Will of William Lester

Pettis County, Missouri
Will Book, Vol 2, pp 14-15
drawn Oct 22, 1859

Know all men by there presents that I William Lester of the County of Pettis in the State of Missouri do make & publish this my last will & testament I hereby revoking all former wills by me made in manner & form following, that is to say:

First, It is my will that my funeral expenses and all my just debts be fully paid.

Second, I give & bequeath to my daughter Martha A Howerton one negro girl named Lucy & her increase to be taken possession of at my death.

Third, I give and bequeath to my daughter Susanna J Pugh one negro girl named Dorcas & her increase to be taken possession of at my Death.

Fourth, I give & bequeath to my daughter Charlotte Thompson one negro man named Miles to be taken possession of at my Death.

Fifth, I give and bequeath to my daughter Rebecca Woodson, one negro woman named Eady & her child Billy together with the future increase of said woman as her separate property to her & to the issue of her body to be taken possession of at my Death. And I also will & bequeath to my said daughter Rebecca Woodson to her separate use only whatever may be her equal share of the proceeds of the residue of my property not herein mentioned.

Sixth, I hereby emancipate & set free from slavery my negro man Jack aged about forty one years to take effect from & after my death.

Seventh, After my children take possession of the property herein bequeathed to each of them my will is that the remaining part thereof be sold by my executor hereinafter named & the proceeds thereof together with whatever money I may leave at my death to be by them equally divided among all my children to wit: Martha A Howerton, Susanna Pugh, Charlotte Thompson, Rebecca Woodson & Thomas J Lester and

Lastly, I hereby constitute & appoint Albion Roberson and Watson Wood to be the executors of this my last will & testament.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand & seal this twenty second day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred & fifty nine.

William Lester (his mark) (seal)

Signed, sealed & declared by the Testator, Wm Lester as & for his last Will and Testament in presence of us who at his request have signed as witnesses to the same and in presence of each other. William Agee, John M Agee, James M Courtney, Joshua Gentry

State of Missouri, County of Pettis. In vacation of the County Court

Be it remembered that on this 17th day of October 1862 personally appeared before the undersigned Clerk of the Pettis County Court William Agee & John M Agee two of the subscribing witnesses to the annexed will of William Lester & being by me first duly sworn depose & say that the said William Lester the testator declared in their presence that he had subscribed the same & published the said will or instrument of writing as his last will & that he the said testator was at the time of publishing his said Will of sound mind & more than twenty one years of age & that they the said deponents attested the said Will as witnesses thereto by subscribing their names to the same in the presence of said Testator. Wm Agee, Jno M Agee

In Testimony whereof I Sam A Lowe Clerk of the Pettis County Court have hereto subscribed my name & affixed the seal of said Court at Office in Georgetown this 17th day of October, 1862. Sam A Lowe, Clk

Approved Oct 27/62

Submitter: Transcribed by Cathy Warbritton as is and as a service. She is not researching these families and does not have further genealogical information on them.