Orange County, North Carolina, USA
14 Feb 1770
In the Name of God Amen I Joseph George being weak in Body but of Sound & perfect Sense and memory thanks be to God for the Same & knowing it is appointed once for all men to & having a Desire to Settle my worldy affairs and Estate as it hath Pleased God to Endow me with I put in my hand as manner and form following ___ First I give to my well beloved Son Ambros George his Choice of my Feather Beads & furniture then I give to my well beloved Daughter Peggy George the next Choice of my feather Beads and furniture also I do will out all of my Estate to be left in the hands of my two Male Exs. four pounds left to school her first Born son Jesse ___ Item I ____ unto my well beloved Son William George all my Waring apperell ___ Item I ___ unto my well beloved Son Isaac George Twenty Shillings and no more. Item I ___ all the Rest of my Estate in the Care of my well beloved wife Ellenor George during her Widowhood as follows house hold goods Horses Hogs Cattle & negroes with all the working tools for the Plantation use and after the marriage or Decease of my well beloved wife Ellinor George that then the Negroes House hold Goods Horses and Hogs Cattle and whatsoever of my Estate then Remaining to be Sold and Equally divided amongst my children then living and if my Son Ambrose George should decease with out issue Lawfully Begotton of his body that then his Part Equally to be divided amongst the Rest of my Children then Living as follows William George James George Jesse George and Mary Hensford Cathrine Riddle and Peggy George ___ also I leave in the hands of my two Male Ex. 411 Acres of Land which power to sell and make a Right to the Same if not sold before my decease and after discharging all my Lawful debts the Remaining Part of the Money to be Equally divided amongst the Rest of My Children then Living Excepting my Son Isaac George and this concludes my Last will and Testament Revoking and denying all other wills here to fore by me made as witness I have here unto Set My hand & fixed my Seal this fourteenth day of February One Thousand Seven Hundred Seventy assigned in presents of appointing my well beloved sons Ambrose George and my son James George with my well beloved wife Ellinor George my ___ and Sole Ex. of this my Last will and testament assigned in presents of ___
his
Joseph X George
mark
James Younger
John Page (___)
___ T North JC
(Transcribed from an image of the original document by William R. Emanuel, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. Mar 2015)