Husband's Will, Executed 1831

• Lincoln County, Tennessee, 1825

• John Rosson's last Will & Testament. In the name of God, Amen, this eighteenth day of June in the year of our Lord, One thousand eighteen hundred & twenty five; I, JOHN ROSSON of Lincoln County & State of Tennessee, Being weak in Body but of Sound & perfect mind & memory & calling to remembrance the uncertainty estate of this transitory life and that all flesh must yield to death, whenever it shall please God to call, I do make, ordain, constitute & declare this my last will & Testament revoking all other wills heretofore by me made, or declared & this only to be Taken for my last Will. And now for the settling of my temporal estate, first that all my debts be paid by my executors in convenient time after my decease. I order, give & dispose of the same in manner & form following, to wit: I give & bequeath to my well beloved wife Bethany Rosson three negroes, to wit, Philip & Ruth, his wife, & George and all or so much of the household or kitchen furniture as she shall think proper for her own use, also all the stock of every description, & the plantation utensils during her life or widowhood, provided neverless that if she see cause to give away any part of the property in her lifetime, that the same be equally divided amongst my six children hereafter named, and all the property not specially named to the legatees in this will, is at my death & the death of my wife, then to be equally divided amongst my six children to wit, Sarah S. Bagley, wife of Nathan Bagley, & Joseph Rosson, William Rosson & Mishael Cook wife of Nanis Short, & Henry B. Rosson & Candia Short, wife of John Short. Item, I give to my daughter Sarah S. Bagley one negro boy named Anthony. I give & bequeath to my son Joseph one negro girl named Nancy. I give and bequeath to my son William Rosson one negro boy named Wright. I give and bequeath to my daughter Mishael Cook 1 negro boy named Philip. I give & bequeath to my son Henry B. Rosson 1 negro Girl named Nelly. I give & bequeath to my daughter Candia Short, 1 negro boy named Willie. I give & bequeath to my grand daughter Matilda McMaster 1 negro girl named Mary, to her & her heirs forever. Nevertheless, if the said Matilda should die without heir, then the said negro girl Mary is to return to my children, to be equally divided amongst my six children, above named. Also I give & bequeath to the said Matilda McMaster, one horse, bridle & saddle, one bed & furniture & Bedstead, one cow & calf, one ewe & lamb, Also the land on which I now live I give & bequeath to my two sons Joseph & Henry B. Rosson, one hundred acres each, to be divided by a line beginning in the middle of the North boundary line & running due South to the middle of the South boundary line, William Rosson to have the west end, & Henry B. Rosson to have the east end, it is also my will that the three negroes named in the forpart of the will for the support of my wife & self during our lives & one girl named Priscilla that my three daughters have each one, Sarah S. Bagley, Mishael Cook, & Candia Short, each of which negroes is to be valued so that each one's part shall be equal & the remaining negro or negroes, if that should be the case, are to be valued or sold, also all the household & kitchen furniture & all the Stock of every description with plantation utensils, are to all be valued or sold, as my Executors hereafter named, shall think best, and the whole Amount arising therefrom to be equally divided amongst my six children above named, to wit, Sarah S. Bagley, Joseph Rosson, William, Mishael Cook, Henry B. Rosson & Candia Short. I, also constitute, ordain & appoint my three sons, Joseph Rosson, William Rosson & Henry B. Rosson executors to this my last will & Testament, revoking & annulling all other will or wills heretofore by me made, and these my executors will execute & perform all things according to the true intent & meaning herein contained.
• John Rosson
• Signed & declared in presence of,
• Silas W. Clelland
  William Cowden
  John Cowder

Enslaved People

• Ruth - inherited by Bethany from her father.
  Philip - Ruth's husband
  (little) George - inherited by Bethany from her father
  Anthony - inherited by Sarah Bagely
  Priscilla - possibly inherited by Bethany from her father
  Nancy - inherited by Joseph
  Philip - inherited by Mishael
  Nelly - inherited by Henry
  Willie - inherited by Candia
  Mary - inherited by Matila McMaster