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Will of Benjamin Blanchard

June 5, 1719, Chowan Precinct, NC

In the Name of god amen ye fifth Day of June 1719 I Benjamin Blanchard of the upper parish of Nansimond County being sick In body but of a sound and perfect memory thanks be to god &

Calling to remembrance the uncertainty of this transatory Life and that all flesh must yeald unto Death when It shall so please god to Call Do make Constitute ordain & declare this my Last will and testamen In mannar and forme following revocking & annulling by thesent [sic] all and Every testament and testaments will and wills hearetofore by me maid and Declared Either by word or writing and this to be taken onely for my Laste will and testament and none other and first being penitan and sory from the bottom of my heart for all my sins past and humbly Desier forgiveness for ye same I give and Commit my sould to almighty god my Savour and

Redeomer In whome and by the merits of Jesus Christ I trust and beleive assuredly to be saved and my body to be buryed In such place and Christainlike as It shall please my Executors heare after Naimed to appoynt and now for ye setling of my temporall estate and such good Chattle and Debt as It hath pleased god far above my Desertes to bestow upon me I doe order give and dispose of same In the same maner and forme as following that Is to say

first I will that all those Debts and dutys as I owe In right or Concense to any maner of person or persons whatsoever shall be well and truely Contented and paid or ordain to be paid within Convenient time after my Decease by my Executors heareafter naimed

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Item: I give demise and bequith unto my well-beloved son Robt Blanshard all my Land Lying & being ye wester side of ye beverdam swamp Chowan presince In north CarroLina being Commonly Known by the name of broad neck I say to him and the heires of his one body Lawfully begoten forever and my will and pleasure is that If my

son Robt die without such heires that then they said Land may fall to my son absalom and the heires of his one body Lawfully begoten forever - - -

Itim: I give demise and bequith to my loved son Benjamin Blanshard all__________ well be-____ of the Land before mentioned Lying and being the side of bevardam _______________ thereof I say to him and his heire of his one body Lawfully begoten forever and my will and pleasure is that my son shall have all the stock of Cattle and hogs that belongeth to the said plantation to be Delivered to him when he Is of ye age of eighteen yeares he Chusing of a garden and then he having the forementioned stock to him and his heires for Ever - - - - -

Itim: I give demise and bequith unto my well beloved son in law William Weston and his wife Catherine Weston the plantaton whereon he now Liveth one hundred acres more of Less I say to them during the time of theire Naturall Lives and after there deceace to there son John Weston and the heires of his one body Lawfully

begoten for Ever and If John dyeth without such heires that then they said Land &c fall to his brother William Weston and his heires Lawfully begotten forever.

Itim: I give demise and bequith unto my well beloved son Absalom Blanchard five Cowes and Calves to to be Delivered to him at the Age of Eighteen he Chusing a gardin and then be to him and heire forever - - - - -

Itim: I Leave my well-beloved wife CatheRine Blanshard all my moveables Estate during the time of her widowhood and my will and pleasure is at the Change of my wife her Condition Either by death or marrage that then all the rest of my moveable Estate be Equally Devided among the rest of my Children and If the Change happen by marage my wife having a Childs portion farther more my will and pleasure is that the Legase before mentioned shall not hinder my my Children of the Equall part of the rest of my movables Estate but they haveing their Equal shares beside those Legases - - -

Item:I give demise and bequith unto my well-beloved son Absolam Blanchard my negar man Called pompy to be delivered to him at the Change of his mothers Condition Either by Death or marage neither is It my will and pleasure that the said negro shall hinder my son from having his Equall share of the rest of my moveable Estate I say the said negar to him and his heire forever.

Lastly: &nbspI nomanat appoynt and ordain my well beloved wife Catherine Blanshard and my well beloved son Robt Blanshard to be my sole and sole Executors to see this my Last will and testamen performed according to Law In witness whereof I have hearunto set my hand and fixed my seale the day of ye yeare first written - - -

- -

Benjam Blanshard

Witt

Aaron Blanshard

Will hill

James (his mark) Grifing

Thomas Rountree

_________________

Note: Copied verbatim; judging from handwriting it seems to be

handwritten by Thomas Rountree (who was probably a lawyer).

Editor's Notes: Other court and land records suggest a family tie

to the Rountrees. Benjamin Blanchard acquired land in Chowan

Precinct which eventually became part of present-day Gates County.

At the time he wrote his will, Benjamin was apparently living in

Nansemond County, Virginia, although court records suggest his

presence in NC prior to that date. His will, however, is recorded

in Chowan County. It was not uncommon to prove the document in

both the home court and the court relative to land bequests. As

all of his children ended up in North Carolina (the sons in

Chowan/Gates and the daughter in Bertie County), this document is

valueable to genealogical research in our county of Chowan.

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