Be it remembered that on the twenty sixth day of April in the year of
Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventeen the last will and
testament of Nathan Wells deceased was filed in the clerks office of the
Orange Circuit court and proven by the oaths of Ephriam Doan, Peleg
Gifford and Solomon Allen the witnesses thereunto subscribed and Levi
Gifford one of the Executors therein named, performed what was necessary
on his parte to obtain letters testamentory and a copy of the will is
hereunto annexed to wit--
Be it remembered that I Nathan wells of Orange County and State of
North Carolina being sick and weak in body but perfect in minde and
memory, calling to mind the mortality of of the body and knowing that
it is appointed for man once to die do make and ordain this my last will
and testament in the following manner and forme--
First I ordain that
all my just debts be paid together with my funeral charges and the
remaining parte of my estate I give divide and dispose of the same in
manner following.
I order that my wife Esther have full privalidge
of the plantation that I now live on and all the buildings belonging
thereto during her natural life to cultivate or rent out the land injoy
the proffits arising there from if it be her choise to live on the
land and at her decease or marriage I order the land to be sold by my
executors and the price of it be divided in equal shears among my three
sons Joseph, Nathan and John but if it be my wifes choise to remove from
the above said plantation I impower my executors to make sale of the
land and divide the price in equal shares among my wife and aforesaid
three sons Joseph, Nathan and John.
At my deecese I order the tract
of land that I purchased of Thomas Clark a land adjoining the lands of Samuel Pike and the remainder to be sold by my executors and the price
of it to be applied to the payment of my debts and other charges arising
from the executor of this will and if there be any remainder I order
that the same be divided in equal shares between my two daughters Esther and Sarah by my executors.
I give to my wife one good feather bed and
furniture her choise of the beds in my possession and all the spinning
wheels that I possess and also one square black wanet table and one gun
(unreadable) and one third parte of my dressor furniture and one case,
her choise of the stock to be at her intire disposal.
Item- I give to
my wife one grey mare and a brown mare and all my ploughs and plowgears
and all my weading hoes and one ax her choise and one mattock and my
loome and tachlings, sleighs and geers and one dutch oven and four gallon
pot and one skilet her choise and one washing tub and all my stock of
hogs and all the flax and all the grain that is now on the place and
also all the fodder and straw and straw on the place and also my house
hold chiars.
I give the above mentioned property to my wife for her use
and benefit during her life or widowhood and at her decease or marriage
I order that the aforesaid property or such parte of it as is not
consumed by using be sold by my executors and the money be divided
in equal shears among my three daughters Charity, Esther and Sarah.
I order my executors to sell my wagon and brick bands one case of drawers
and one ovel black wanet table one pair of dressors and all the
remaining parte of my property not mentioned in this will except the
beds and furniture and divide the money equal between my two daughters Esther and Sarah.
I also give to my two daughters Esther and Sarah each of them a feather bed and furniture I give to my son Stephen Wells one dollar I give to daughter Susannah Ray one dollar I give to my
daughter Elizabeth Cameron one dollar I give to my son William Wells one
dollar.
If my executors find that my two sons Nathan and John are not
sufficiently obedient and dutifull to their mother give them power to
bound them to such masters as they may think proper and lastly I
nominate constitute and appoint Stephen Ward and Levi Gifford executors
of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto
set my hand and seal this sixteenth day of the tenth month 1814.
Signed pronounced and declared by the said Nathan Wells to be his last
will and testament in presence of
Ephriam Doan
Peleg Gifford
Solomon Allen Nathan Wells {seal}
Transcribers Notes:
Nathaniel Wells was born in 1755 in Orange County, North Carolina. s/o Joesph & Charity (Carrington) Wells. m 12 Mar 1785, Esther (Ward) d/o William & Susannah Ward. Nathaniel & his family removed to Orange County, Indiana just shortly prior to his demise and he is buried in the Lick Creek Cemetery, Paoli, Orange Co, Indiana.
[Submitted by Larry Wells]
