Will of Luke Thomas

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Carroll, Tennessee, United States
Surname/tag: thomas

Luke Thomas Sr.'s Will

In the name of God Amen.

I, Luke Thomas, of the County of Carroll and State of Tennessee, considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and being of Sound mind and memory, blessed be almighty God for the same, do make & publish this my last will and testament in manner & form following, that is to say, first, it is my will and desire that my wife Elizabeth Thomas have the following described tract of land during her natural life (viz) beginning at Garland Reed S. W. corner runs 2 poles north thence west to E. Gwinns East boundary line thence South with the same to Luke Jrs & Rufus Thomas north Boundary thence East to the Paris and McLemoresville Road thence north with said Road 76 poles then East to C P Thomas west boundary line thence north with said line to Garland Reeds S. boundary line thence west with said line to the beginning. I also give and bequeath to my wife Elizabeth during her life time the following named negroes (viz) my woman Sharlott, my woman Susan, my boy Lewis, my boy Polk, & my boy Boyd.

It is further my desire that my wife have all the house hold and kitchen furniture & a sufficient number of stock and farming tools to carry on the farming business during her life time. At the death of my wife it is my will and desire that my son M. L. Thomas have the Tract of Land above discribed and the negroes Sharlott & Susan and that he take care of and support my old negro man Sam. I further wish M. L. Thomas at the death of his Ma to have two beds, bedsteads & furniture three head of horses, three cows and calves, and a reasonable portion of hogs, sheep, & farming tools.

It is my will and desire & I hereby bequeath unto my son J. B. Thomas my negro boy Green and to my son C. P. Thomas I give my negro boy Isham & to my son E. Thomas I give my negro boy Anderson and to my son H. B. Thomas I give my girl Rosanna. At the death of my wife it is my will and desire that the above named J. B. Thomas, C. P. Thomas, E. Thomas & H. B. Thomas have the two boys Lewis & Boyd to be equally divided between them. To my son E. Thomas I give in trust for the use and benefit of my daughter Peachy Ann Stroud the tract of Land whereon G. J. Stroud now lives for the sole benefit of the said Peachy Ann & the heirs of her body.

It is further my will and desire that the balance of my land not before disposed of be sold by my Executors either publickly or privately as they may think best on a credit of one & two years. And further, at the death of my wife it is my will that my boy Polk be valued by disinterested persons on a credit of twelve months and that one of my five sons, as it may suit them, take said boy at said valuation, that he be kept in the family. And I further will and order that the proceeds of said Land and negro be placed in the hands of my son E. Thomas in trust to be disposed of for the benefit of the following persons Equally (viz) Emeline Traywick, Mary Ann McAdoo, Caroline S. McAdoo, Elizabeth F. Wright, & Alabama Danfourth. I hereby direct my said trustee if he should think it best to lay out said money for land or other property should it suit the parties. It is distinctly to be understood that the foregoing funds placed in the hands of said trustee is only to be used for the use and benefit of my daughter before named and the heirs of their bodies and should any of them die without issue, it is my will in that event that said funds be equally divided among all my children.

I have twenty shares in the Memphis & Ohio Rail Road, twenty five Dollars being a share and one share in the Nashville and north western Rail Road, a share being one hundred dollars, which together with any notes I may have at the time of my death I hereby direct my Executors to manage as best they can and to act as they would do for themselves in similar cases and the proceeds arising therefrom is to be Equally divided among all my children.

The residue of my estate, of whatsoever it may consist, I hereby direct that it be sold to the best advantage and that out of the proceeds my grand children James C. Noell, Elizabeth F. Noell, & Mary E. Noel have one hundred Dollars each, the balance of any equally divided among all my children.

Lastly, I hereby appoint my sons J. B. Thomas, C. P. Thomas, & E. Thomas Executors of this, my last will and testament, not requiring them to give bond & authorizing them to settle my Estate without going to court.

I hereby revoke all former wills by me made in witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this - day of June 1861.

Luke Thomas Sen

Signed, sealed, published, and declared by the above named Luke Thomas to be his last will and testament in presence of us

attest

H. N. Swayne

John M. Currin

F. H. Henderson

State of Tennessee }

Carroll County } January Term 1863

At the above term of said court, said will was duly proven by the testimony of H. N. Swayne & F. H. Henderson and ordered to be recorded of which the foregoing is a copy test.

W. H. Graves Clerk

(Transcription note: punctuation, capital letters, and bold text were added to ease reading and comprehension. The content and meaning of the will is unchanged. -Katie Goodwin (Collins-17962) 07:41, 26 November 2023 (UTC))

Sources

• "Tennessee Probate Court Books, 1795-1927," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S7WF-SKP5-D9?cc=1909088&wc=M6Q7-B36%3A179638201%2C180035001 : accessed 26 Nov 2023), Carroll > Wills, 1822-1865, Vol. A > image 235 and 235 of 266, will of Luke Thomas, Sr.

See also:

• Slaves of Luke Thomas, Tennessee