Friday, March 17, 2017

From the Probate Files: Abraham Heath - Warren County, Georgia, 1808

It's clear from his 1807 will that my fifth great grandfather Abraham Heath had prospered during his lifetime. If my count is correct he named 30 enslaved persons he bequeathed to his wife, children and grandchildren. (Only his wife, two of his sons and a grandson merited the epithet "beloved".)



["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-893T-8QSY?cc=1999178&wc=9SBQ-W3V%3A267818601%2C267885001 : 20 May 2014), Warren > image 104 of 362;
county probate courthouses, Georgia.]


     In the name of God, Amen, I, Abraham Heath
of the County of Warren & State of Georgia, planter being
weak in Body but in perfect mind & memory, thanks be given
to Almighty God calling to mind the mortality of my Body and
knowing that it is appointed for all Men once to die, do
make & ordain this my last Will & Testament (That is to say
principally and first of all I Recommend my Soul to God that
gave it and my Body I Recommend to the Earth to be buried
in a Christian like manner at the discretion of my Executors
nothing doubting that at the General Resurrection I Shall receive
the Same again by the mighty power of God, and as touching the
worldly goods wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me with in 
this life I Give devise and dispose of in the following Manner 
and form (Viz)
First I Give and bequeath to my Son John Heath one Negro Man
     named Isaac, one woman named Dice and one Negro Boy Named
     Tillman with their Increase to him & his heirs forever.
Item I Give to my Daughter Sally Chapple, the following Negroes one
     woman named Fanny Girl Mary Girl Lydia, Girl Ambry & Boy
     Henry with their Increase to her and heirs forever
Item I Give to my Son Benjamin Heath three negroes Viz Mymsy
     and her two Sons Henry & Charles with their Increase forever
Item I Give to my beloved Son William Heath two negroes Viz Jeffrey
     and Turner to him and his heirs forever
Item I Give and bequeath to my Grand Daughter Polly Clower one
     negro Girl named Sarah
Item: I Give to my beloved Grandson Stephen B Clower one Negro
     Boy Isaac
Item I give to my Grand Daughter Linney Clower one Negro
     Boy Sam
Item I Give to my Grandson Green Clower one Negro Boy Charles
Item I Give to my Grandson Abraham H Clower one Negro Woman
     Milley with her Increase
Item I Give to my beloved Son Adam Heath one Negro Man
     Ranger, two hundred Acres of Land which he has titles
     for one Black Gelden and one Gray also one Bed and
     furniture
Item I Give ^and bequeath^ to my Daughter Elizabeth Heath two Negroes Beck
     and Child Clary
Item I Give to my Daughter Polly Heath one Negro Girl Hannah
     also one Bed & furniture with Bed Sted to her and her &
     her heirs forever
Item I Give to my Daughter Frances B Highfield one Negro Woman
     Named Silvia with her Increase to her & her heirs forever
Item I Give to my Son Richard Heath, One Negro Boy Named
     Jacob, one Sorrel Filley and one Bed & furniture with Sted
Item I Give to my Son Abraham Heath One Negro Boy Nathan
     and one Bed and furniture with Bed Sted
Item I Give to my Grandson Abraham Heath Chappell
     one Negro Boy Ephraim.
Item I Give and bequeath to my beloved wife Winnyford
     Heath two Negro women Anckey & Amy to Enjoy the same
     free from any Incumberances forever I also Lend
     my Wife all the Rest of my Estate both Real and personal
     during her Natural Life or Widowhood and after [?]
     [?] marriage, it is my Request that my Sons Richard
     and Abraham jointly should heir my Real Estate


     and that Richard should have Big Negro Charles and
     Big Jack, and one Negro Girl Patience to be equally shared
     betwixt the afore mentioned Richard & Abraham, and the
     Rest of my personal Estate after my wifes death or Widowhood
     to be equally divided among all my children
     and I nominate and appoint my Son Adam Heath
     Solomon Slatter and Elisha Hest Executors to this my last
     will and Testament and futhermore I disannull and revoke
     all former will or wills by me heretofore made.
     Signed Sealed published pronounced and declared by --
     the Said Abraham Heath as my last will and Testament
     in the presents of us whose names are hereunto ? -------
    this 23'd day of November in this Year of our Lord one
    thousand eight hundred and Seven
                                                                      his
     Stephen W Burnley                            Abraham X Heath
     Britain Blunt                                                mark
            her
     Mary X Garrett
           mark

                                      Probate
Georgia
Warren County   }  Personally appeared Stephen W Burnley
and being duly Sworn and on the holy Avangelist and
God deposeth and Saith that he Saw Abraham [Heath]
make his mark and publish and declare this ?---------
of writings his last will and Testament [and at]
the time of his So doing he was of Sound disposing
mind and memory being then in his presence 
And in the presence of the other Subscribing [witnesses]
and at his Request they all became witnesses 
to the Same. Sworn to in open court this ?----
of January 1808
                                                          Stephen W Burnley
Septimus Weatherby
C.C.O.W.Co.

Next I'm going to see if I can find an inventory of his will.
                   



© 2017 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

4 comments:

  1. good afteroon, from the 1870 census of davi,texas on oage 63 is william heath and on pahe 64 is my famy who took on the surname of richardson ( richison ) .i would like like to find out who were the parents of charles richardson and is mymey his mother and henry his brother ? sheikhmo99@gmail.com, taif'tul'islam -p.o.box 338 -compton,ca.90223 - thank you

    ReplyDelete
  2. GOOD AFTERNOON,I WOULD LIKE TO OBTAIN ALL OF THE INFORMATON OF ABRAHAM HEATH AND HIS SLAVES ? FROM THE 1870 CENSUS OF DAVIS,TEXAS THESE ARE MY FAMILY MEMBERS ? CHARLES AND SOOkIE,MILES,JULIS AND JACK WHO TOOK THE SURNAME OF RICHARDSON ( RICHISON ) AND ARE ON PAGES 64 AND 23 ? TAIF'TUL'ISLAM P.O.BOX 338 -COMPTON,CA.90223-sheikhmo99@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. My daughters great, great, great, great grandfather was Tillman Tell C. Heath/Dickerson which is listed here. Wow. This is crazy to see. In the will it says he would be given to his son John Heath.

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  4. Hi my name is isha heath,I'm direct decendant of Doll heath she is my 7th great grandmother,I'm just amazed to see the names of several of my family members mentioned in Abraham's will,I would like to know was there any mentioned to where doll would have been buried or any of my relatives that were on those plantations

    ReplyDelete