeath three Negro Slaves by name Dafney & her two children Becky & Daniel which Negroes I conveyed to her by a deed of gift & delivered to her before her marriage. I also give her the said Charlotte one feather bed & furniture which has been given to her by me.

Item: My will is that out of the rest & residue of my estae all my just debts be paid.

Item: My will is that all the rest & residue of my estate be by my executor equally divided between my beloved wife Malinda W. Berry & my three children Mary Ann Berry, Joseph Berry & Henrietta W. Berry & all the children my said wife Malinda may heretofore have by me to them & their heirs forever.

Lastly: I do hereby revoke & annull all forms, devices & wills by me made or caused to be made. And I nominate, constitute & appoint my trusty friends Jacob P. Turner, William Arnold &

Thomas Thweatt all of this county, my whole & sole executors to carry into effect this my last will and testament, this the twenty sixth day of March eighteen hundred & twenty two.

Signed, sealed, pronounced & delivered the last will & testament of the testator in the presence of us who in his presence & the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses.

Mary C. S. Turner John Berry Seal

Phil S. Simmons

Wm. Green Macon

Mr. John Berry died on July 10, 1823 and his will was probated as follows:

The last will and testament of John Berry was proven in open court by the oaths of Mary C. S. Audas (formerly Mary C. S. Turner) Philip S. Simmons & William G. Macon all subscribing witnesses to said will whererpon it is ordered that said will be admitted to record, and that letters testamentary be granted to Jacob P. Turner & William Arnold two of the nominated executors by said dec. in said will. To whom after being duly qualified letters were granted accordingly.

Nelson a Negro man $550 Osborn do do $550 1100--

Jacob “ “ do $300 Sukey a Negro woman $200 500--

Violet a Negro woman $150 Philly do do $350 500--

grey Horse $ 60 Sorrell Horse (blind) $ 20 80--

Bay Horse $ 60 Pedio Mare $ 40 100--

Yoke steers $ 40 Red cow & calf $ 12.50 57.50

White & dun cow & calf $ 12.50 Yellow & white do do $ 12.50 25--

Red cow & heifer $ 15 White & pedio cow& calf 14 29--

White & brown cow $ 10 Red & white heifer $ 5 15--

4 Sows & 15 pigs $ 27 16 Shoats $ 28 55--

8 Shoats $ 16 Cross cut saw $ 6 22--

4 club axes $ 5 1 Frows $ 1 6--

3 grubbing hoes $ 2 1 pair iron wedges $ 1.50 3.50

2 weeding hoes & a chop axe 2.50

_________

Amt. forwarded $2,490.50

PAGE 4 156

Amt. bro. forward $2,490.50

4 Scooter & 3 shovel plough Hoes 4--

2 Trowel Hoes, 4 half shears & 1 cutter 6--

4 Plough stocks, 4 Clevices & 5 Single trees 5--

2 Harrow Frames & 10 Iron teeth 4--

1 Crow Bar & Pr. Steelyards 4--

4 Sets Plough Gear & Fifth chain 6--

Jack plane, Fou plane & Jointer 8--

16 Moulding planes 14--

2 Smoothing planes & Round shave 1.50

1 Brace & 12 bits 5--

1 Oil stone $2. 13 Chisels & 2 gambits $2.50 4.50

2 Band Auger & 1 Screw Auger 50

1 Hand Saw, 2 Sash Saws & Key Saw 2--

Bevel, Square, Mallet, Rule & Claw Hammer 1.25

2 Iron Brandz 1--

Box, Auger, Iron Rod screw & scraper 50

1 Waggon Lock Chain 1.00 Ox Cart $10 11--

Pair of four wheels for a waggon 2.50

Forty saw gin $10. & lot of cotton 15--

2 Stands 1.00 Old Saddle 1.00. 10 Bushels Cow peas 7--

1 Small Club Axe .50. 1 Gigg & Harness $50. 50.50

Lot of Corn $30. Clock $20. 11 Chairs $6 56--

Side Board $30. Folding Maple Table 7.00 37--

Dressing Table .50 Lot of cooking ware & waiter 2.50 3--

5 Silver tea spoons, Lot of glass, Crockery & Bottles $5 9--

Drinking Glass 2.50 Pr. Candlesticks & Snuffer .50 3--

1 Shot Gun $15. 1 pr. And Iron, Shovel & Tongs 200 17--

Lot of Books $17. 1 Bed, bedstead & furniture $30 47--

1 Bed, Bedstead & furniture 30--

One Trunk of Bed Clothes $10. 1 Chest of do $22 32--

One pr. And Iron .25 1 Bed, bedstead & furniture $25 25.25

One Trunnel Bed,bedstead & furniture 15--

1 Pine Table & Cradle 1.50 Two Trunks $3 4.50

Coffee Mill, 2 Lard Buckets 3.50

Asin Mortas $2 Screw driver & plane Irons 1.00 3--

Amt. forwarded $2,919.00

PAGE 5 157

Amt. forwarded $2,919.00

6 Saws & 1 Gig 3.75 2 Bowls, 2 tin pans, 1 pitcher $2.50 6.25

1 Cot 1.50 l Loom $5 2 Spinning Wheels $4 10.50

1 Lot pots, Ovens Hooks & Racks $10. 1 pr.--&-- .50 10.50

Pails, Tubs & 1 pan 2.12 1/2 One Sifter 1.00 3.12 1/2

2 Barrels .25 2 Trays .75 2 Grind Stones 3.50 4.50

1Churn .50 2 Barrels .75 .75

Worping Barr & Spool Frames 1--

Lot Bacon & Lard $18. Lot Barrels 1.00 19--

1 Carpet 2--

Standing Crop of Corn 200--

Standing Crop of Cotton 400--

____________

$3,578.62 1/2

We do certify upon oath that as far as was produced to us by the Executor tha above and

foregoing contains a true appraisement of the goods & Chattels & Credits of the estate of John Berry deceased, to the best of our judgement & understanding.

John Turner

Thomas Coleman Appraising

Tho Thweatt

John Pinkston

I do certify that the foregoing appraisers were sworn to perform their duty as appraisers,

according to law, this twenty second day of August one thousand eight hundred & twenty three.

M. L. Hamill, J.P.

Note: The disposition of John Berry’s estate goes on for several more pages and ends on page 161. William Berry his son and Malinda W. Berry his widow bought or received a good many of the items sold along with several other named people.