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                    THE WILL OF LEWIS Y. CHRISTMAS

 

I, Lewis Y. Christmas, of Warren County and the State of North Carolina, being of sound mind and disposing memory do make and publish this my Last Will and Testament--hereby revoking all former Wills by me at any time heretofore made- -I direct that my body be buried and my funeral conducted in such a manner as my executors shall seem best, and as to such world estate as it has pleased God to bestow upon me. I dispose of the same as follows. I direct that all my just debts which I may owe at the time of my death and my funeral expenses shall be paid as soon after my decease as possible -- Item 1st. I give and bequeath to my friend William Plummer of the Town of Warrenton my faithful and favorite negro man William usually called William King. Item 2nd. I give and bequeath to my friend Kemp Plummer my Negro boy name Caswell. Item 3rd. It is my will and desire and I do hereby direct that my slaves Christopher, Keziah, Henry, Marcus, Erasmus, Nancy, Jane and her three children Laura, Frank and Davy and all of their increase from the date of this Will shall be emancipated as soon after my decease as it can be done consistently with the laws of the State--and they are to be removed according to the Act of Assembly beyond the limits of this State, and they are to be carried to one of the non-slaveholding States of the American Union. All expenses which may be incurred by my executor in causing the emancipation and removal of said slaves are to be paid out of my estate. Item 4th. I give and bequeath to my executor hereinafter named in trust for the Negroes named in the preceding item of my Will the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, which sum he is to divide among the said slaves and their increase as aforesaid in equal portions, but before any division shall be made it is my will and desire that my executor shall cause a guardian or guardians to be appointed in the non- slaveholding State of States in which they may reside to such of said Negro slaves as may be then under twenty-one years of age. Item 5th. I give and bequeath to Joseph Speed Jones of the said County of Warren my executor--herein after named the sum of Five Thousand Dollars as a compensation (in addition to the commissions allowed by law) for his trouble in causing the emancipation and removal of said slaves and for other services required of him as executor, and it is my will and desire that if from any cause the said Joseph S. Jones shall fail faithfully to carry out its provisions, then the above legacy to him shall not take effect. Item 6th. If the said Joseph S. Jones shall refuse or fail to take upon himself the burden of the execution of this my Will or shall die before executing the same, then I give and bequeath to the person or persons who may be appointed by the County Court of Warren County, Administrators on my estate the sum of Five Thousand Dollars (in addition to the commissions allowed by law) as a compensation for his services in faithfully carrying out the several provisions of my Will. Item 7th. All of the residue of my estate of every description whatever both real and personal including all real and personal estate which I may hereafter acquire except the increase hereinbefore to be emancipated, I give, devise, and bequeath unto my friend, William Duke Jones of said County of Warren unto him, his heirs, executors, administrators and assign, and I do hereby nominate and appoint my friend Joseph Speed Jones executor of this my Last Will and Testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 6th day of October, A.D., 1857. Wit. L.Y. Christmas, John Watson William Eaton, Jr.

 

I, Lewis Y. Christmas,

 

of the County of Warren and State of North Carolina do make and publish this writing as a Codicil to my Last Will and Testament which Will is dated the 6th Day of October, A.D., 1857 and is witnessed by John Watson and William Eaton, Jr. Whereas in the 3rd Item of my said Will I have directed a slave by the name of Nancy to be emancipated and I have two slaves by that name, now for great a certainty I do hereby declare that I mean Nancy the younger, and whereas in the 5th Item of said Will I have bequeathed the sum of Five Thousand Dollars to my executor Joseph Speed Jones in addition to the commissions allowed by law for his services therein mentioned, and in the 6th Item have given the same amount to any person who may be appointed administrator of my estate by Warren County Court in the contingency therein mentioned. Now I do hereby reduce the said sum down to Four Thousand Dollars in the same manner as if the last mentioned sum had been originally in the said 5th and 6th Items of my said Will. I further direct that my executor is to have power to remove the slaves directed to be emancipated in said Will, not only to any part of the United States where slavery does not exist and where it may be lawful for him to carry them but also to Mexico if he shall think proper so to do. And if he shall carry any of them to Mexico he is to act in the same manner to all intents and purposes and have the same powers and duties in reference to them as if they had been removed to any nonslaveholding State of the American Union. The monied legacies mentioned in said Will and the expenses incident emancipation and removal of the slaves who are directed in said Will to be emancipated I do hereby charge upon the residue mentioned in the 7th Item of my said Will, and I do hereby authorize and empower my executor to sell a sufficiency thereof to raise the requisite amount of money. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 5th day of June, A.D., 1858. Wit. L.Y. Christmas

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