Parish: Newport
Enslaved Persons Mentioned: Bob, Lizie [Alt: Lizzie], Prince, Little Sharper, Lucey [Alt: Lucy], Peggey [Alt: Peggy], Clarence, Silvey [alt: Silvy], Mark, Sarah, Nanney [Alt: Nanny], Peter, Daniel, John, Jacob, Moses, Rachel, Ben, Betty, Sweepstekes [Alt: Sweepstakes], Salley [Alt: Sally], Angola Jack, Dick, York, Seley [alt: Celie], Mondingo [alt: Mandingo, Mandinka] Jack, Rodey
Slaveholder: Butler, Joseph
Date: 1773-04-22
[Begin transcription]
The Last Will and Testament of Joseph Butler made this twenty second day of April in the year of Christ one thousand seven hundred and seventy three is in the manner and form following.
I give and bequeath to my son Shem Butler fifty pounds Sterling to him and his heirs and assigns forever.
I give and bequeath to my daughter Mary Spencer five hundred pounds Sterling of Georgia and the tract of land I bought of Tome [Tom?] Ross about five hundred acres joyning [sic] Lewis Mutear on the other side the river alatamahaw [sic, old spelling for Altamaha] nigh the Ferry to her and her heirs and assigns forever.
I give and bequeath to my son James Butler my plantation known by the name of the White Oak Swamp or the Bever [sic, Beaver] Dam and all the other lands joyning [sic] it, and the one hundred acres I bought of Lewis Muteair at a place called Barbeque Creek all the said tract containing in the whole one thousand five hundred acres or there abouts to him and his heirs and assigns forever. I likewise give and bequeath to my aforesaid son James Butler one hundred Negroes that is to say he is to have from Rose Due [Plantation], a fellow called Bob and his wife called [name hard to read] and her children, and a wench called Lizie [alt: Lizzy, Lizzie] and her children, all the rest he is to take at Great Ogeche [sic, Ogeechee] plantation to make up in the whole the aforesaid one hundred negroes he is to take them in familys as they come which is to say old and young together to make up the aforesaid one hundred negroes to him and his heirs and assigns forever. I likewise give him all my cattle at Ogeche [sic, Ogeechee]. my Will is likewise that after my decease, there shall be one whole crop made by the Negroes, which I give to my son James Butler, on the White Oak Swamp plantation to pay all the Legacies I give in this my will and pay all my just debts, and if any money then should remain after the said debts and legacies are paid he then shall pay the balance if any of the said crop to the children I have by Marget Crocker equally amongst them.
I give and bequeath to Marget Crocker seven Negroes named as follows Prince, Little Sharper, Lucey [alt: Lucy], Peggey [alt: Peggy] and her child named Clarence [or Claroner] and Silvey [alt: Silvy] and her child named Mark and the house and lott [sic] in Savannah that I bought of one Miller in ??Ewings Boney?? and fifty pounds Sterling money of Georgia. What I have given above to the aforesaid Marget Crocker is on this express condition that after her decease or before she may at any time or times give part or all that I have gave her above to anyone or amoungst [sic] or as she shall think proper to the children she has by me, as its not to go from the child or children that she had by me or may hereafter have by me, I likewise give her my rideing [sic] gear and two horses.
I give and bequeath to the girl called Frances Butler that I had by Marget Crocker a tract of land containing four hundred and sixty acres on the North Branch of South Newport and two lotts [sic] of land in the Town of Macgomory [sic] containing in front and back land ten acres which said lotts [sic] I bought of Mr. Charles Pryce, I likewise give her four Negroes named Sarah her two children Nanney [alt: Nanny] and Peter and a boy named Daniel to her and her heirs and assigns forever.
I give and bequeath to the boy called Benjamin Butler three Negroes named John [blurred] and a boy Jacob, I likewise give him my Rose Due plantation and the island I bought that was formerly Thomas Perkers to him his heirs and assigns forever.
I give and bequeath to the boy called Shadrach Butler four Negroes named Moses and his wife Rachel and her two children Ben and Betty. I likewise give him one thousand acres of land in St. Andrews Parish nigh the river of Alatamahaw [sic, old spelling of Altamaha] to him and his heirs and assigns forever.
I give and bequeath to the boy called Masech Butler four Negroes named Sweepstekes [alt: Sweepstakes] and Salley [alt: Sally, Sallie] his wife, Angola Jack and Dick. I likewise give him two tracts of land one of eight hundred and the other of seven hundred and fifty up Conuchee [alt: Canouchee] in St. Johns Parish joyning [sic] nigh Mitchell’s Cowpen to him and his heirs and assigns forever.
I give and bequeath to the boy called William Butler four Negroes named York his wife Seley [alt: Celie] Mondingo Jack and Rodey. I likewise give him one tract of land that I had of my son James containing three hundred and fifty acres on Great Ogechee [sic, Ogeechee] and one five hundred acre tract not far from it and three hundred acres of a five hundred acre tract of wich [sic] I sold my son James two hundred acres, this three hundred and the five hundred acres joyns [sic] and two tracts in St. Mathew [sic, Matthew] Parish up Savannah River containing three hundred acres it being in two tracts, the whole contains one thousand four hundred and fifty acres to him and his heirs and assigns forever.
I give and bequeath to Marget Crocker and the five children I had by her all my plate and household furniture plantation tools at Rose Due books and all the cattell [sic] and hoggs at Rose Due to be equally divided between her and aforesaid five children that I had by her, and each of the children is to have a horse.
My will is likewise that Marget Crocker shall live at Rose Due until Benjamin twenty years of age, but no land shall be cleared on Rose Due or the Island untill [sic] Benjamin is of age that is to say if she continues single and keeps a good reputation and takes good care of the aforesaid children.
I give all the remaining Negroes not yett [sic] disposed of to be equally devided [sic] between the aforesaid five children Frances Benjamin Shadreck [alt: Shadrach, Shadrack] Masceh and Wm [alt: William] Butler as they are called so to them and their heirs and assigns forever, my will is likewise that all the land if any I shuld [sic] purchase after the date of this will and Negroes that I may buy or anything else after the date of this will shall be equally devided [sic] between the aforesaid five children that I had by Marget Crocker, to them and their heirs and assigns forever. My will is likewise that if any one or more of the aforesaid children should die before they arive [sic] to the age of twenty one the survivours [sic] of the said five children shall be heirs to what was the deceas’d [sic] and so on, but in case they should all die before they have of their body lawfull [sic] heirs then in such case their Estates shall go to my heirs and not to the heirs of their mother Marget Crocker on any acct [sic] whatever.
Lastly I constitute and and appoint my beloved son James Butler and my good friends William and Edward Telfair Merchants to be my Executors to this my last Will and Testament and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disannull all and every former Testaments Wills and Legacies bequests and Executors, by me in any wise before this time named Will’d and Bequeathed, Ratifying and Confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
Signed Sealed published pronounced and declared by the said Joseph Butler to be his last Will and Testament in presence of us the subscriber witnesses.
Henry Younge [NOTE: signature was illegible but name gotten from the accompanying probate document]
Joseph Habersham
Samuel Douglass
Jos Butler
[End transcription]
Source: “Wills, Colony of Georgia, RG 49-1-2, Georgia Archives”, Colonial Estate Records, held by Georgia Archives Virtual Vault; accessed online at: https://vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/cw/id/825/rec/37.