Will of Elizabeth (Jenkins) Copeland - 1877
 

 

 

Wake County Wills, Record Book 35, Pages 385-386

 

ELIZABETH (JENKINS) COPELAND, b. 1806

(wife of THOMAS COPELAND, b. 1790)
 

State of North Carolina

Wake County.  In the name of God Amen!

I ELIZABETH COPELEN being weak in body but of sound  mind, and of disposing memory, do make and declare  this to be my last will and testament.  To wit: I  give and bequeath to my son FABIUS COPELEN, ten  acres of land on which I live, beginning at a  corner stake running South far enough to take ten  acres, thence East across tract of land to the  boundary line.  I also give to my said son my mare  and buggy, also my bed, bedsteads and furniture,  and one table.  I give to grand daughter, MARY  EVANS, three acres of land, adjoining that of  FABIUS, and I give one acre of land to WILLIAM  EVANS, adjoining MARY's. I give CIDY ANN SMITH five  acres, adjoining WILLIAM's.  I give to HAWKINS  STEWART five acres of land, adjoining CIDY ANN's. I  give to my son JOEL EVANS five acres of land,  adjoining HAWKINS STEWART's.  I give to my daughter  NANCY WALDEN, five acres adjoining JOEL's. I give  to JANE LOCKLEAR three acres, and her daughter,  ELIZABETH ALSTON, two acres.  Tis my desire that  the said MARY EVANS have one bed and mattress, two  sheets, and one bed quilt; and all the rest of my  effects, both real and personal, if any, I want  sold and equally divided between all of the above  mentioned, except WILLIAM EVANS, he is not to share  in this; and I hereby make and ordain my son FABIUS  COPELEN, Executor to this my last will and  testament. In writing whereof, I have hereunto set  my hand and seal, this 13th day of July, in the  year of our Lord, one thousand Eight hundred and  seventy-six.  Signed and sealed in presence of the
 

ELIZABETH COPELEN ["J" her mark]  (seal)
 

teste:

ALLEN ADAMS

GEORGE GREEN ("X" his mark)


 

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Probate of Will
 

State of North Carolina

Wake County

In the Probate Court
 

A paper purporting to be the last will and  testament of ELIZABETH COPELEN deceased is  exhibited before me, the undersigned, Judge of  Probate for said County, by FABIUS COPELEN, the  Executor therein mentioned and the due execution  thereof by the said ELIZABETH COPELEN is proven by  the oath and examination of ALLEN ADAMS and GEORGE  GREEN, the subscribing witnesses thereto; who being  duly sworn doth depose and say and each for himself  deposeth and saith, that he is a subscribing  witness to the paper-writing now shown here,  purporting to be the last will and testament of  ELIZABETH COPELEN; that the said ELIZABETH COPELEN  in the presence of this deponent, subscribed her  name at the end of said paper-writing, which is now  shown as aforesaid and which bears date of the 13th  day of July 1877.(sic)

And the deponent further saith, that the said  ELIZABETH COPELEN the testatrix aforesaid, did, a  the time of subscribing her name as aforesaid,  declare the said paper-writing as subscribed by  her, and exhibited, to be her last will and  testament, and this deponant did thereupon  subscribe his name at the end of said will, as an  attesting witness thereto, and at the request and  in the presence of the said Testatrix.  And this  deponent further saith, that at the said time as  when the said testrix subscribed her name to the  said last will as aforesaid, and at the time of the  deponent's subscribing his name as an attesting  witness thereto, as aforesaid, the said ELIZABETH  COPELEN was of sound mind and memory, of full age  to execute a will, and was not under any restraint  to the knowledge, information or belief of this  deponent; and further these deponents say not.

Severally signed & subscribed this 22nd day of May  1877 before me.

J. N. BUNTING

Probate Judge
 

ALLEN ADAMS

GEORGE GREEN ("X" his mark)
 

North Carolina

Wake County

Probate Court

May 22nd, 1877
 

It is therefore considered and adjudged by the said  Court that the said paper writing, and every part  thereof, is the last will and testament of  ELIZABETH COPELEN, decd., and the same is ordered  to be recorded & filed.
 

J. N. BUNTING

Probate Judge.

 

Notes:

This was Elizabeth Jenkins, who was the wife of Thomas Copeland of Wake Co., whom she had married on Oct. 2, 1837 as Elizabeth Evans.   She had previously married Asa H. Evans, on March 14, 1826, and was the daughter of Nancy Jenkins, b. abt 1770, of Wake County.  Asa died early in 1837 and Elizabeth remarried to Thomas Copeland  later that same year.  She apparently had a daughter, Jane Jenkins, b. 1825,  prior to her marriage to Asa Evans; Jane married Wyatt Locklear on May 6, 1841.  Asa & Elizabeth had at least 3 children together, Joel, William and Nancy Evans.  Elizabeth & Thomas Copeland had 3 children together: Vina Hawkins, Sidney Ann, and Asa Fabius Copeland.  On March 12, 1838, Elizabeth’s mother, Nancy Jenkins had married Stephen Harris, b. 1780, and they were listed together in the 1850 Wake Co. Census a few houses from Thomas & Elizabeth Copeland. By 1860, Stephen had apparently died, and Nancy was living with the Copelands (listed as Nancy Harris Copeland, age 90) and again she was living with them in 1870 as Nancy Jinkins, age 104. Her age had apparently been questioned by the census taker because he wrote a note on the page that says “Jinkins says she remembers well about the close of the Revolutionary war &c”. These families were free persons of color, listed as black or mulatto in the census records.

 

 

  

 

 

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