Will, NC, Rowan, Samuel Baker 1757 In the name of God, Amen. I SAMUEL BAKER of Rowan County in the province of North Carolina being, through the abundant mercy and goodness of God, though weak in body, yet of a sound and perfect understanding and memory, do constitute this my last will and testament & desire it may be received by all as such. IMPRIMIS I most humbly bequeath my soul to God, my maker, beseeching his most gracious acceptance of it; through ye all sufficient merits and mediation of my most compassionate redeemer, Jesus Christ, who gave himself to be an atonement for my sins, and is able to love to ye […] all that come unto God by him for mercy, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for ye and who, I trust, will not reject ye a returning penitent sinner, when I come to him for mercy; in the hope & confidence I render up my soul with comfort, humbly beseeching ye most blessed & glorious trinity, one God most holy, most merciful and good to prepare me for my dissolution, & then to take me to himself into ye perfect peace & rest, and incomparable felicity which he has prepared for all ye love & fear his holy name. Amen, blessed be God. IMPRIMIS I give my body to ye earth from whence it was taken, in full assurance of its resurrection from thence at ye last day. As for my burial, I desire it may be decent at ye discretion of my dear wife and executrix, who I doubt not, will manage it with all requisite prudence. As to my worldly estate, I will & positively order that all my lawful debts be paid and for that end I order my oldest negro wench called DINA and her heirs to discharge ye same. ITEM I leave & bequeath to my two sons, viz. ROBERT BAKER & JOHN BAKER & their heirs ye plantation on which I now live containing six hundred and forty acres be ye more or less to be equally divided between them, viz. Beginning at ye lower end of said tract at BENJAMIN WINSLEY’s late survey; from thence running to ye manner line so that ye said tract may be equally divided between them. And after such division I order & allow that my loving wife ELIZA BAKER, son JOHN BAKER, aforesaid, may have ye end or half of ye said plantation on which ye improvements now are. And also I order & bequeath that my loving wife ELIZA BAKER may have ye benefit & privilege of my said son JOHN’s half with ye improvements ye said JOHN comes to age according to law. ITEM I bequeath to my son ROBERT, aforesaid, all my personal apparel. ITEM I leave & bequeath to my said loving wife, during her life time, one negro child called AGGY, and at her decease to my daughter MARGRET BAKER & her heirs & if ye said negro child should live to maturity and have issue, ye said issue is to be equally divided amongst ye surviving heirs to […]. ITEM I bequeath and order ye plantation which I […] in ye manor land (that is to say if there should be a deed obtained from ye proprietor for ye …) to be sold and equally divided between my aforesaid wife & two daughters, viz. MARY [BAKER] & [MARGARET] MARGRET BAKER, that is if they should see cause to dispose of ye same. Page 1 of 2 ** PAGE BREAK ** Will, NC, Rowan, Samuel Baker 1757 ITEM I bequeath to my daughter MARY BAKER aforesaid one yearling sorrel filly. ITEM I bequeath to my daughter MARGRET BAKER aforesaid one two year old bay filly. ITEM I bequeath & order that all my smith tools & implements belonging to ye same be sold & ye price equally to be divided between ye aforesaid ROBERT BAKER & JOHN BAKER. ITEM after ye above said, I bequeath to my aforesaid loving wife one third of all bills, bonds, & book, debts. And ye other remaining part of my personal estate wheresoever ye some is, or in whosoever’s hands ye some may be found, & after said third part so deducted ye remaining two thirds to be be equally divided between my aforesaid FOUR CHILDREN, viz. ROBERT, JOHN, MARY, & MARGRET BAKER, remembering always that my purpose & intent is that he remaining two thirds aforesaid may continue in ye hands of my said wife until said children comes of age; and at each of their coming to age to receive only their equal dividend as I am now possessed of at my death. Bit in case that them or any of ye above said children should decease before they come of age, his or their part is to be equally divide amongst ye surviving heirs. LASTLY I make, constitute and ordain my said wife ELIZA BAKER sole executor of this my last will & testament, in truest for ye intent and purpose in ye, my will contained. And I make my loving friend HUGH LAWSON overseer of this my will to take care and see ye same performed according to my true intent & meaning. In witness whereof I, the said SAMUEL BAKER, have to this my last will and testament, set my hand and seal the twenty fourth day of December in ye year 1757. N. B. ye words (their heirs) were interlined between ye fourteenth & fifteenth lines before signing & sealing. SAMUEL BAKER {seal} Signed, sealed & delivered by ye said SAMUEL BAKER as and for his last will & testament in presence of us, who were present at ye signing & sealing thereof. MOSES WHITE ANDREW MCCONNELL, jurat GEORGE DAVISON, jurat Page 2 of 2 ** PAGE BREAK **