Book A, Transcript Page: 159

In the name of Almighty God, Amen. I John Prince of the County of Carroll and State of Tennessee being of Sound mind and disposing Memory but weak in body, do make and publish this my last will & testament, hereby revoking all wills by me at any time heretofore made. First it is my will that my funeral expenses & all my just debts be paid by my Executors, whom I shall hereafter appoint out of any money that I may die possessed of or that may thereaterwards come to their hands. Second, I will & bequeath unto my beloved wife Emma during her natural life or widowhood. the following real & personal estate the one third part of the tract of land I live on containing in all Six hundred & fort Seven acres including my dwelling house & all the outhouses thereunto belonging one negro man named Billy & wife Silla one negroe woman Sally, her two children & increase Mary & her increase negroe man named Isaac & boy Merritt the aforesaid property real & personal I give to my said wife as hereinafter directed – I give her two choice horses said horses to be taken out of any I may leave at the time of my death – one yoke of oxen three milk cows as many of my out hogs as she may want. all the fowls of every kind one half of my household and kitchen furniture & provisions for support of herself and family for one year after my death. I also give her one ox cart or wagon, should I leave the same whichever she may chose. Third, I will and bequeath unto my son George H. Prince the following real and personal estate one hundred acres of land which I hold by deed of John B. Britt bearing the date the 12th of June 1829 also also negro boys Charter & Giles & and at the death of my wife of in case she should marry I give him the one third part of the negroes and other personal property that I have herein already given my wife. I have here tofore given him a horse and saddle _ Bridle two beds and furniture stock of hogs two cows& Calves & advanced him about three hundred dollars to assist him in buying land. Fourth, I will & bequeath unto my daughter Jane W. Broach five hundred acres of land situate on the high lands betwen crooked & Gwins Creek & adjoining to lands of John Ross & others. I have heretofore given her two beds and furniture and some other household furniture & thirty dollars in money. I also further will and bequeath unto my Son George H. Prince Negro girl Martha & Francis to before the sale and seperate use of my said daughter Jane W. Broach for and during the term of her natural life and after her death to be equally divided between such issue of her body as she may leave living at the time of her death to them & their heirs forever and after the death or marriage of my said wife Emma I will and bequeath unto my said said son George H. negro girl Mary & increase for the same use & trusts Just above named in this item fourth. Fifth I will and bequeath unto my son Thomas S. Prince the balance of the tract of land I now reside on not herby given to my Son George H. Prince and my wife and at the death or marriage of my wife the entire tract to go to my said son Thomas S. expect the one hundred acres given to my son George H. I also will and bequeath unto my said son negro by William & boy Jerry and at the death or marriage of my wife boy Isaac I also will and bequeath unto him two beds and furniture all my books, and when he arrives at the age of twenty one a horse bridle & saddle to be worth one hundred dollars If I do not give him the same before my death – I also give him one hundred and fifty dollars when he becomes of age to buy hogs cows & the like with as I have given him none such. It is my will that if any of said negroes have any increase that said increase follow the disposition of their mothers the reason why I have herein stated what I have hertofore given my children is that it may appear that I have made as equal a division of my property as I could. The balance of the negroes givn to my wife during her natural life or widowhood at her death or marriage I wish equally divided among my three children George H. & Thomas S. Prince and Jane W. Broach I do hereby appoint my son George H. Prince & my wife Emma executor & executrix to carry out & execute this my last will & testament –

John Prince (Seal)

Signed sealed & published in the presence of 17th day of December, A. D., 1849.

H. A. Johnson
C. S. Woods.

State of Tennessee)
Carroll County( August Term 1850

This day the last will and testament of John Prince Decd was produced in open court and duly and duly proven by the oaths of H. A. Johnson & C. S. Woods the the subscribing witnesses thereto and ordered by the court to be registered &c.

Y. W. Allen Clerk
By N. Priest D. C.

This text was transcribed by Jere Cox from the typescript entitled Tennessee Records of Carroll County Will Book “A” September, 1822 – 1864 (approximately) created in 1937 under the Works Progress Administration.

Corresponding Resource: FamilySearch has a microfilm copy of the WPA transcript of Will Book A available to view on-line (click here).  A free FamilySearch login is required to view microfilm.

Jere Cox was an early Carroll County TNGenWeb coordinator.  We do not intend to violate Jere’s copyright interests by including the transcription here, but we want to make sure his efforts remain available for future researchers.