Will, 1802

• Chatham, North Carolina, 1801

• In the Name of God Amen. The Thirteenth day of December Eighteen hundred and one I Henry Bagley of the County of Chatham State of North Carolina being of good & Sound memory Thanks to almighty god, and Calling to remembrance the uncertain Estate of this transitory Life, and that all flesh must yield to death, when it shall Please god to Call, Do make Constitute, ordain, & Declare this my Last Will & Testament in manner and form following: That is to say and annulling & by these presents, all & every Testament or testaments, wills or wills heretofore by me made and Declared Either by word at writing, and this is to be taken only for my Last will & Testament, and none other. and now for the Settling of my temporal estate, which it hath pleased god to bestow upon me: I do order, give, & dispose the same in manner & form following; that is to say, first, that all Debts that all Debts be paid within Convenient time after my Decease by my Executor hereinafter Named.
• I give and bequeath to my Daughter Bethany one negro girl named Ruth and her first living Child to Mary daughter of Bethany.
• I give & bequeath to my son Henry Bagley one negro girl named Jean.
• I give & bequeath to my son Benjamin Bagley one negro boy named Simon.
• I give & bequeath to my son Joab Bagley three negroes Susannah, Patrick, and Nancy, and all my Land on the North east side of the meadow creek, and the upper road and all my plantation where I now live at the same house up to the little branch below the field then up the Branch to the fork, then with the North fork to the anson road
• I give and bequeath to my son Isaiah Bagley the Sum of four pounds and one feather Bed
• I give & bequeath to my son Elisha Bagley three negroes named George the Elder, Jacob, & Lucy, and all my Land on the South side of the anson and the South Side of the meadow creek & up the said creek to the upper road then all my land west of said Land with that place South of the anson Road & Down the meadow creek to the first Branch then up the said Branch to the fork then with the South fork to the anson road.
• I will that the house household furniture and stock of all kinds, with the plantation utensils be Equally Divided Between my two sons Joab & Elisha, and they to pay to Stephen Blair & Wiley Estes's three sons Henry, John & James Estes, ten pounds each. Also I will that the three other Negroes to wit. Priscilla, Catherine, & Little George be Equally Divided Between Henry, Benjamin, & Bethany with the increase [...] by my two sons Joab and Elisha to pay the debts. I Constitute & appoint John Ropon and my son Joab Bagely Executor to this my Last will & testament.
• In full power under the Law are Derected by Law in such Cases -- Witness my hand the day & date first above written
• Henry Bagley
• Signed & Declared In presence of
• William McMasters
  John Piggot
  Susanna McMasters

Enslaved People

• Ruth - inherited by Bethany. the wording of the will suggests she may have been pregnant in 1801, leading Henry to promise the unborn child to his granddaughter Mary, Bethany's daughter. In 1825 she is mentioned as being married to Philip in Bethany's husband's will.
  Jean - inherited by [Thomas] Henry
  Simon - inherited by Benjamin
  Susannah - inherited by Joab
  Patrick - inherited by Joab
  Nancy - inherited by Joab
  George (elder) - inherited by Elisha
  (little) George - inherited by Bethany
  Jacob - inherited by Elisha
  Lucy - inherited by Elisha
  Priscilla - inherited by [Thomas] Henry or Benjamin
  Catherine - inherited by [Thomas] Henry or Benjamin