Albert Gallatin Meriwether will
Will of Albert Gallatin Meriwether [TMSI #6843]
Hickman
County, Kentucky
Will
Book C, page 461
In
the name of God, Amen. I, A. G. Meriweather, of the county of Hickman, being of
sound mind and disposing memory, for which I thank God, and calling to mind the
uncertainty of human life, and desiring to dispose of all such worldly estate
as it has pleased God to bless me with, I give an bequeath the same in the
following manner, to wit.
Item
1, I wish all of may just debts to be paid in the following manner. In the
first place, I wish all of the money that is due me to be collected as soon as
may be, and applied toward the payment of my debts. Also as soon as convenient
after the crop is gathered, I wish that be sold and the proceeds to be applied
in that way. And if that should not be
sufficient to pay off my debts, I wish my executors hereinafter mentioned, to
see my creditors and endeavor to get them to wait until the balance of what I
may be owing can be made from the products of my farms. And if they are willing
to wait, for all industrious means to be used to make the balance as soon as
possible and pay them off, but if they are unwilling to wait, I want them to
sell such of my property as they may think best and pay off my debts. And in
order that money may be raised to pay off my debts, I wish that my farms may be
carried as nearly as can be in the manner they have been doing, and the crop
sold and applied in that way.
Item
2, I give unto my wife Maria Catherine Meriweather, during her lifetime, the
farm on which I now live, containing two quarter sections of land, together
with all of the household and kitchen furniture, farming utensils; also cattle,
hogs and sheep; also sufficiency of horses and mules and negroes … that she
shall select, such of the negroes as she may see fit for that purpose.
Item
3, I give to my two sons William Winston and Robert Miller Meriweather, all of
the tract of land in Madrid Bend, which I bought from Da Norstreet, to be
equally divided between them according to quantity, so as to give each one of
them an equal front on the river, and to run back to the back line. It is my
wish for Winston to have the upper half of the land next to Mrs. Donaldson’s,
and for Robert to have the lower half next to Mr. Isler’s land. It is my wish
and desire that Robert should get some suitable person to take a lease upon his
part, and have a small improvement made at the lower corner of his part of the
river bank, and an orchard planted out, and that the clearing be mostly done in the burn across the
slough. It is my wish also that the stock of every kind, farming utensils, and
household and kitchen furniture, be equally divided between them, and that they
carry on the farm as nearly as they can to help pay off what I am owing, and
educating the younger children, and they shall one of them stay there, and one
of them on the farm with their mother alternately as they have been in the habit
of doing. And when they arrive at the age of twenty-one years, if there should
be more cleared land and better houses on upon Winston’s part than there in on
Robert’s, that Winston shall pay Robert one half of the difference that may be,
and pay for one half of as many fruit trees as there may be on his part, and
Robert shall be entitled to one half of the fruit on Winston’s part until
Winston shall have gotten his portion of the trees for Robert, and that they
get to bearing.
Item
4th, After the death of my wife, I give and bequeath to my son James
David, the farm, stock of cattle, horses, hogs, farming utensils, household and
kitchen furniture given to my wife during her lifetime.
Item
5th, I give unto my daughters Hannah Ann, Maria Catherine, Sarah
Chew and Harriet Winston Meriweather, and the legal heirs of their body, all of
my land on White River in the state of Indiana; also all of the tract of land
that I bought from Mr. E. W. Nevill in Madrid Bend; also the quarter section of
land in Fulton county on the Obion, in which Loua stays, to be equally divided
between them.
Item
6, I give unto my sons William Winston, Robert Miller and James David, and to
my daughters, Hannah Ann, Maria Catherine, Sarah Chew and Harriet Winston, and
the legal heirs of their bodies, at the death of my wife, all my negroes,
except those given to my daughter Edna Casandra Elizabeth, to be equally
divided between them as they become of age or marry.
Item
7, should the child be born and live with which my wife is now pregnant, it is
my wish and desire that each of my above named children have taken from the
property that I have bequeathed unto them, from each one, an equal part, to
make its property equal with the others, and if a boy, I wish him named Albert
Gallatin.
Item
8, I give unto my son William Winston, my small rifle gun.
Item
9, I give unto my son Robert Miller, my watch.
Item
10, I give unto my son James David, my double barrel shotgun.
Item
11, I give unto my daughter Edna Cassandra Elizabeth Robinson, five negroes, to
wit, Mary and her four children; also the northwest quarter of Section 14
Township 2 Range West, containing 160 acres of land, more or less.
Item
12, I give unto my above named children, all of my other property whatsoever
and whatever I may be entitled to from my father’s estate. And lastly, I do
hereby appoint my wife Maria Catherine, Executrix, and my brother Thomas W.
Meriweather, Executor of this my last will and testament, until my two sons,
William Winston and Robert Miller, shall arrive at the age of 21 years, and
then I do appoint them as my executors to this my last will and testament,
hereby revoking all other or former will or testaments by me heretofore made.
Also my wish and desire is that the County Court of Hickman County shall not
require either of my above named Executors or Executrix, to give security. In
witness whereof, I hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this 13th
day of June 1851.
Test:
C.
M. Ashley
S.
C. Nevill
George
Vincent
A.
G. Meriweather
Will
was proven in open court on the 1st day of September 1851, and
ordered to be recorded. Given under my hand this 9th day of
September 1851.
G.
William Rennick, clerk