In the name of God Amen:
I Thomas COTTON of Sumner County and territory south of the Ohio being in perfect mind and
memory thanks be to God; I do make this my last will and testament _ such worldly estate where
it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give and devise and dispose of the same in the
following manner and form.
First
I give and bequeath to Priscilla my dearly beloved wife the use of my estate in the following
manner - viz. The plantation where I now live and my negroes and all my stock of all kinds,
likewise my household furniture with all my iron tools and any other things about the house or
belonging to the plantation to her and her use for the support of my children until her death except
she should die before the youngest son comes to twenty one years of age and if the said Priscilla
my wife should died before Sanders COTTON my youngest son shall come to the age of twenty
one years then the above mentioned estate to fall into the hands of Moore COTTON my eldest
son for him to make use of in the same manner before mentioned until the said Sanders COTTON
comes to twenty years of age then or age my wife's death.
I give and bequeath to my two daughters Letha COTTON and Sarah COTTON each of them the
sum of one hundred and thirty three dollars and a third in some kind of property that is most
convenient to pay at that time. I give and bequeath to my son Moore COTTON the half of my
land where I now live, it being the upper part of the tract to him the said Moore COTTON and his
heirs forever. I likewise give and bequeath to my son Sanders COTTON the lower part of the
same tract of land I now live one to him the said Sanders COTTON and his heirs forever. I give
and bequeath to my two sons Allen COTTON and Noah COTTON six hundred and forty acres of
land laying on the waters of little Harper by the name of Reeds S? be equally divided when Allen
COTTON comes of age to them the said Allen COTTON and Noah COTTON to them and their
heirs forever.
I give and bequeath to my sons John COTTON and Arthur COTTON the tracts of land joining
John _ plantation running east down a Branch with Stone's River to them and their heirs forever. I
give and bequeath to my nine children Mary CRYER, Moore COTTON, Letha COTTON, John
COTTON, Allen COTTON, Sarah COTTON, Arthur COTTON, Noah COTTON, and Sanders
COTTON, all my negroes and all my stock of all kind and all my household furniture and
perishable property of every kind to be equally divided among my nine children before mentioned,
at the death of my wife Priscilla, without the said Priscilla COTTON should decease before
Sanders COTTON shall come to the age of twenty years, then and in that case for the aforesaid
Estate to be equally divided when the aforesaid Sanders COTTON shall come to the age twenty
years to then the said Mary CRYER, Moore COTTON, Letha COTTON, John COTTON, Allen
COTTON, Sarah COTTON, Arthur COTTON, Noah COTTON and Sanders COTTON to them
and their heirs forever.
And lastly I do hereby constitute and appoint Moore COTTON, George PERRY and Isaac
WALTON, my whole and sole Executors of this my last will and testament said I do hereby
utterly disallow, revoke and disannul all other former wills before by me made and this only take
to be my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 10
day of February 1794
Thos. COTTON
Signed and sealed pronounced and declared in presence of us
Abraham ROGERS
Arch MARTIN
Isaac WALTON
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