William Holdritch of Laurens County, SC
Will and Probate Records 1803-1820

The following records are the will, appraisal, and probate packet of William4 Holdridge/Holdritch who died in Laurens County, SC in 1803. He was the father of seven children, and apparently was a widower as no wife was named and guardians were named for the minor children.

The probate packet did not include the will or appraisal, but I visited the Laurens County Library in July 2008 and made a photocopy of the will from microfilm, and found the appraisal in one of the WPA books, cited below.

Will of William Holdritch

Recorded in Will Book C-1, page 74, Laurens County, SC

I William Holdritch of State and District aforesaid having the free use and exercise of my reason on the sixteenth day of August in the Year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and three But being very weak in body and knowing that it is appointed unto all one to die and not being able to say how soon I may [be] called far = the peace and willfare of my children and to prevent all disputs I have thought best to dispose of my whole estate both personal and real in the following manner----

After my death it is my wish that all my property Real and personal should be sold at publick Auction uppon a Credit of twelve months and the money together with what is now owing to me be equaly divided among my seven children after all my just debts are paid After the money is collected from the Sales of my property and the money now owing me then my son James part to be paid to him also to my Daughter Luvine My other children parts to be paid to them when they come of age Viz William, Zaichiriah and Lucy parts to be paid to Messre Young and Boyce for them to keep and make use of and to pay it to them as they come of age my son Georges to be paid to William Burnside Esq. for him to keep and to pay it to them when he comes of age and my daughter Polleys part to remain in the hands of James Bailey to be paid to her when she comes of age or Marry----

I do hereby constitute and nominate and appoint my trusty friends James Bailey and William Bailey (Black head) my Soule Executors to this my last will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal in the day and year first above written.

William Holdritch (seal)

Signed Sealed in presence of
James Boyce, James H. Dendy, James Young

NOTE: The application to administer the estate was not in the probate packet, but I found it in the book Laurens County Judge of Probate, Will Book B, 1802-1809, WPA Project 65-33-116, Laurens, SC, 1936, transcription by Mary Farley Todd, "Upon application of James Baley and William Balley named Executors in the last will and testament of William Haldrich deceased, the said William Haldritch was proven in the court of ordinary by James Young and letters testamentra (sic) granted together with the warrant of appraisement to the said James Baley and William Baley named Executors in the said last will and testament Barring date the 20th of October in the year of our Lord 1803 by me David Anderson ardy."

[Appraisal of Estate]

You Isac Michel, Samuel Powell, Andrew Rodgers, James Shackelford do swear that you will make just and true appraisment of all and singular the goods and chattels ready money only excepted of Wm Holdridge --- deceased as shall be produced by Wm Baley and James Baley Executors and that you will return the same certified under your hands unto the said executors within the terms [time?] prescribed by law.

I do certify that the above named appraisers was duly qualified before me agreeable to law this 23rd day of November 1803

Z Bailey J.P.

State of South Carolina District of Lauren to David Anderson ordinary of the said district we the Executors of Wm Holdrick pray that you would take our case into consideration and grant us a order of sale on the said Deceased goods and chattel on a credit of three months to enable us to fulfill the contents of the said will and your petitioners will be ever bound this 6th day of December 1803.

William Bailey
James Bailey
Executors

NOTE: A Stilyard is a primitive scale used for weighing flour, sugar and other foodstuffs. Clivises is probably clevis, a U-shaped metal piece with holes in each end through which a pin or bolt is run, used as a fastening device. The total value of the appraisal, 520, appears to be dollars, but it may be pounds and shillings, as both were being used in court records about this time. I tried several ways to transcribe the numbers and add them as pounds, shillings and pence, or dollars, but cannot arrive at 520; it is at least 550.

to one pair of stilards 4.00
to four chisels and one punch 1.75
two plains 1.00
to one Cock .75
to four pint cups one jack & a tin pan 1.50
to four books 1.00
to one box .50
to one pot 4.00
to two pots 1.00
to two plow hoes and two weading hoes 2.50
to three Clivises and one hand saw 1.75
to one ax .75
to one hoe 1.00
to one cow and calf 12.00
to one cow and two yearling 14.00
John Baileys note 4.00
William Leagons note for pork 10.00
Isham Fullers three notes 225.00
Elias Halcoms note 60.00
William Baileys note 100.00
Zachariah Baileys note 100.00
520.00

Isaac Mitchell
James Shackelford
Samuel (X his mark) Powell

NOTE: Photocopies of the estate packet transcribed below can be ordered from Laurens County Library, 1017 West Main Street, Laurens, SC 29360. Ms. Elaine Martin, Local History Librarian, sent photocopies of the microfilm of the probate packet and photocopies of several other items in the Laurens County Library that mentioned the Holdridge family. The total cost was about $15.00. I tried to transcribe the packet exactly as written, including spelling errors and surname variations. The notation "sic" means that the spelling was in the original, although I did not add the notation "sic" after every spelling error. Anything in brackets [example] was not in the original document, but was added by me.

Estate of William Holditch

James and Wm Bailey
Executors
Judge of Probate
Laurens County, SC
Box No. 37, Pkg. No. 6

Wm Holditch
1803
37-6
Box 37
No. 6

State of South Carolina, District of Laurens, by David Anderson esquire ordinary to Isac Michel, Samuel Powell, Andrew Rodgers, and James Shackelford, these are to authorize and empower you or any three or four of you to repair to all such places within this district as you shall be directed to by William Baley and James Baley executors---sale of William Holdridge--- deceased wheresoever any of the goods and chattels of the said deceased which shall be shown unto you by the said William Baley and James Baley executors and there view and appraise all and every the said goods and chattels being first sworn on the holy Evanglist of almighty God to make a true and perfect inventory and appraisment thereof and to cause the same to be returned under your hands or any three of you to the said William Baley and James Baley executors--on or before sixty days now next entering dated this 20th day of October 1803 in the year of the American Independence the twenty-eighth

ordinarys office recorded administration Book B page ~

David Anderson ord'y

The Sale Bill of the Estate of William Houldich deceased
Sold the 24th Day of December 1803

Henry Hall to one lot of tin ware* L 0-6-8
William Bailey to one handsaw 0-8-2
Thomas Burnsides to two plains 0-4-0
Isham Fuller to one drawing knife 0-2-0
Thomas Burnsides to a lot of Chizzels 0-6-5
William Bailey to one old ax 0-3-6
William Bailey to a lot of Clivis Irons 0-3-0
William Bailey to one pair of Stilyards 0-12-10
William Bailey to a lot of books 0-4-8
William Bailey to two hoes 0-7-3
James Houldich to one deerskin 0-1-2
Isham Fuller to one plow hoe 0-1-9
William Bailey to one plow hoe 0-4-8
William Bailey to one pair chain traces 0-9-4
Isham Fuller to one big pot 0-5-10
Isham Fuller to one little pot 0-1-6
James Bailey to one box 0-2-4
Solloman Fuller to one cow and calf 1-18-6
James Houldich to one cow 2-2-0
James Bailey to two bulls 0-14-0
Lucy Clardy to one pot 0-4-0
Do Do one old hoe paid for 0-0-3 1/2
L 7-13-10 1/2

William Bailey
James Bailey Executors

NOTE: The appraisal on the previous page could be in dollars or pounds, but the sale items on this page are definitely in pounds, shillings and pence. Even after the Revolution, the United States continued to use pounds, shillings and pence. A bill was passed in 1792 stating that money of the United States should be in dollars, with dimes for tenths and cents for hundredths. But pounds continued to appear in court records in the 1800's. One pound equaled 20 shillings (not 100). One shilling equaled 12 pence. I cannot arrive at 7 pounds, 13 shillings, and 10 1/2 pence; it appears to me to equal 7 pounds, 10 shillings, 10 1/2 pence.

Money Received for the Estate of William Holditch
1804 October the 7 Day

Dollars/cents
Received of Isham Fuller $75.00
Received of Soloman Fuller $8.25
Received of John Baley $4.00
Received of John Wilson $7.00
Received of James Holley $3.00
Received of Thomas Burnside $2.07
Received of George Brown $8.88
Received of John Black $40.50
Total Amount in $ 148.70

And Paid out of the estate of Wm Holditch 1804

Dollars/cents
Paid David Anderson $7.00
Paid John Hemphill $103.75
Paid approved Account? David Baley $1.50
Paid Thomas Babb $4.00
Paid Widow Brown $17.83
Paid a Book account To John Black $13.87
Paid a Book account To Wm Ludguns $4.00
Total Amount in $ 151.95

Return For the Years 1805-1806

State of S Carolina
Laurens District
Ordinarys Office

Personally appeared before me in the court of ordinary James Bailey Executor of Wm Holdridge deceased and made oath and saith that the several sums of money received And paid are just and true ___?____ and subscribed before me this 15th day of November 1806

D. Anderson ordy
James Bailey Ex.

James Bailey Executor of Wm Holdridge Deceased
Return for the years 1805 & 1806
Filed this 15th Day of November In my office by me
D. Anderson

The return of James and William Baley executors of the estate of William Holdridge Deceased

To Cash received for the year 1805 and part of the year 1806

Of Elias Halcom the sum of $60 in 1806
Of henery Fuller administrator of Isham Fuller deceased $163
Of William Ligon $10
Total amt $233

To Cash paid in the behalf of said estate

To John Black $36.58
To James Young 30
To John Simpson 13.26
To Wm Oneil 3.87
To James Holdridge legatee 30
To Levina Holdridge 30
To Lura Clardy 1.50
To the ordinary 1.43
For Vina Holdridge to Wm Ligon 1.50
Total Amt $148.14

Return For the Years 1806-1807

James Bailey return for the year 1806 & 1807 Of Money received on account of debts due the estate of William Holdridge deceased --as Executor ~

Received of Zachariah Baley 50.28

As by amount rendered into the ordinary office of debts due the estate

Also paid ordinary fees 1.43
Balance $48.85

State of Carolina
Laurens District

Personally appeared before James baley Executor of William Holdrige deceased and made oath and saith that the above accounts of money received and paid are just & true sworne to and subscribed before me this 8th day of December 1807.

D Anderson ordy
James Bailey

Year 1812

James Baley Executor of William Holdridge deceased

To cash received in the year 1812
William Baley the sum of $29.00

To cash paid
to William Holdridge one of the said deceased legatees The sum of $29.00
Paid to the said William Holdridge for his brother George Holdridge By order $29.00

58.00

South Carolina
Laurens District

Personally Appeared before me James Baley Executor of William Holdridge deceased and made oath as the law directs and saith that the within amounts of money received and paid as within stated as just and true sworne to and subscribed before me this the 23 day of January 1813

James Bailey
D. Anderson ordy

[Summary of Accounts 1803-1812]

Sale Bill of William Holdrick deceased
Sum of L 7-13-10 in dollars $32.97
Debts received in year 1804 148.70
Debts received in year 1805 $233.00
Dito date 1806 & 7 50.28
Dito date 1808 50.00
543.95
$333.38
210.57
43.86 1/2
43.86 1/2
Debts and Expenditures
Paid in the year 1804 $151.95
Paid dito = date 1805 1.43
Dito for 1806 & 7 1.43
Paid in 1812 1.43
Dito in 1808 $30.43
333.38
543.95
333.38
Commission on said at 5 percent 877.33

The above sum of 166.70 1/2 to be divided in seven parts for legacies, to each the sum of $23.81 1/2 with int from the time that each legatee come of age.

Return 1818

Money received and paid a way for the estate of William Holditch deceased in December 1818

Received of William Bailey Blackhead $11
March the 4th 1819 paid Lusey Holditch $29.00
January 1813 paid David Anderson $1.25
March 18?? Paid David Anderson $1.43
$31.68

Given under my hand this 16 day of October 1819

James Bailey

[Summary of Accounts 1803-1818]

Sale Bill of Wm Holdrich decd $32.97
Debts received in the year 1804 148.70
Debts received in the year 1805 233.00
Do Do in the year 1806 & 1807 50.28
Do Do for the year 1812 29.00
Total amount $493.95
The amount of Commission 46.75.75
Total amount to be divided in 7 shares 447.20
each legatee 63.88
deduct 50.00/ 7 = 7.14 1/4
each ones part $56.73 3/4
Debts paid for 1804 $151.95
Do Do 1805 & 1806 148.14
Do Do 1806 & 1807 1.43
Debts and legacies for 1808 50.00
Do Do 1812 58.00
Debts and legacies 1818 31.68
441.20
The sums received 447.20
Debts and legacies paid 441.20
6.00

This sum is still in the hands of Wm Bailey Executor

D. Anderson ordy

[Final Disbursements 1820]

October the 24 1820, paid Zechariah Houlditch Leagetee (sic) Twenty three dollars Eightyone & a half cents being his part in full----the above receipt produced [written by a different hand than rest of page]

NB I have paid the Leagetees more than one hundred Dollars over their Legaseys through the mistake that I sepose Doctor Anderson made that they now stand justly In debt to me; but all I have paid over & above their Parts seams to be clearer and will pay it back as soon as They can for which I can waite with patience. I have Now given you a little sketch what I have done and remain yours with esteem

David Anderson ord
James Bailey

NOTE: NB is the abbreviation for Nota bene, a Latin phrase meaning "Note Well," instructing one to note well the matter at hand; "pay attention" or "take notice".

[Outer Wrapper]

James Bailey Executor of Zachariah Holdridge deceased Return filed in my office by me this 5th day of November 1820

D Anderson ordy
James Bailey Return to David Anderson

NOTE: The name Zachariah Holdridge, deceased, was written on this last sheet, but this appears to be an error. Zachariah did not die by 1820, he received his legacy in 1820, and was still alive as late as 1870 in Baker County, AL. This page appears to be the label for the outside of some folded papers, possibly the preceding page, which only mentions Zachariah Houlditch legatee by name, but not William Houlditch deceased.