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Robert Hill of Halifax County, North Carolina - Will dated 17 June 1762

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Robert Hill (1678-1766)

His wife at the time of his will: Tabitha Hill[1] - Tabitha (Green) Hill (1690-aft.1765)[2]
Children named in will (in order that they are named):
sons
daughters

Contents

1762 Will

Transcription of will from Ancestry's shared image:[7][1]

In the name of God amen, I Robert Hill of Halifax County in his majesty's Province of North Carolina, being in health and perfectly sound in mind and memory and knowing that it is appointed for all men [once] to die and for the better preventing controversies and disputes after it shall please God to call me hence, I make and constitute this my last will and testament in manner and form following ~

First: I recommend my soul to God who gave it and my body I recommend to the Earth in a decent and Christian-like burial at the discretion of my executors and as for what worldly benefits it is pleased God to bless me with all I give and bequeath in manner and form following ~

Impremis: I lend to my beloved wife Tabitha Hill the use of three Negroes to wit Sambo, Sarah and Ben, so long as she is my widow. Also I lend her six cows and calves + all the household goods in my house. Also I lend her two horses, the one a [Bran] colt and the other a Bay horse - and after the marriage or decease of my beloved wife Tabitha I give my Negroe Sambo to my son William Hill and my Negroe Sarah I give to my son Green Hill.

Item. I give to my son William Hill a Negroe girl called Dealse that he is now possessed with to him and his heirs and assigns forever. ~

Item. I give to my son Green Hill a Negroe called Simon that he is now possessed with to him and his heirs and assignes for ever.

Item. I give to my son Sion Hill the plantation and land whereon we now live, lying on the South side of Blue Marsh, after the decease of [me] and my wife and I also give him two Negroes, one called Toney, the other called Pompey, to him and his heirs and assign for ever.

Item. I give to my son Abner Hill a Negroe called Peter and a girl called Bibby, to him and his heirs and assignes forever. ~

And after my decease, I leave 50 pounds Virginia currency to my son Thomas Hill for my executors to pay out of my Estate.

Item. I give to my daughter Tabetha Chapman a Negro fellow called Jemmy that she is now possessed with to her and her heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I give to my daughter Agnes Arrington a Negroe called Jack that she is now possessed with to her and her heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I give to my daughter Lewraina Arrington two pounds ten shillings Virginia currency.

Item. I give to my [the shared file consisted of only the first page, on page 159][1]... [continued from a transcription posted in Robert's We Relate entry][8] daughter Ann Steed a negro girl called Tuggy to her and her heirs and assigns forever.Item: I give to my daughter Mary Bryant a negro girl called Daffney that she is now possessed with and also I give her a negro wrench called Jenny also I give her a piece of land lying on both sides of Red Bud Creek below the mouth of Crab Tree and the south side below the mouth of Crab Tree and the south side below the mouth of Reedy Branch on the north side to her and her heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I give to my daughter Milbry my plantation and land lying on both side of Red Bud Creek and all the land lying above the mouth of Brab Tree and the mouth of Reedy Branch also I give her two negroes one named Hannah the other named Barbery and all the cattle I have given her mark't with a swallowfork in the right ear to her and her heirs and assigned forever and after my decease and my Debts paid I leave all my cattle on Redbud to be divided equally between Agnes Arrington, and Mary Bryant and Mibly Hill and my grandson John Chapman.

I do futhermore Constitute and appoint my sons Abner Hill, Sion Hill and Green Hill my jointly Executors of this my last will and Testament in Witness whereof I have set my hand and seal.

ROBERT HII (SEAL)
Sign'd Sealed and Deliver'd as witness my last Will and Testament this 18 day of June1762, Jesse Lee, Thomas Thrower, Wilson Williams.

Halifax SS: April Court 1766. Then the aforegoing will was exhibited in Open Court on Oath by the extrs. and duly proved by the Oath of Wilson Williams a Witness thereto whereupon the Exrs. therein named came into Court and were qualified in due form of Law. Ordered the said Will be recorded.Test JOS MONTFORD C.C.

Will of Robert Hill Halifax County, North Carolina Will Book 1, Page 159[8]

Abstracts

From research about daughter Agnes, who is named in the will as "Daughter Agnes Arrington"[6]...

"Robert Hill....to my Beloved wife Tabitha Hill the use of three Negroes to wit Sambo, Sarah and Bess...I also lend her six cows and calves and all the household goods...two horses...to my son William Hill a Negroe girl called Dealse...to my son Green Hill a Negroe called Simon that he is now possessed with....to my son Sion Hill the plantation ...also two Negroes one called Toney the other called Pompey...to son Abner Hill a Negroe called Peter and a girl called Bibby...to Daughter Tabetha Chapman a Negro fellow called Jammy that she is now possessed with...Daughter Agnes Arrington a negroe called Jack that she is now possessed with...Daughter Ann Steel a Negro girl called Tuggy...Daughter Mary Bryant a negro girl called Daffeny that she is now possess'd with and also I give her a negroe wench called Jenny...Daughter Milbry my plantation...two Negroes one Named Hannah the other named Barbey and all the cattle I have given her. 18 June 1762. signed. April Court 1766."[6]
Note: This is just one transcription. Another (see Will, on Robert's profile) includes details about land bequeathed in the will:
"He [Robert Hill] made his will in Halifax on June 18, 1762, probated April, 1766 as follows: ... to son Sion Hill the plantation we now live on south side of Blue March, after decease of my wife,... daughter Mary Bryant land on both sides of Red Bud Creek below mouth of Crab Tree; and daughter Milbry all land above Crab Tree.... Sons Abner, Sion, and Green Hill Executors (Book 1, p.159).'[1]
Abstracts and transcriptions of Robert's will conflict. The following abstract names wife Tabitha and four children:
1765 Hill, Robert, wife Tabitha; Green, Sion, Abner, Milory[9][10]
Another abstract says "... to son Sion Hill the plantation we now live on south side of Blue Marsh, after decease of my wife, to son Abner Hill... to daughter Tabitha Chapman..."[11]
And another: "He [Robert Hill] made his will in Halifax on June 18, 1762, probated April, 1766 [sic] as follows: to son Green Hill a negro called Simon; to son Sion Hill the plantation we now live on south side of Blue March, after decease of my wife, to son Abner Hill a negro called Peter; to son Thomas Hill fifty pounds Virginia currency; to daughter Tabitha Chapman and daughter Agnes Harrington a negro each; to daughter Lewraina Chapman two pounds, 10 shillings; daughter Ann Steed a negro; daughter Mary Bryant land on both sides of Red Bud Creek below mouth of Crab Tree; and daughter Milbry all land above Crab Tree. Cattle to grandson, John Chapman. Sons Abner, Sion, and Green Hill Executors (Book 1, p.159)."[12]
  • Source shows his death as April 1765 and probate as April 1766. It shows Tabitha (his wife) died after 1730.[12]
  • I believe that Tabitha "The Elder" was not mentioned in her father's will as her death proceeded his in 1762. [Boren-314]
    • Robert's 1762 will names daughter Tabitha. Perhaps the statement meant to say "her husband's will". Robert's will mentions his wife, but not by name. One source says she died in 1730 (Morrow, citation below). Southside Virginia Families notes that Robert "is shown with a wife, Tabitha, in 1721" and "Other children of Robert and Tabitha are mentioned in the will."[13] The profile for daughter Milbry shows her birth as 1735 in Bertie.

Locations

[Tabitha's?] birth location of "Surry, Surry, Virginia" implies Surry, the county seat of Surry County. (there was never a Surry Parish).[14] Surry County was formed in 1652 "from a portion of James City County,"[15] and Surry's Wikipedia article shows it was created 1652 also.[16]

Halifax County, North Carolina was formed from neighboring Edgecombe County in 1758.[17]

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 The image of Robert's will is available in Ancestry, and the first page of it is available as a shared image: Ancestry Sharing Link (accessed 19 December 2021). Boddie's transcription does not name his wife:
    • John Bennett Boddie, Southside Virginia Families, Vol II, page 168
  2. ↑ Other online trees have her with different surnames: Browne (Geni), "Green or Brown or West" (Geni, citing "Researcher for KIT 19381"), "Tabitha Scarborough Smart" (Ancestry).
  3. ↑ Multiple William Hill profiles - which profile, and which facts, might be for Robert & Tabitha's son is not clear.
    • In December 2021, Hill-27096 was edited to reflect son of Robert and Tabitha with the following text:
      • William may have been born about 1715, possibly in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, or in 1735, in Halifax County, North Carolina.[citation needed]
      • The profile attached as William's daughter may not be his (and it is attached as daughter of Green's wife Grace): "Winifred Hill was born in Halifax about 1755 and married a George W. King about 1780" (according to her profile as of 18 December 2021).
    • At one point, the profile for Robert and Tabitha's son William was for a William Green Hill (1714-1769), born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia/died in Northampton, North Carolina (Hill-27096). But that appears to have been a duplicate of the profile for Green Hill, son of Lewis: Green Hill Sr (1714-1769). A previous spouse was removed in 2018 - Grace (Bennett) Hill (abt.1721-1772). She was Green's wife. A new spouse - Elizabeth (Clanton) Hill (1735-1800) - was added in January 2024.
    • Another contender was married to Charity Lewis - previously "William Clanton Hill" (1731-1803) ["Clanton" is suspect], born in Bertie, NC and died in Halifax, NC (see changes for Hill-56016). BUT. The profile did not start out as son of Robert & Tabitha. Andi it is now (as of 11 January 2024) for a different William:
    • William Clanton Hill (abt.1761-1803), husband of Sarah (Branch) Hill (abt.1770-1803), Elizabeth (Clanton) Hill and
    • William Hill (abt.1735-abt.1811) - who started as William, born in "Jasper County, GA" and died in 1812; became "William was born about 1735 perhaps in South Carolina", no parents, and is now (Jan 2024) son of Robert & Tabitha, born 1735 in Chatham and died 1811 in Jasper County.
      • Lydia (White) Hill, married William (born Jasper County/died 1812) in 1799 in Jasper County
      • Changed in 2018 from born in Jasper County to born in Halifax, North Carolina in 1735; died in Jasper County, Georgia; death date changed to 1809
      • Clanton marriage added in 2022: Married Eliizabeth Clanton in Halifax, North Carolina in 1771
      • Later in 2022, the following was added (and death changed to 1811):
        William was born about 1735 perhaps in South Carolina. He marries twice but first wife and mother of all but two children is not known. He dies about 1810 in Georgia while married to second wife, Lydia White and researcher Joyce Rogers has documented estate papers which helps identify his children.
  4. ↑ Geni: Entry for "Robert John Hill, Sr. (1678-1765) includes the following for his son William - which appears to be for a later generation: "I. William C. made his will in Halifax in 1803 and mentions wife Sarah, and three children: Martha, James and Henry. He provided that certain negroes be hired out to support his aunt LURANCY ARRINGTON." Lewrancy (Hill) Arrington, named as one of Robert's daughters in his 1762 will, would have been William's sister, not his aunt.
  5. ↑ This online tree ("Heycuz") has "Rebecca Agnes Hill", born about 1728 in Isle of Wight County; died 1797 in Chatham County. It has her marriage to husband to Charles Harrington in 1746, "Fayette County, Alabama At The House Of Sarah Dobbs". It has Charles born in Surry County, North Carolina, and her father Robert Hill born in Surry County, Virginia.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Abstract of Robert Hill's will, posted on the web page Slaves named in Wills: Halifax County, North Carolina, 1758-1854; King George County, Virginia, 1721-1804: Halifax County Will Book Volume 1, 1758-1774 (p.159-60).
  7. ↑ Capitalization and punctuation in the full transcription has been normalized (exception is if punctuation might change meaning, then transcription reflects what was seen in the shared image and placed in quotes). I have also added line breaks where there were none in the text (for instance, between the Items). Words (or letters) in brackets are ones which I could not read. ~ Noland-165, 11 January 2024
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 We Relate: Entry for Robert Hill, which included a transcription of his will (accessed 11 January 2024).
  9. ↑ USGenWeb, Halifax County will Abstracts, file contributed by Connie Ardrey (accessed 30 July 2018)
  10. ↑ Either Milbry or Milory is a mistranscription. Boddie's transcription of his will shows "daughter Milbry" (see Boddie, citation below, page 168).
  11. ↑ Boddie, page 168 (citation below)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 From Thomas Morrow Genealogy Project, apparently from Southside Virginia Families (Boddie, citation below)
  13. ↑ Boddie (citation below), page 167
  14. ↑ Freddie Spradlin, Parishes of Virginia
  15. ↑ Category:Surry County, Virginia
  16. ↑ Wikipedia: Surry, Virginia
  17. ↑ From Halifax County's Wikipedia article, which cited "Hello Halifax County" (accessed 11 January 2024).

Acknowledgements

Compilation by Liz Shifflett, descendant of Agnes (Hill) Harrington (1730-1797), whose father was the Robert Hill who left a will written 18 June 1762 and probated in April 1766 (record in Halifax County Court, April session). She was named "Daughter Agnes Arrington" in the will according to the Ancestry shared image[6] and most transcriptions. Her mother was probably Robert's wife at the time he wrote his will: Tabitha (Green) Hill (1690-aft.1765) (not certain because of her age at birth, given the birth years in WikiTree as of 11 January 2024).





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