Will, NC, Johnston, REUBEN SANDERS, 1824 In the name of God, Amen. I, REUBEN SANDERS of the county of Johnston in the state of North Carolina, being in a tolerable state of health, and of sound and disposing mind & memory, for which I am truly thankful to the great and wise dispose of all events, do make and ordain, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament. FIRST, I consider that the lands by me heretofore granted to my beloved son RANSOM SANDERS be in full of his part or share of my land and that he is not to have any further claim or interest on the same hereafter. ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my beloved son, ASHLEY SANDERS, all my lands and plantation on both sides of Neuse River above the lands of GEORGE GULLEY, deceased of ELAM LOCKHART (it is my desire that ELAM LOCKHART execute a deed to my said son ASHLEY for a small tract of land by lately bough of him) to him, his heirs and assigns forever. ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my beloved son REUBEN TROY SANDERS all my lands and plantations whereon I now live, on both sides of Swift Creek, except one tract of land known by the name of Old MR. RIVERS Land, containing about three hundred acres, and one other tract known by the name of WILLIAM RIVERS land, containing about twenty five acres, both tracts lying on Swift Creek above my other lands, to him, his heirs and assigns forever. ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife KERAN [SANDERS] [KERAN ANN SMITH] all my household & kitchen furniture & plantation tools of every description, desiring she may keep as much thereof for the purpose of carrying the business of the plantation or plantations and acts to her own use, and then to give out the same as she may deem most necessary to my children as they may settle off or to those settled off or to sell such part thereof as she may think proper to her own benefit or to the use and benefit of the family in common. It is my will & desire that she have the use of my house I now in or as much thereof as may be necessary together with as many of the out houses fully & amply for her comfortable support and use during her natural life, and also as much of lands and plantation given to my said son REUBEN TROY SANDERS as aforesaid as will be quite sufficient for her comfortable support and maintenance during her natural life, after which the whole of the said houses and plantations to belong to my said son REUBEN TROY SANDERS, as aforesaid in my bequeath to him. ITEM, I give and bequeath to my son ASHLEY SANDERS one thousand dollars to be paid him as soon as reasonably convenient, and it is my desire that my lands may be in a reasonable time ??? him in building a bridge across Neuse River in his own lands, and also in building a set of saw and grist mills on the same. ITEM, it is my will and desire that my executors herein after named, keep my son REUBEN TROY SANDERS at school at Chapel Hill or at some other good seminary of learning until he graduates. ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my beloved nephew REUBEN JACKSON SANDERS one lot or half acre of land in the town of Smithfield, North Carolina, near Mrs. DEESE and which has been cultivated by ALLEN S. BALLENGER for some time past, to him, his heirs & assigns forever, and it is my will & desire that my executors give him, this said JACKSON, three or four years board, clothing & schooling. Page 1 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, NC, Johnston, REUBEN SANDERS, 1824 ITEM, I give and bequeath it is my will and desire, that for the purpose of paying my just debts, the legacies herein before mentioned schooling my son REUBEN TROY SANDERS of my nephew REUBEN JACKSON SANDERS be that my executors herein after named be & they are hereby authorized and empowered to sell in manner as they may deem most necessary & advisable the following tracts of lands and town lots or so much thereof as may be necessary, to wit: my lands called GUY, POWELL & SEVENS [STEVENS] be on Neuse River below Smithfield, supposed to contain between eleven and twelve hundred acres. My Mush Island lands on said River above Smithfield containing about one hundred & fifty six acres, my lands called the Huckleberry lands, formerly the property of WILLIAM SASSER, deceased, & by him I think bought of PETER SLAUGHTER lying near SLAUGHTERS old place, containing about tow hundred & fifty acres, my BLAKE BRYAN lands on Swift & Middle Creek together with all my lands adjoining the same or lying near the same containing as well as I can recollect about thirty seven or eight hundred acres, my Cross Road on JOHNSON BOROUGH lands, near EDWIN SMITHS, containing about two hundred acres, one tract of lands called old MR. RIVERS land on Swift Creek about where I now live containing about three hundred acres, one other tract of land adjoining the tract of last above mentioned called the WILLIAM RIVERS lands, containing about seventy five acres, or any other lands I may own or possess not herein before willed away, my house and lot in the town of Smithfield whereon JAMES FREDRICK keeps store and two other lots a half acre of land in said town Nos. lying nearly on a direction from where said FREDRICK keeps store towards the academy and near David Thomson, and to execute truly for the same in a full and ample a manner as I myself could do if living. And it is my will and most ardent desire that after the payment of my just debts and legacies & aforesaid, that the remaining part or parts of the aforesaid tracts of lands, houses & lots left to be sold as aforesaid or any money arising from such sales be equally divided between my beloved daughters, SALLY [SANDERS] MCCULLERS, DELIA SANDERS, BETSY SANDERS & JULIA SANDERS which I give and bequeath to them, their heirs and assigns forever. ITEM, it is my will and desire that all my Negroes be equally divided (taking into consideration the Negroes, by me, heretofore given away or which are in the possession of RANSOM SANDERS, SALLY MCCULLERS & DELIA SANDERS) between my wife KERAN SANDERS & my children RANSOM SANDERS, SALLY MCCULLERS, DELIA SANDERS, ASHLEY SANDERS, BETSY SANDERS, JULIA SANDERS & REUBEN TROY SANDERS, but not for said division to take place immediately after the probate of this will, but only in the following manner, should either of my children living with me marry or settle off, for them or either of them to have as nearly as can be apportioned an equal proportion of said Negroes as those of my children heretofore married or settled off, except I desire my son ASHLEY SANDERS to have one Negro man or plough boy at his first sickling, as his plantations are much out of repair, but for said negro eventually to be considered in his valuable part a share, it is my desire that all my Negroes as are not to be given off as aforesaid be kept on my plantations in common for the benefit of my family & also that my executors, if thought by them necessary, finish & complete my saw & grist mills in Middle & to carry in the sawing be at the time and that the profits arising from the labor of my hand saws to be applied to the support and maintenance of my family paying my just debts & legacies to & c. contained in this will, and for not a full division to take place until my son REUBEN TROY SANDERS arrives at the age of twenty one years, then to be fully divided as aforesaid. Should any or either of my Negroes behave much amiss it is my desire that executors sell them & buy more in their place. Page 2 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, NC, Johnston, REUBEN SANDERS, 1824 ITEM, it is my will & desire that my stock of horses, cattle, hogs, sheep & in fact all my stock of all kind be by my wife, executors, divided off in an equal & proper manner between my wife and all my children at such time as they may most need them, but if it is by them thought proper I desire that they may sell such part thereof as may be necessary for the common use of my family or payment of my debts & legacies aforesaid, that my debts be collected and applied as last aforesaid, and also all or any of my property, if any there be not herein before mentioned, and desire that no public sale be made of any of my property in any instance, but that the sales be affected at private contract in manner as my executors may deem most advisable for cost or on credit. And I hereby constitute and appoint my sons RANSOM SANDERS & ASHLEY SANDERS executors to this my last will & testament, ratifying & confirming this and this only to be my last will & testament, and revoking and making null and void all other wills & testaments by me in anywise heretofore made. In witness whereof I, the said REUBEN SANDERS, have hereunto set my hand & affixed my seal the 20th day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty four (1824). R. SANDERS {seal} Signed, sealed & acknowledged by the testator in presence of [JOHN] CARY ATKINSON {his mark} WILLEY [HINTON] ATKINSON {her mark, wife of John} Page 3 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, NC, Johnston, REUBEN SANDERS, 1824 State of North Carolina Johnston County February Term 1830 Then was the execution of this will duly proven in open court by the oaths of CARY ATKINSON & WILLEY ATKINSON and ordered to be recorded. R. M. SANDERS, Clk Recorded in the clerks office of said county in Book No. 12, page 52. R. M. SANDERS, Clk Page 4 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, NC, Johnston, REUBEN SANDERS, 1824 ###### # # ##### ####### # # ##### ####### # # # # ## ## # # # ## # # # # # ## ## # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ###### # # # # #### ##### # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # ## ### # # # # # # ###### # # ##### ####### # # ### ##### ####### # # Transcribed from original documents by Brent R. Brian & Martha M. Brian. This document and others can be found on our website: BMGEN We claim COPYLEFT on the documents that we publish that are our original work. COPYLEFT “rules” can be reviewed on the web site: GNU Free Documentation License In short, use what you like. But if you use our stuff, mention us as the source. Brent R. Brian Martha M. Brian BrianMitchellGenealogy@gmail.com Page 5 of 5 ** PAGE BREAK **