Book A, Transcript Page: 55

State of Tennessee)
Carroll County) In the name of God, Amen.

I Seletha C. Mc Mahan of the State and County aforesaid being of sound mind do make constitute & appoint this my last will & Testament (viz) in the first place I wish my friends to bury me in a plain decent manner without parrade. 2nd. I give and bequeath to my only son & Child Richard Mc Mahan and his bodily heirs (born in wedlock) a certain negro girl slave by the name of Maria (now about seventeen years old) and her increase forever. I also give to my only son and heir my bed and bedstead and bed furniture, also all my livestock consisting of one Cow & yearling and one ewe & lamb & it is my desire that Richard and the property above devised shall remain with my Parents during their natural life & after their death I wish Brother A. A. Mc Kenzie to take Richard and the property to Educate him & raise him in the best possible way he can consistant with the property he may have in his having a prudent care to the saveing of something for a beginning for him when he arrives to manhood should he live by way of explication of the last named sentence. I wish him not to sell any of the property but to manage it in such a manner that he may be raised clothed and educated in a plain but usefull & substantial manner by the labour & increase of the property above mentioned. In the event of Richard dying without lawfull Issue then in that case I want the property above devised & its increase to be equally divided among all my surviving Brothers & sisters, except Brother Jeremiah Hall Mc Kenzie who is already rich enough without anything more.

In testimony of the above I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixted my seal this 23rd day of August 1836.

Interlined between the seventh & Eighteeth
lined before signaturing.

Seletha C. Mc Mahan (Seal)

Signed and sealed in presents of
Samuel Winn – Jno. Mc Kenzie
Calloway Hardin

Carroll County Court) July Term 1836

This day was produced in open Court the last will & testament of Seletha C. Mc Mahan which was proven to be her act and deed for the purposes herein contained by the oaths of James M Mc Kenzie & J. Mc Kenzie two of the subscribing witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded.

A Copy Test
G. Hern Clerk
By J. R. Smith 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.