Parish: St. John
Enslaved Persons Mentioned: Sandy, Cain [alt: Cane], Lymas [alt: Lymus], Nan, Feliss [Alt: Phyllis]
Slaveholder: Spry, Mary
Date: 1771-12-27
[Begin transcription]
In the Name of God Amen. I Mary Spry Widow of St. Johns Parish in the Province of Georgia, being Infirm and Weak in Body, Tho of Sound Mind and Memory and Considering my Mortality, Doth hereby make and Ordain this my last Will and Testament, that is to say first of all, I Commend my Soul into the Merciful hands of Jesus Christ my only Hope and Saviour, and my Body to decent Burial at the Discretion of my Executors, not Doubting the Resurrection of the same at the Last Day, And as Touching my Worldly Goods Wherewith God has Blessed me in this Life, I Give and Dispose of them in the following Manner That is to say first, my Will is that all my Just Debts and Funeral Charges be paid out of my Estate.
Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Beloved Son Samuel Spry one Negro Boy Named Sandy to him and to his Heirs.
Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Loving Son Royal Spry one Negro Boy Named Cain [alt: Cane], to him and his Heirs.
Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Loving Son Josiah Spry one Negro Boy Lymas [alt: Lymus] to him and his Heirs.
Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Loving Daughter Elizabeth Spry two Negro Girls by Name Nan and Feliss [alt: Phillis, Phyllis], to her and her Heirs Together with all my Household Goods.
Item I Give and Bequeath unto my Loving Nephew Daniel Dunham a Minor, The Sum of Forty Pounds Sterling to be paid to him when he arrives to the Age of Twenty years with Lawful Interest to Commence a Year after my Decease, and it is further my Will, that he shall be Maintain’d [sic], that is to say, Cloathed [sic], [word] and properly Educated at the Expense of my Estate, While in Minority, till he is Capable to Act and do for himself.
And it is hereby my Will and Desire that all the Discretion of my Executors hereinafter Named that they shall apply what spare money arising from my Present Estate, if such there should be, to the purchasing of Lands for my two Sons, Samuel and Royal, Which Lands so purchased shall pertain to them both Equally in Value, should they live to be of Age, and if one of them should die in his Minority to the Survivor, and Should they both die Minors then said Lands to be Equally Divided in Value between my aforesaid Children that live to be of Age, and the Same in Manner above Specified I Give and Bequeath to them and their Heirs forever.
Item I Give and Bequeath all the Remainder of my present Estate unto my Said Loving Children Viz. Samuel. Royal. Josiah and Elizabeth Spry to be Equally Divided when He, She or any of them shall Arrive to their Respective Ages that is to Say my Sons at the Age of Twenty one, and my Daughter to the Age of Eighteen or Marriage, which shall first happen to them their Heirs and Assigns forever and in Case any of my Said Children should Die in their Minority my Will is that the Survivor’s of them shall be Heirs to such as may die Under Age.
I Do hereby Constitute Appoint and Ordain my Loving Sons Gideon Dowse and Samuel Spry and my Trusty Friend Parmenas Way Senr [Senior] Executors to this my Last Will and Testament, And I do hereby give them Power to Act and Fromsaid, and Awarding as they may think will be most Conducive to the Benefit and Welfare of my Said Children, And I do hereby Utterly Disallow all former Will or Testaments by me Made and do Ordain and Confirm this to be my Last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this Twenty Seventh Day of December Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy One.
Mary Spry
Signed Sealed Published and Declared in the Presence of the Subscribing Witnesses
John Winn Senr [Senior]
Thomas Way
Thomas Baker
[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/1166/rec/261.