Will of Robert Blackwell ( -1813)
Will of RobertBlackwell (1742-1813)
Caswell County WillBook F-- Page 346
AprilCourt 1813
Inthe name of God Amen I Robert Blackwell Sr. of the County of Caswell and stateof North Carolina being sick in body but perfect in memory and reason andbelieving that in a short time must leave this world and having a desire tosettle my affairs before I go home; do hereby make constitute and ordain thismy last will and testament in manner and form following Viz,
First---I desire to give my soul to Almighty God who gave it me; as to my temporalaffairs I give as follows,
Secondly---I will that all my just debts be lawfully and contentedly paid by my executorshereafter named; and that is not sufficient to satisfy the debts that two Negromen by the name of Sam and Ned be hired out to settle the same.
Thirdly---Tomy well beloved wife Zillah Blackwell I give and bequeath 583 acres of landincluding the dwelling house during her mortal life and after her decease to beequally divided between my two Sons Robert Blackwell and John Blackwell.
Fourthly---Igive to my wife to dispose of as she thinks proper all the house and kitchenfurniture together with the Spinning wheel loom, barrels, hogsheads, allthe____ and vessels excepted what is hereafter named. Also one wagon and gears,---- ---- horse ratter, and one Sorrel horse, and one mare, two plows, fourhoes, one mattock, one axe, two cows and calfs, one steer and one heifer, tenhead of sheep, all the flock of hogs, geese and all the crop of corn fodder,oats, wheat, brandy, tobacco, leather, beehives, two scythes and cradles;
Fifthly---Igive to my beloved wife one Negro man named Peter and his wife Lucy and twoNegro women by the name Dafney each and their increase during her life andafter her decease to be equally divided between my children as follows, CarterBlackwell, Nancy Malone (Deceased), Levi Blackwell, Thomas Blackwell, GarlandBlackwell, Polley Watt, Kitturah Watt, Robert Blackwell, John Blackwell and Igive to my daughter Betsy Malone(Deceased) five shillings for reason of my notgiving her an equal part in all that I have given all that I intend her to haveas she departed this life without life without an heir.
Sixthly---I give and devise to my Son Robert Blackwell two hundred acres of landadjoining the lands of Richard Smith, Thomas Swift and Yancey lying on bothsides of the Rock Branch, also one feather bed and furniture and bedstead, onewalnut desk, one cow and calf, one plow and hoe, one mattock and two ewes andlambs.
Seventhly---I give and devise to my son John Blackwell two hundred acres of land adjoiningthe land of Levi Blackwell and Jesse Carter lying on both sides of Moon’sCreek. Also one feather bed and furniture and bedstead, one cow and calf, twoewes and lambs, one walnut desk, one plow and hoe, mattock and axe, one ShotGun.
NowI think I have done justice to all my children and placed them on an average;It is my will and desire that the balance of my property be equally dividedamong the following children; Namely, Carter Blackwell, Nancy Malone(Deceased),Levi Blackwell, Thomas Blackwell, Garland Blackwell, Polley Watt, KitturahWatt, Robert Blackwell and John Blackwell, consisting of one Negro boy namedJiles, this property to be divided as before stated.
LastlyI give to my Daughter Kitturah Watt sixty dollars and now I do by thesepresents devise to be my last will and testament and no other utter by word or writingand which witnesseth the same. I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my sealthis 28th day of November 1812
Inow appoint my executors, my wife Zillah Blackwell, Thomas Blackwell, andRobert Blackwell.
RobertBlackwell (Seal)
Signedin the presence of
Test. Charles Mitchell
Chas. Brooks
State of North Carolina
Caswell CountyApril Court 1813
Theexecutor of this will was duly proved in open court by the oaths of CharlesMitchell & Charles Brooks the subscribing witnesses thereto and on motionordered to be recorded; At the same time Thomas Blackwell & RobertBlackwell qualified as executors and letters of testimony issued accordingly.
Test. A.E.Murphy CC
TranscribedBy: Latham Mark Phelps
August5th 2003
RobertBlackwell was my 5th Great-Grandfather. He along with hisbrother-in-law Dr. Lancelot Johnston served in the Revolutionary War and as youwill see below had quite distinguished careers.
RobertBlackwell (1742-1813)
—5thgreat-grandfather---Son-in-law of Thomas Rice---married his daughter ZillahRice--- In 1771 he served 77 days in Captain Nathaniel Hart’s Company of OrangeCounty Militia during an expedition against the Insurgents of NorthCarolina(against The Regulators and The Battle of Alamance) During the Revolution he was First Lieutenantin Captain Ramsey’s Company and became Captain in 1777. In 1796 and 1797 he represented CaswellCounty in the North Carolina House of Commons.
TheColonial Records of North Carolina
Volume Page 597
Col.John Williams to Gov. Caswell
(From Executive Letter Book)
Camp atQuankey, 28th Aug’t , 1777
Sir:---
Your Excellency will herewith receive alist of officers, ordered on the recruiting service. I have directed them toapply to you for instructions. Capt.Joel Brevard and five Lieut’s. of my Reg’t have resigned their Com’s. Mr Robert Blackwell, First Lieut. in Capt.Ramsey’s Company, a very obliging officer, ( & a man of property ) I begleave to recommend to your Excellency, to fill the vacancy of Capt. Brevard:also Mr. James Tatum, and William Washington, two Cadets, in my Regiment, to fillthe vacancies of Ensigns; if you think proper to do it, please to enclose theCom’s directed to me on our march; which we will begin on Monday next, it beingthe first day of Sept’r. I amYour Excellency’s most ob’t H’ble Serv’t
JohnWilliams
Dr.Lancelot Johnston (1748-1832)
---5th great-granduncle by marriage---Son-in-law of Thomas Rice—marriedhis daughter Zerurah Rice—Dr. Lancelot Johnston, an Irishman Served as a surgeonin the American Revolution.—The Colonial records of North Carolina show thatDr. Johnston served in N.C. Militia in 1771 from Orange County, having served60 days at 2 shillings per day. In 1777 he received a commission from theCongress of the United States, signed by John Hancock, appointing him “Surgeonof the 9th Battalion in the Army of the United States, raised forthe defending of American liberty and for repelling every invasion thereof ”according to his Commission preserved by relatives in Alabama. In 1778 he wasappointed regimental surgeon of the levy of Continental troops about to beraised from Hillsborough and Salisbury districts to the assistance of SouthCarolina during that campaign. Colonial records show he was advanced 150 lbs.for the purchase of medicine for troops. After the Battle of Camden, he wascommended for his treatment of the wounded, the citation being delivered beforethe N. C. Legislature in 1780. After the Revolutionary War, he returned to therelative peace of private practice for the next 40 years at Locust Hill,(hisresidence in Caswell County), remaining active almost until his death.
Capt.Robert Blackwell came to Caswell County, N.C. from Hanover County, Va. as didhis wife Zillah Rice’s family. He was a son of William Blackwell and MaryMarshall of Hanover County, Va.