Looking at Samuel Nicholson's Will

Because some of my family lived in northeastern North Carolina from about 1670 until the 1830s I have collected a number of research materials for that area over the years.

The book, North Carolina Wills, by J. Bryan Grimes, originally published in 1912, has a transcription of Samuel's will. In 1993 Dr. Stephen E. Bradley Jr. published abstracts of Early Records of North Carolina, from the Secretary of State Papers. Volume 5 was wills from 1723-1736 and included Samuel. I checked today and found that Ancestry.com has a database of North Carolina will abstracts from 1690 to 1760 and Samuel is in that also. They don't agree exactly, but are close enough to show the will was written about 1727 or 1728.

Samuel gave "the whole Use and Benifit of all my Lands and houses and plantation" to his "dear and well beloved wife, Elizabeth Nicholson'' during her life. When she died they were to go to his surviving married daughter, Elizabeth Anderson. Elizabeth was also to receive a Negro woman "called bes." To his other surviving daughter, who was unmarried, Sarah Nicholson, he left a Nego boy "caled Sesor." He also left Sarah a feather bed and furniture. Each of his grandcchildren were to receive 40 shillings.

He gave one other bequest that is puzzling to me: "I also give to my Friend, Sarah Gloster, as much good fine Silk Crape as will make her a Suit of Close, a pare of good Stays, three yards of muslin, a pare of worsted hoes, two Yards of Holen, as much fine Garlick, as will make har a Shift." She is probably the same as Sarah Glauster named as an underage daughter in the will of Joseph Glaister of Pasquotank (neighboring County) from 1718/19. She and her sister Ruth were to receive land in North Carolina and Virginia when she came of age. I find it interesting that her sister Ruth received a bequest in 1724/25 from a Nathanel Setton (probably Sutton) for muslin for an apron.

Wills can made interesting reading. It reminded me that even though he was a Quaker, Samuel did have at least two negro slaves that he willed to his daughters.