52 Ancestors 2020 – 18 – Where There's a Will– Mary “Polly” (Bond) Lemaster

I started to write about Mary for the past two weeks' themes, but decided I wanted to do Aunt Hannah and Uncle Charles instead. I discovered that Mary did make a will so I could write about her for this topic, even if her birthday was in the wrong week.

Mary, who often used the common nickname “Polly”, was my 3^rd great-grandaunt. She was the daughter of Solomon and Anna (Allen) Bond and a younger sister of my 3^rd great-grandfather, John Bond.

Mary was born 17 Apr 1802 in Kentucky. This was most likely Henry County, because her father Solomon (of Shelby County) purchased land in Henry County in 1801.

I suspect that she was the 16 to 25 year old female in Solomon's household in the 1820 census because her marriage to Wesley Lemaster in Henry County, Kentucky, did not take place until 27 Oct 1820. Then she would be the 20 to 29 year old in the household of Wesley Lemasters on the 1830 census in Henry County.

I have not yet located them on the 1840 census, but they were still in Henry County in 1850. Wesley was a 58 year old farmer and Mary was 48 and the real estate value was $10,000. The slave schedule showed they owned 4 slaves, 3 males: age 65, 37, 26 and 1 female age 32. It was 17 Mar 1858 when Wesley died and Mary became a widow.

Sometime before the 1860 census, her brother William with his wife Elizabeth and daughters Nancy and Mary moved into her household. This census showed that William had real estate valued at $5000 while Mary had $4800 plus personal property of $7000. This personal property would be most likely the 3 slaves shown on the slave schedule. They may be a family as there was a male age 50, a female age 42 and another female age 1. Both Mary and William showed their occupation as farmer and the household also included a 22 year old laborer born in Holland.

When Mary/Polly died, she was buried at Hendronsville Cemetery located on Lake Jericho Road, Pendleton, Henry County, Kentucky. Find A Grave lists Mary's death as 12 Mar 1879, but she is listed on the 1880 Mortality Schedule in the Jericho Mag. District as Pollie Lemaster, a widow, dying in Mar from consumption. However her will was proved at the April term in 1879. This indicates that the 1879 date is probably correct.

But since the theme is about wills and I stated she had a will, lets look at that.

Mary, using the name Polly Lamaster, wrote her will in June of 1876, 3 years before her death. Since she had no children, I was interested to see who she would designate as her heirs. The first person she listed was “Margaret Estes of color, who has lived with me for more than forty years.” Margaret was to receive the house and 4 ½ acres of land in Jericho where Polly lived and the furniture for her life. Polly specified that it was to be “free from the control of her husband or any other person.” Then Polly also made a bequest to Margaret of $300. After Margaret died, the house and land, or their proceeds, were to go to Margaret's two grandchildren: Margaret Belle Reed and James W Reed. Polly also specified that Margaret Belle would get the “high bedstead, one feather bed, four pillows, one bolster and a sufficiency of other bedclothes to furnish the bed and keep her warm.” James was to get the other large Bedstead and items to keep him warm.

Then Polly made a bequest to Lewis Estes, Margaret's husband, of $100 and all the remaining furniture after Margaret died. Also he could stay in the house if he so desired.

Then Polly made more bequests. She left Wesly Tanner the family Bible and $500. She didn't forget her family who had lived with her in 1860, although her brother William had died the previous year. She left money to William's widow and daughters Mary and Nancy and then the balance of her estate was to be divided between the four daughters, her nieces, Elizabeth Turner, Sarah Bain [sic], Nancy Graham and Mary Bond.

But that wasn't the end of Polly's will making, as she did a codicil the next year in June 1876. She had to revoke the bequest to Wesly Tanner since he had died in the meantime. She gave the family Bible to Mary Bond and more money. She also raised the amount of money to go to “Margaret Estes of color” to $500.

All of this raised the question in my mind, who was Margaret Estes? If she had lived with Mary/Polly for 40 years she must be one of those enumerated on the slave schedule. There was 1 female in 1850, age 32, and a female in 1860, age 42. Then the Civil War and emancipation happened. I haven't been able to locate Mary/Polly in 1870, but I did find Margaret. She was listed as Margaret Estes age 53 with Lewis and an 11 year old daughter Anna, living in Jericho, Henry County, Kentucky. She was listed as Margaret Reed, age 62, on the 1880 census in Jericho with Luis Estes and apparently her grandchildren Elizabeth age 5 and James age 4 and Jacob Reed age 25, a widower.

Margaret's occupation was servant, so I hope that she had benefited from the bequest in Mary/Polly's will.