WILL
In the name of God Amen I Abram Mayberry of the County of Jefferson State of Mississippi being weak in body but of sound mind and disposing mind & memory do make this my last will & testament hereby revoking all other wills & testaments by me at any time heretofore made.
Item 1st. I will that my body be decently buried & I resign my soul to God who gave it.
2nd. I wish my estate both real and personal to remain together in the names of my executor & executrix ? to be my present ? made & ? & then say in the first of January 1837 that all my estate both real and personal, saving & excepting what is named after specially division & bequeathed to be sold at public sale on a credit of two, three & four years ? ? ? giving notes with good security negocciable(sp) & payable in Bank, and that the monies when collected shall remain in bank, a ? at interest at my executor & executrix shall think fit.
3rd. I desire that the said monies shall be divided by my said executor & executrix amongst my children Mary Elizabeth & Martha Jane & Catherine Verna & Henry James & Frances Ann in equal shares except that my said son Henry James shall have ten thousand dollars more than the said daughters to be paid to the said children when they arrive at the age of twenty one years or marry.
4th. I give & divide to my beloved wife Lucretia and to her ? ? the Torry tract of land also I give & bequeath to her during her natural life the following slaves to wit: TENNESSEE PETER, the boy JACK, the girl EVELINE, and young DANIEL and his wife LUCY, and GEORGE, BECKY, & HESTER. The said named slaves I give & bequeath after her death to my said daughters equally to be divided between them also to my wife I give during her life the slaves old DANIEL & PATSY & I bequeath that she should set them free at her death.
5th. I give and bequeath to Charles Bingly Gaskins the Negro boy ABEL, also one black horse.
6th. I give and bequeath to my wife such utensils of household & kitchen furniture as she may choose also such stock to wit horses, cattle & hogs, ? she deems necessary for the use of the family also I give to her the sum of four thousand dollars to be paid out of the monies / upon the sales of my estate.
Lastly I nominate & appoint my beloved wife Lucretia to be my executrix, and my friend Philip T. Hughes executor of this my last will & testament & request that they ? my estate ???
In witness whereof I have here unto set my hand & seal this 7th day of April in the year 1836.
Abram Mayberry (Seal)
Signed, sealed, published & ? in presence of these witnesses
Chas Clark
John J. Stampley
John Chaney
Geo W. Nance
Abraham and Lucretia's children were:
Martha Jane Mayberry b. 1828, m. William Stewart
Mary Elizabeth Mayberry b. 1926, m. Benjamin T. Bullen
Susan Mayberry b. 1830, died in 1831
Catherine Venna Mayberry b. 1832, m. Andrew J. Darden
Henry James Mayberry b. 1834, m. Catherine E. Matthews
Frances Ann Mayberry b. 1835, m. William G. Millsaps - This couple sold land to the trustees of the Mount Mariah Baptist Church for church use.