Will of Joseph Adair, Sr.
Laurens County, SC 1788
In the name of God, Amen. I Joseph Adair of the State of So. Carolina and the County of Laurens, Cooper: being Through the abundant Mercy of God–tho weak in body yet of a sound & perfect understanding and memory; Do Constitute This my last will and Testament & desire it may be received as Such first I most humbly bequeath my soul to God my maker, beseeching the most gracious Exceptance of it, Through the all sufficient merits and Meditations of my most Compassionate redeemer Jesus Christ who Gave himself to be and atonement for my sins & is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intersession for them & who I Trust will not reject me a returning penetant Sinner when I come to him for mercy; In this hope & Confidance I render up my soul with Comfort, humbly Beseeching the most Glorious & blessed Trinity, one God most Holy most mercifulh & Gratious to prepare for my desolution & then to take me to himslef into that plan of a rest & incomparable felicity with he hath–Prepared for all that Love his holy name Amen; Blessed be God I give my Body to the Earth from whence it was Taken in full assurance of its resurrection from Thence at the last day; As for my burial I desire it may be Decent without Pomp or state at the Direction of my dear wife who I doubt not will manage it with all prrudence–As to my worldly Estate I will & possitively order that all my Debts be paid, and next I Give & bequesth to SUSANNA my dearly beloved wife all my Stock of Black Cattle and Hogs with all the pewter of my Dresser; and one hundered & Sixty Continental dollars which is in the hands of my son JOSEPH ADAIR & all the store of my grain that may be mine at the time of my death for her Support also all the farming utensils that belongs to me at my Death, Also my beds and bed furniture to posess the same during her life, and at her decease to go to my son JAMES ADAIR; also to my son JOSEPH ADAIR I give & bequeath the remainder of the Continental money that remains in his hands; Also one long posted bestead and my armed Chair, Also I Give & Bequeath unto my son JAMES ADAIR the one half of my Coopers Tools; & other utensils belonging to my trade with the whole of my wearing apparel, as also my Chest at the decease of my wife; Also to my son BENJAMIN ADIAR, I Give & Bequeath the other half of my Coopers Tools; and utensils belonging to my trade; as also half of that Twenty pounds old Currency which he had of me for which he was to have pailled a Grave yard, which he never performed; also to my Daughter JEAN RAMMAGE, I Give & Bequeath my Brass Scales; Also to my daughter SARAH ADAIR, I Give & Bequeath that other half of the Twenty pound old currency which is in the hands of my son, BENJAMIN ADAIR; Also I give her at the death of my wife that Iron pot that was her mothers with my Iron crook; also I Give & Bequeath to my Daughter MARY OWINS my biggest Iron Pot, and my coarse flax Hackle at the Decease of her mother and to her Husband JOHN OWINS the one half of the Sawed plank of my loft & floor; and if it shall please God to Call me home by This present disease, it is my will that the money he owes me should go to defray my funeral Charges; Also to ROBERT LONG my son inlaw I Give & Bequeath the other half o the plank of my loft; and floor. And I Do by these Presents nominate constitute & appoint & ordain as the Executors of This my last will and Testament; my truly & well beloved Sons JOSEPH & JAMES ADAIR; and I do hereby Revoke & disallow & make Null & void Every former will by me made, ratifying & confirming This and no other to be my last will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & affixed my seal This Ninth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven hundred and Eighty Eight.
Signed and sealed in the presence of
James Motgomery Joseph Adair (Seal)
Wm Bourlande
his
James (I) GREEK
mark
Recorded in Book A, page 19.
Will date: 9 January 1788 Proven date not available
Source Citation
South Carolina Will Transcripts, 1782-1868; Author: Brimelow, Judith M.; Probate Place: Laurens, South Carolina
Notes: Index and Will, Vol 1, Books A, C1, D1, 1766-1825
Ancestry.com. South Carolina, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data: South Carolina County, District and Probate Courts.
Coopers
Coopers were skilled craftsman who made barrels. In Joseph’s will, he left his cooper tools to his sons, James and Benjamin. The first homestead on Duncan Creek is on a road still known today as Barrel Stave Road.