Book A, Transcript Page: 210

I wish my negroes to remain on the farm as they are untill the crops is raised & gathered I want all my stock sold after the crop is gathered except just enough for my family I wish my wife to have my mare Jenny and I also desire that she buy a good gentle horse ot keep on the farm. After the crop is raised and gathered I want my negroes hired out from year to year untill my youngest son Henry Comes of age. After the crop is gathered I desire it to be sold. I wish my wife to hire two of the negroes such as will suit her to keep on the farm and wait on her and make a support for her and the children. I desire my son John & my son Henry to have a good Cllegiate Education and I wish my Brother David Bell & Thomas Bell to see that they get it out of the proceeds of my Estate and should there not be a sufficient amount of money on hand to keep them constantly at school I want them to stay at home with their mother and go to school in the neighbourhood and work on the farm untill there should be money enough to send them back to Cllege.
I want my family to Remain where they now live and desire that the houses be Repaired for the comefort and convenience of my family. I desire that my Brother David Bell would attend to all my business When my youngest son comes of age I want my Esate equally divided between my wife & my sons.
The foregoing is the noncupative will of William Bell Decd made in our presence in his last sickness at his Residence in Carroll County Tennessee and to which we were called to bear witness by the Testator on the 26 day of June 1853. he died on the 28th day of June 1853
this the 4th day of July 1853.

David Bell
T. C. Bell

I concur in the foregoing statement except I understood the Testator to say he wished his wife to “keep” instead of hire two of the negroes as it now reads.

Henry P. Gaines.

State of Tennessee )
Carroll County( September 5th 1853

This daya paper writing purporting to be the last Noncupative will & Testament of William Bell Decd. was produced in open court and was duly proven by the oaths of David Bell T. C. Bell and Henry P. Gaines the subscribing witnesses according to the Law which the court ordered to be duly recorded.

The above is a Copy Test
W. H. Graves Clerk

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.