Parish: St. John
Enslaved Persons Mentioned: Moll, Cate, Jammey, Lindey [alt: Lindy]
Slaveholder: Quarterman, John
Date: 1763-06-25
[Begin transcription]
In the name Of God Amen. I John Quarterman of St. John’s Parish, planter/and of the Province of Georgia/being weak of body, but of perfect mind and memory, and calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make, ordain and appoint this my last Will and Testament: first of all commiting [sic] my soul into the hands of God that gave it, and my body To the Earth from whence it was taken, to be bury’d [sic] in a Christian manner at the discretion of my Executors: And as for such worldly Estate as it hath pleas’d [sic] God to bless me with, I devise and dispose of in the following manner.
Imprimis, I will that all my lawfull [sic] debts be paid, and then I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Hannah Quarterman one third part of my personal Estate/Except the sum’s herein after given in Lieu of Land/Including the following articles that was her’s before our marriage, Viz. one bed and furniture, her riding mare and saddle, and one third part of the Cattle that was her’s before marriage as aforesaid, and their increase, to her and to her Heirs and assigns forever. As also the use of one third part of the plantation and Improvements where I now live, during the time she shall remain my widow, or untill [sic] the heir of the said plantation is of age, in Lieu of her Dower.
Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved son John thirty pounds Ster’g [Sterling] in Lieu of Land, and one sixth part of my personal Estate Not herein before given/Except the Legacy in Lieu of Land/Including what I advanc’d [sic] to him in my Lifetime Viz. Two Negro Girls named Moll and Cate, Two Cows and Calves, and a feather bed, to him and to his Heirs and Assigns forever.
Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved son Thomas, one fifth Part of the remainder of my personal Estate not herein before given/Except what is given in Lieu of Lands/Including what I advanc’d [sic] to him in my Lifetime, Viz. Two Negro’s Named Jammey and Lindey [alt: Linda], and two Cows and Calves, and a bed and furniture, To him and to his heirs and assigns forever.
Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved son Robert one third part of my Tract of Seven Hundred acres of land Viz. the North East part/and one fourth part of my personal Estate, not herein before given/Except what is given in Lieu of Land/to him and to his heirs and assigns forever.
Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved son William one third part of my said tract of land, including the plantation on which I now live, and one third part of my personal Estate not herein before given/Except such as is given in Lieu of Land/To him and to his Heirs and assigns forever.
Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved Dau’ter [sic] Jemima forty pounds Ster’g [Sterling], and a half Dozen blue Chinia [sic] Cups and Saucers, and Six Silver Tea Spoons now in the house, in Lieu of land, and one half of the remainder of my personal Estate not bequeath’d, [sic] including one half of the remainder of the Cattle that was my wife’s before our marriage as aforesaid, with their increase, To her and to her Heirs forever and assigns.
Item I give and bequeath unto my beloved son Richard the remaining third part of my Land, my Lot in the town of Sunbury, and the remainder of my personal Estate, Including the remainder of the Cattle that was my wife’s before our marriage as aforesaid, and their increase, To him and to his Heirs and assigns forever.
My further will is that it either of my three youngest sons, Robert, William, and Richard, or my Dau’ter [sic] Jemima, should die under age, or without Lawfull [sic] Issue, that their part of my Estate both real and personal, Shall go Equally to the Surviving ones of the said four, and to their Heirs and assigns forever.
Finally, my true intent and meaning is, that my said tract of seven hundred acres of Land, be Equally Divided, at the Discretion of my Executors, amongst my three youngest sons, Robert, William, and Richard, and that in the distribution of my personal Estate, the Legacy’s in lieu of Land be first deducted, then one third part of the remainder to my wife, and the other two thirds to be divided amongst my Six Children in such a manner, that Each of my four Youngest/not yet advanced/shall have as much as Each of my two Eldest have had and shall have, Including the personals Advanc’d [sic] to them in my Lifetime as aforesaid; and that Each of my son’s shall have their Estate’s at the age twenty years or marriage, and my Dau’ter [sic] at the age of Eighteen or marriage: And I do hereby constitute and appoint my beloved wife Hannah Quarterman Executrix, and my beloved son’s John Quarterman and Thomas Quarterman, and my beloved friend John Elliott Executor’s of this my Last Will and Testament, Hereby revoking and disannualing all other wills heretofore by me made: 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 this 25th day of June Anno Do. 1763.
Sign’d [sic] Seal’d [sic] and declar’d [sic]
In the Presence of
James Maxwell
John Sacheverell
John Elliott Jun.
[NOTE: Above named were very faded in the will but were legible in the probate statement that accompanied it.]
John Quarterman
[End transcription]
James Maxwell probated the will and swore that he had signed it with John Sacheverell and John Elliott, and John Quarterman and Thomas Quarterman were appointed as executors, on February 20, 1765, in a statement that accompanied the above will.
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/1060/rec/220.