Item
I Lend to my beloved wife one feather bed and
furniture-----During her Life or Widdowhood, and after to my Daughter
Easter Rawls; all the Reazidue [Residue = remainder] of my Estate I
leave to my wife Sarah Rawls During
her Life or widdowhood, and at the Day of her Death or marriage, to be
Equally Divided between my three Sons Joshua Rawls and William Rawls and
Jesse Rawls---
I likewise apoint my Son
Joshua Rawls and my wife Sarah Rawls my [w]hole and Sole Excuttor and
Exectuttorix [Executrix], to this my Last will and testament, in witness
thereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this twentieth Day of
October one thousand Seven hundred & Eighty Nine.
Witnesses to the will
were John and Dennis Kennady.
Francis Rawls made his mark, so he could not write, but this
doesn't mean he couldn't read.
Many settlers could read but not write because paper and
ink to practice with were expensive or just not available.
Francis died before the
first census of the United States in 1790, but his wife Sarah is listed
in Beaufort County, Newbern District as Sarah “Rolls”.
The spelling and pronunciation of the census takers created many
variations of the name.
Living with Sarah were one
male over sixteen years old, one male under sixteen, two
females of all ages, and no other persons or slaves.
Since Sarah had no slaves,
her sons and indentured men or families who worked for their keep
cultivated the plantation.
In the same census,
Joshua and Jesse “Rowe” already worked their own farms.
It might appear that James didn't rate too highly with his
father, since he got none of the residual estate and only one large pot,
but it's likely his father had already given him land or money, because
Francis sold over 400 acres before his death.
Sarah, unable to compete with plantation owners who used slave
labor, lost her 50 acre plantation to taxes in a sheriff's sale in
December, 1794.
Son James Rawls
was born around 1765. James
married a lady named whose first name is unknown but whose last name was
probably Kennedy/Canaday.
They appeared on the North Carolina state census of 1787 (only
the head of the house was named).
James and wife had one little girl, so they likely married around
1786. Eight months before
his father's death, he bought a 100 acre plantation from John Collins on
Feb. 13, 1789. He
bought another 100 acres in 1790. Documents record the purchases
of slave boys named Peter,
Sam and Willie. He sold a
slave named Tom in 1795. He
traded in land throughout his life with families named Reddick, Kennedy,
Williams and Wynn.
James's will was dated
Aug. 12, 1819 and proved in Martin County, NC:
In the Name of God Amen
I James Rawls of the
county of Martin and State of North Carolina being weak in body but
Sound in mind and memory Blessed be god and Calling to mind the
certainty of Death and the uncertainty of the time when it may commence
do make and ordain this instrument as my last will and testament in the
manner and form following that is to say.
I give unto my beloved
Daughter Elizabeth one tract of land beginning on the head of the Mirey
Branch at the road running Down Said branch to Stancills Branch thence
down Said branch to James Collin
line thence along said line to the road
Leading from Williamston to Greenville thence down said Road to the
Beginning to her and her heirs forever--