I, William Lay, of Marion County, Tennesssee, being of sound mind and disposing memory, hereby make and publish this, my last will and testament, hereby revoking any and all wills heretofore by me at any time made, VIS:

First. I direct that all my just debts, funeral expenses, etc., be first paid out of my estate.

Second. I desire that my daughters whose names are referred to hereafter shall each have the sum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500), but as I have already made gifts to some of them, and may hereafter make gifts to others, I desire that there shall be deducted from the $500. that would go to each one, whatever amount I have before my death, advanced to them respectively. My said daughters are Sarah Davis, residing near Dunlap Tennessee, Lizzie Kelly, residing in Chattanooga, Tenn, Janie Hudson residing at Whitwell, Tennessee, America Rankin, residing at Jasper, Tennessee, Celia Blake, residing at Straw Plains, Tenn. and Alice Lay who resides at home with me. If any of said daughters should die before my death, then the share that would have gone to their mother shall go to her children, if any, and if none then that portion shall fall into the corpus of my estate and be distributed and disposed of as the residue of my estate.

Third. After the payment of the bequests referred to in paragraph two of this will, I desire that my entire estate, real personal and mixed, shall go to my beloved wife for the period of her natural life.

She shall be vested with a life estate in any lands which I may have after paying said bequests, and shall have all the rents and income therefrom as long as she shall live. And the income from any personal property remaining after said bequests shall go to her exclusively for her natural life.

Fourth. At the death of my beloved wife, I desire that all my estate, after payment of bequests mentioned in paragraph two of this will shall go to my children, share and share alike, being equally distributed between all of them. If any of the children die before my death, leaving a child or children, then said child or children shall represent their father or mother in the distribution of my estate.

Fifth. I hereby nominate and appoint my son, John D. Lay as my executor of this will, and he shall serve without bond. He is hereby given full power to sell either real estate or personal property, at either public or private sale, for the purpose of paying debts or for distribution.

Signed, sealed and published as and for my last will and testament, on this the 15th day of August, 1917

Wm. Lay


We the undersigned hereby certify that the testator, William Lay, executed the foregoing paper for his last will and testament on the day it bares [sic] date; that he signed the same in our presence for said purpose, and that we, at his request, and in his presence and in the presence of each other, have signed our names thereto as subscribing witnesses, this 15th day of August 1919.

George Long
Turley Rankin