Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-05-15
A Will Dated February 9th,
1897, and a Bill of Sale
Of 1S43.
WAS FIRST RECORDED WILL.
A Backward Glance of 116
Years, When County Was
IL Years Old.

So far as the records in the county
clerks office reveal, the will publish
ed below is the oldest recorded. The
will is recorded in Will Book A and
the date of the will is February
9th, 1897. The man who made the
will was James Davis and the county
clerk was Jno. G. Clark. There are,
no doubt, many descendants of these
two men now living in this county.
The old book is one of the many
in the clerks Office that are relics of
earliest days, and on account of
their age, their antiquated appear
ance and their records, they claim
attention when one is privileged to
handle them. County Clerk Stowe
two or three weeks ago received a
letter from a party in Virginia, ask
ing him to look through the archives
of his office and find certain record
and make copy and mail it to the
party. 1t has been 116 years since
Jno. G. Clark, the clerk, made his
first entry in the volume, and Chris
tian county was then in its twelfth
year. In copying the will which
follows we have closely followed the
spelling and punctuation in fact
there is but one punctuation point
used, the comma. The absence of
periods at the ends of sentences, and
the non-use of capitals at the begin
ming of sentences is quite motto able,
as well as omitted words. But in
those days, as now, a document had
to be copied verbatim ct literatum.
In reading the will it will be noticed
that Mr.. Davis was man of large
holdings, owning many negroes.
Here is the will:
9th Feb 1877.
In THE NAME oS COP, AMEN:-I,
James Davis, being weak in body, of
sound mind and memory, do make
and ordain this, my last will and tes-
lament.
AS for the worldly estate with
which God has blessed me, | be-
queath in the manner following, 1t
is my will that all my just debts be
first paid
| give and bequeath to my beloved
wife, Deborah Davis, the whole
track of land on which | live when
at home, On the West Fork of Red
river, to my son William c. Davis to
the age of twenty one years and af-
ter that time leave her my said be-
loved wife the one third of said tract
of land enduring her life laid Of any
part she chooses, | also leave her my
said wife my negroes Chloe and Da-
vid forever to dispose of as she
thinks best, / also leave her all my
other negroes to my SON Abraham
Miller Davis, arrives to the age of
twenty one. and for the purpose of
raising and schooling my children, /
leave her the whole Remainder of
my movable Estate, after my debts
is paid but should it be more conve-
nient for her to sell a negro or ne
groes to pay my debts it is my will
she shall sell any of them she chooses.
for that purpose it is my will for
her to keep the property or sell it at
her pleasure without accounting to
any person for any of it, | further
will to my two sons William G. Davis
and Abraham Miller Davis the above
track of land to be equal.
~ divided between them quantity
and quality, leach 10 bear their
of their mothers third
10 them their heirs or assigns II is
my that in Consequence of get the
land my two sons shall each of them
pay to each of their sisters wiz Bet
sey, Sally, and Patty forty pounds
before they arrive at the age of
twenty four, l will TO my said three
daughters Betsey, Salley, & Patsy