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Will of Benjamin Blanchard
June 5, 1719, Chowan Precinct, NC
In the Name of god amen ye fifth Day of June 1719 I Benjamin Blanchardof the upper parish of Nansimond County being sick In body but of a sound andperfect memory thanks be to god &
Calling to remembrance the uncertainty of this transatory Life and thatall flesh must yeald unto Death when It shall so please god to Call Do makeConstitute ordain & declare this my Last will and testamen In mannarand forme following revocking & annulling by thesent [sic] all and Everytestament and testaments will and wills hearetofore by me maid and DeclaredEither by word or writing and this to be taken onely for my Laste will andtestament and none other and first being penitan and sory from the bottom of myheart for all my sins past and humbly Desier forgiveness for ye same I give andCommit my sould to almighty god my Savour and
Redeomer In whome and by the merits ofJesus Christ I trust and beleive assuredly to be saved and my body to be buryedIn such place and Christainlike as It shall please my Executors heare afterNaimed to appoynt and now for ye setling of my temporall estate and such goodChattle and Debt as It hath pleased god far above my Desertes to bestow upon meI doe order give and dispose of same In the same maner and forme as followingthat Is to say
first I will that all those Debts and dutys as I owe In right orConcense to any maner of person or persons whatsoever shall be well and truelyContented and paid or ordain to be paid within Convenient time after my Deceaseby my Executors heareafter naimed
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Item: I give demise and bequith unto my well-beloved son Robt Blanshardall my Land Lying & being ye wester side of ye beverdam swamp Chowan presince In north CarroLinabeing Commonly Known by the name of broad neck I say to him and the heires of hisone body Lawfully begoten forever and my will and pleasure is that If my
son Robt die without such heires that thenthey said Land may fall to my son absalom and the heires of his one bodyLawfully begoten forever - - -
Itim: I give demise and bequith to my loved son Benjamin Blanshard all__________well be-____ of the Land before mentioned Lying and being the side of bevardam_______________ thereof I say to him and his heire of his one body Lawfullybegoten forever and my will and pleasure is that my son shall have all thestock of Cattle and hogs that belongeth to the said plantation to be Deliveredto him when he Is of ye age of eighteen yeares he Chusing of a garden and thenhe having the forementioned stock to him and his heires for Ever - - - - -
Itim: I give demise and bequith unto my well beloved son in law WilliamWeston and his wife Catherine Weston the plantaton whereon he now Liveth onehundred acres more of Less I say to them during the time of theire NaturallLives and after there deceace to there son John Weston and the heires of hisone body Lawfully
begoten for Ever and If John dyeth without such heires that then theysaid Land &c fall to his brother William Weston and his heires Lawfullybegotten forever.
Itim: I give demise and bequith unto my well beloved son AbsalomBlanchard five Cowes and Calves to to be Delivered to him at the Age ofEighteen he Chusing a gardin and then be to him and heire forever - - - - -
Itim: I Leave my well-beloved wife CatheRine Blanshard all my moveablesEstate during the time of her widowhood and my will and pleasure is at theChange of my wife her Condition Either by death or marrage that then all therest of my moveable Estate be Equally Devided among the rest of my Children andIf the Change happen by marage my wifehaving a Childs portion farther more my will and pleasure is that the Legasebefore mentioned shall not hinder my my Children of the Equall part of the restof my movables Estate but they haveing their Equal shares beside those Legases- - -
Item:I give demise and bequith unto my well-beloved son AbsolamBlanchard my negar man Called pompy to be delivered to him at the Change of hismothers Condition Either by Death or marage neither is It my will and pleasurethat the said negro shall hinder my son from having his Equall share of therest of my moveable Estate I say the said negar to him and his heire forever.
Lastly:  I nomanat appoynt and ordain my well beloved wifeCatherine Blanshard and my well beloved son Robt Blanshard to be my sole andsole Executors to see this my Last will and testamen performed according to LawIn witness whereof I have hearunto set my hand and fixed my seale the day of yeyeare first written - - -
- -
Benjam Blanshard
Witt
Aaron Blanshard
Will hill
James (his mark) Grifing
Thomas Rountree
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Contributed by Renee Blanchard Haynes (c) 1998.
Note: Copied verbatim; judging from handwriting it seems to be
handwritten by Thomas Rountree (who was probably a lawyer).
Editor's Notes: Other court and land records suggest a family tie
to the Rountrees. Benjamin Blanchard acquired land in Chowan
Precinct which eventually became part of present-day Gates County.
At the time he wrote his will, Benjamin was apparently living in
Nansemond County, Virginia, although court records suggest his
presence in NC prior to that date. His will, however, is recorded
in Chowan County. It was not uncommon to prove the document in
both the home court and the court relative to land bequests. As
all of his children ended up in North Carolina (the sons in
Chowan/Gates and the daughter in Bertie County), this document is
valueable to genealogical research in our county of Chowan.
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Copyright (c) 1998 Elizabeth Ross. This information may be used by
libraries and genealogical societies, however, commercial use of
this information is strictly prohibited. If copied, this notice
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