Source: Sumner County Tennessee, Will Book Vol. 4, pages 426 - 430
I, Daniel Corkran of Sumner County Tennessee, being of sound and disposing mind & memory do make and publish the following as my last will and testament, hereby revoking & making void any and all wills by me heretofore, at any time made.
It is my will and desire that my funeral expenses & all of my just debts be paid.
I hereby give, bequeath and devise to my beloved wife Malinda for and during her natural life such portion of my real estate as she would be entitled to under the laws of Tennessee in case I should die intestate: and I desire and direct that the same be laid off to her exclusiorly [sic] out of my home place that on which we now live.
I further give and bequeath to my beloved wife Malinda such articles of household and kitchen furniture & farming implements & provisions on hand as would be assigned and set apart to her under the laws of Tennessee, were I to die intestate.
The perishable articles to be used and disposed of by her as she may deem best but it is my wish and desire that which she employ and use for her natural life, such articles of household & kitchen furniture & farming implements as may fall to her lot as herein before provided.
I desire that after her death, the same be disposed of as herein after provided.
It is my wish and desire that my son William D. Corkran have and I do hereby [pg. 427] give and bequeath to him all of the personal property of whatever kind or description of which I may die possessed, or that may be due or coming to me, to his sole use & behoof (word means benefit); and after the death of my wife, he is to have & I do hereby give & bequeath to him, the house hold & kitchen furniture & farming implements that may be assigned & set apart to her as hereinbefore provided and left on hand after her death for his sole use & behoof (benefit) and only charge him with the payment of certain legacies herein after provided for and enjoining him during the life of my wife to use the same in part as hereinafter provided.
I give & bequeath to my daughter Derotha Victoria Brinkley One Hundred Dollars.
I give and bequeath to my daughter Roxana Head, One Hundred Dollars.
I give and devise to my grandson Willis Long the son of my daughter Mary E. Long, my farm situated in Sumner County Tennessee Civil Dist. No ___ Known as the Collins place in Buckner hollow, on the waters of Red River and containing some sixty six acres, be the same more or less.
I give and devise to my grand daughter, Lovena Warren Corkran and my grandson, Lee Head Corkran, children of my son William D. Corkran my home place on which I now reside, situated in Sumner County Tennessee Civil Dist. No 16, and containing One hundred and ninety five acres be the same more or less, subject to the homestead and dower [pg. 428] interests to be laid off to my said wife & held by her during her lifetime.
And I hereby appoint my son William D. Corkran guardian for my said grand-children Lovena Warren and Lee Head Corkran But my wish & desire is that said Wm. D. Corkran shall be accountable to my said grand children Lovena Warren & Lee Head Corkran for their comfortable support and maintenance, only out of the rents and profits of said place, and then out of the rents and profits after this shall have been done he is to maintain and support comfortably his wife and such other children as he may hereafter have before any of said rents and profits shall accrue to his sole, individual use behoof (benefit) and benefit. And this management and application of the rents & profits of said place shall continue until my said grand children Lovena Warren & Lee Head Corkran shall arrive at the age of majority.
It is my earnest wish and desire my son William D. Corkran to live together in my present residence and work together and manage for their mutual profit, comfort and happiness; and it is to me a consoling thought to believe they will do so.
I have made no provisions for my sons Perry Corkran & Warren Corkran in this will not through any want of any interest in their welfare but because I have made them advancements, which, in view of the amount of my estate & in justice to others who are entitled to share equally of my bounty, leave me under no obligation [pg. 429] to supplement the same in this will. But I desire my Executor & I hereby instruct him to cancel and deliver up to said Warren & Perry Corkran all the notes and accounts, or other evidences of indebtedness on their part to me or my estate and not to take the same into account as part of the assets of my estate And as to any notes & accounts or other evidences of indebtedness to me by any of my children I desire and direct that they be cancelled and delivered up to those against whom they appear & not taken into account as assets of my estate.
To my daughter Mary E. Long I had made comparatively small advancements, hence the devise to her son Willie of my Collins place.
I have made some advancements to my son William D. Corkran, but not so much as to some of the others and in consideration of this fact and the further fact that he has lived with & is still living with me in my advanced age, and I expect him to remain with my wife in her declining years and aid her when I am gone, I have made for him the provisions set forth in this will.
To all of my children, I have made advancements more or less, considerable and taking these into consideration, along with the bequests and devises herein made, I feel that I have dealt as fairly & impartially as well could be done with those entitled to share my help and bounty.
I hereby appoint my son William [pg. 430] D. Corkran Executor of this my last will and testament.
Witness my hand this the 30th day of August 1883.
Daniel Corkran
We, the undersigned have signed this will in the presence of one another and of the testator Daniel
Corkran having been called by him & requested to witness the same & he has signed his name to
said will in our presence.
Witness our hands this the 31st day of August 1883.
R. M. White
L. E. White
State of Tennessee
Sumner County Court July Term 1888.
A paper writing purporting to be the last Will and Testament of Daniel Corkran dec'd, was
this day produced in open Court for probate by J. W. Wickwa.? And duly proven by the oaths of
R. M. White and L. E. White, the subscribing witnesses thereto, when the same is received by the
Court and ordered recorded as said Will and Testament of said Daniel Corkran deceased.
A Copy Test.
Harris Brown Clerk