Marriage Contract (Rees/Kell)

On October 15, 1787, David Rees, attorney at law, Caermarthen, Chatham County, Georgia, entered into a marriage contract with Elizabeth Kell, of Sunbury, widow of John Kell of Sunbury. John Elliott and John Graves, both also of Liberty County, were her trustees. Put into trust were “all and singular the following Negroe Slaves, to wit, Fellows, say, Adam, Jack, Tom, Abram, Billy, ? Slim ?, Quamino, Joe, Mercer — Wenches, say, Julie & Lucy, Jenny and Mary, her child, with the future issue and increase of said wenches.”  They were to be for the “use benefit and behoof” of David Rees until the marriage was finalized, and then to be for their joint use during his natural life. After his death, if he were to die first, they were to be for the use of her and any children she might have, including the two children “now with her left her by her former husband above mentioned.” The children were to inherit equally upon turning 21, if male, and 18, if female. If Elizabeth were to die before David, then he would be considered her heir. Rees also provided a quit claim “to all right and pretinsions [SIC] whatsoever to in and of any Estate real and personal that his said intended wife is now in herself seized of by virtue of the last Will and Testament of her late husband abovementioned, the right & powers vested in him the said David Rees as Executor thereof only excepted and except as is before excepted.” Witnessed by Joel Walker, William Graves. Recorded in Liberty County Superior Court on January 28, 1788. 

[NOTE: In the digitized microfilm on FamilySearch, these pages were digitized out of order. The first page, p. 76, is image 307, and pages 77 and 78 are images 314-315.]