CORNELIUS-AL-1840

WILL OF WILLIAM CORNELIUS, Blount Co., Ala.

In the name of God Amen I WILLIAM CORNELIUS SENR. of the State of Alabama and County of Blount do make and declare this my last will and testament in the manner and form following. . . First I resign my soul into the hand of Almighty God hoping and believing in the remission of MY sins by the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ and my body I commit to the earth to be buried at the discretion of my Executors hereinafter named and my worldly estate I give and devise as follows ...

... First, I give and have given to my eldest Daughter AMY CARGILL the Wife of CORNELIUS CARGILL one Negro Girl named CHARLOTTE and hur Child LUCY to hur and hur heirs forever allowing this to be hur full potion an shere of my estate.
... Also I give and have given to my eldest Son JESSE CORNELIUS one Negro Boy named ISAIAH to be his and his heirs forever this to be all of his shear of my Estate.
... Also I give & given to my Daughter BETSY WAID'S children that she had by CALVIN WAID the sum of Eight hundred dollars this to be all of her portion of my Estate
... also I have given to my Son MOSES CORNELIUS fifty dollars Cash in hand also a note of hand for five hundred and fifty dollars Executed to me by JOHN G. CALLISON due December 25th 1834 also two Cowes and calves which he has received this to be all of his portion of my estate.
... Also I have given to my Son AARON CORNELIUS one Negro Girl named LEAH and hur two children one Girl named HARLOT and one Boy named LEWIS this to be his full portion of my estate.
... Also I give and have given to my Son WILLIAM CORNELIUS two Negro Boys (brothers) one named JACOB in his possession and the other named ANDREW he having said JACOB in his possession to him and his heirs forever this to be all of his portion of my estate.
... Also I have given to my Son CHAMPION CORNELIUS one Negro Girl named ANN and hur two Children one named RANSOM and the other named METILDA to him & His heirs forever this being his full portion of my estate.
... Also I have given to my Son BEVERLY CORNELIUS two Negro Girls one named ESTER and the other named TENER to him and his heirs forever this being all of his portion of my Estate
... Also I have given to my Daughter LETTICE COOK'S children one Negro Girl named MARAH and hur increase forever to be equally divided amongst them when youngest child comes of age this to be their full portion of my Estate.
... Also I have given to my Daughter TABITH HAYS one Negro Girl named ELINAR and hur increase forever this being hur full shear of my Estate
... Also I have given and bequeath to my Son ABNER CORNELIUS one Negro Boy named STUARD to be his and his heirs forever together with whatsoever amount I may have paid towards the discharge of his debts in this place or County this is all of his portion of my Estate ...

All the property of what nature kind or quality soever the same may be had not therefore disposed of after all my debts for I wish my Executors hereafter appointed to sell my goods and chattles and on a credit of twelve months after my death and as soon all the said monies together with all of my right and debts according to my Estate are collected together
... I wish to give one half of the remainder to my Granddaughter LETTIS the Daughter of ABNER CORNELIUS and
... and the remainder to be Equally divided between ALEXANDER COOKE's two Daughters MELINDA and LUCINDA COOK
... and to JESSE CORNELIUS' three Sons WILLIAM, JAMES and MATTISON CORNELIUS ...

and this division to be made hereafter by my appointed Executors and I hereby appoint my trusty friends DANIEL MURPHREE, AARON CORNELIUS and WILLIAM CORNELIUS Executors of this my last will and testament and also that it shall be and may be lawful for my said Executors their heirs or Executors or administrators out of the moneys arising from my Rights and credits or from the sale of my goods and chattles to be deducted from the part of my heirs or out of the Agregate amount thereof before the division is made to remunerate respection all such trouble Loss costs charges and Execution of this my last will and testament or any other thing in any wise relating thereto 

signed sealed published and delivered by the said WILLIAM CORNELIUS SENR. for his last will and testament in the presents of us who at his request and in his presents have subscribed ourselves witnesses thereto in witness whereof I hearunto set my hand and seal this Eleventh day of February one thousand Eight hundred and forty

 . . . . WILLIAM CORNELIUS (Seal).  
Teste.  JOHN H. BOX, JOEL CORNELIUS, JANE COX. . . . 

Copied from photostat sent by W. F. MAYNOR, Judge of Probate, Blount Co., Ala.  August 16, 1962.
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The Will of William Cornelius was found in the Southern History Press publication of the records of Pauline Jones Gandrud, entitled "ALABAMA RECORDS, Volume 245, Blount County, Rev. and 1812 Pensions, Obits, Wills, Compiled by PAULINE JONES GANDRUD."

I found it interesting that Pauline Jones Gandrud gathered, edited and then typed, by hand, 245 volumes on various genealogical and historical subjects.  On each volume, she typed an original and nine carbon copies.  She then sold the original at one price and the carbon copies at a lesser price.  If she ran out of copies to sell, she just retyped it and went through the same process.  The library here has some of the carbon copies of her works as well as the printed volumes published by the Southern History Press.  All of her works concerned Alabama.

John

Contributed by: "John L. Sawyer" SawyerJL@aol.com
By way of: "Marilyn P. Goodgion" Waiwai001@aol.com