James Braswell, Edgecombe Co., NC 1783

"In the name of God Amen".. "being weak in body but of perfect mind and memory"... Item- to my loving wife, UNITY BRASWELL 15 shillings specie to be paid out of my estate; Item- son NATHAN BRASWELL one tract of land which I purchased of Isham Humphrey containing 100 acres also one Negro boy named (Lewis), one feather bed and furniture; Item- to my son JAMES BRASWELL one tract of land containing 132 acres lying between the lands of SOLOMON BRASWELL & Robert Fort, also my late entry of 300 acres of land adjoining the land of Jacob Fort, Wm. Sugg, Anthony Bacon, also one Negro boy named (?oll), one feather bed and furniture and one horse; Item- to my son ABNEY BRASWELL, one tract of land containing 132 acres adjoining the lands of SOLOMON BRASWELL, my own line, (Cowh??) Green's line and John Sutherlins, also one tract of land containing 69 acres which I purchased of Joseph Howell, bounded by the lands of John (Stutherlon), Robert Bignall and Henry Owen, also one Negro boy named George, one feather bed and furniture, and one (Hose); Item- to my son, BURWELL BRASWELL, the land & plantation where I now live together with the tract purchased of Thomas Joice also my late entry between said (Joice's) line and the land of Robert Bignell and one feather bed and furniture also one horse and one Negro boy named Auson; Item- to my daughter FEREBY one Negro girl named Judy; Item- to my daughter CHARITY one Negro wench named Bech, one feather bed and furniture and one horse; Item- to my daughter RACHELL one Negro boy named ( ), one feather bed and furniture, one horse, but if she should died without issue lawfully begotten or her body the same to be equally divided among all my other children; Item- to my daughter ELIZABETH one Negro boy named Ned, one feather bed and furniture, one horse; Item- daughter SARAH one Negro boy named Joseph, one feather bed and furniture, one horse; Item- all the rest of my estate to be divided among eight of my children; NATHAN BRASWELL, JAMES, ABNER, BURWELL, my daughter CHARITY, RACHELL, ELIZABETH, SARAH; Item- I appoint my son NATHAN, John Sherrod and Robert Diggs executors, signed JAMES BRASWELL, wit. Noah Sugg (proved), John Sutherland, Joseph Borden. 2 Oct 1783, date recorded Nov. Ct. 1783,

Abstracted from copy of original, NC Archives CR.037.801.4, 6-27-01. and posted @ genforum by Tommy Colbert