I Christopher Brandon being old & weak in body but of sound & disposing mind & memory, & being desirous to dispose of such earthly goods as it has pleased God to bless me with, I do make and ordain this as my last will & Testament in manner & form following
Item 1st I want all my just debts paid out of any money I may leave at my death, as soon as possible after my decease.
Item 2nd I give & bequeath to my son Christopher Brandon one Negro man Jack in trust for my beloved wife Sarah Brandon the Negro man Jack to be in the nature of a Body Servant for my said wife, & to be under the control & direction of my said son, so as to render him as valuable to my said wife as possible, and at the death of my said wife, I direct that the said Negro Jack be sold & divided equally among all my children.
Item 3rd I give & bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth wife of John Fowler one Negro woman named Hannah & her son named Francis with their future issue & increase.
Item 4 My daughter Mary, the wife of Turner Bentley, having heretofore received her full share of my Estate, I have nothing more to give her, except as herein after excepted.
Item 5th I give & bequeath to my daughter Rebecca Brandon one Negro man named Leonard, one Negro woman named Sarah & her two children named Milly and Miller, & one Negro girl named Mariller also one horse to be valued at seventy five dollars, & if she marries before a division of my property under this will, then I give her two cows & calves, & I give her unconditionally one Third part of all my Household & Kitchen furniture, & besides this I give her my Walnut Bureau.
Item 6th I have heretofore given to my daughter Ann, wife of John Rountree what I consider her share of my Estate, & I give her no more except as herein after excepted.
Item 7th I give & bequeath to my daughter Jane Roberson, a Negro woman named Rachell & her children named Simpson, Cornelia, Wright, Abram. I also give her Nancy & Sam. I also give her one horse to be valued at seventy five dollars & one third part of all my household & Kitchen furniture and if she marries before my property is divided under this my will, then I give her also two cows & calves - - - & my Executors is hereby directed to but & give to her one Bureau with Twenty five dollars.
Item 8 I give & bequeath to my son Jesse the sum of six Hundred Dollars on condition that he applies for it within the time of Two years after my death & if he does not apply for it within that time, then the said six Hundred Dollars to be equally divided among all my children share & share alike - - -
Item 9th I give & bequeath to my son Christopher Brandon all the rest of my Estate both real & personal of every kind soever, he being bound to find his Mother a home & all the necessaries of life until her death.
Item 10th Wherever I have in this my will given any slave or slaves to any of my children, I also give them the future issue & increase of the said slaves respectively - - - The Negroes Mary & Sam, which I have in this will given to my daughter Jane R. are not the children of the Negro woman Rachell, but I give them to her as stated in the 7th Item of this my will.
Item 11th I do hereby nominate my son the said Christopher Brandon, Executor of this will, & do hereby Confer upon him all the powers rights and privileges incident thereto & hereby direct him as my Executor to see that this will is duly & faithfully executed & my property distributed as herein directed.
Signed Sealed Published & declared as my last Will & Testament hereby Revoking all other wills by heretofore this the 4th day of September Anno Domini 1848.
Signed Sealed & acknowledge in the presence of
D Wallace
Giles Sharp
Wm. A.H. Bevels his
Christopher X Brandon ( seal )
Mark
Recorded January 5th 1847
Recorded in Will Book ?Page 388 Box 33 Package 19
J.I. Pratt ( ordy )