COTTON-KY

Will of JOHN COTTON 1818 Fayette Co, KY, VA, MO
SPURR, TAYLOR, BARNES, HICKMAN, DUNCAN, BLYTHE

WILL of John COTTON probated April 1818 Fayette Co, KY
Mentions SLAVES:
CHARITY about 6 yrs old, THOMAS about 5 years old, HULDAH about 2 years old, and HANNAH about 6 months old, SPENCER about 10 years old, FRANCIS about 8 years old, MARYANN about 3 years old, LUCINDA about 1 year old, DINAH trusty house servant and her daug PEGGY about 14, NANCY, LETTY, HENRY, CHARLES, ENOCH, GEORGE, JACK

Will of JOHN COTTON of FAYETTE CO asks that all his debts, of which there are but few and none of magnitude, be paid punctually and speedily.
... Gives to HIS BELOVED SISTER, FRANCIS SPURR one-half of the tract of land he now lives on.  The following children, viz., CHARITY, about 6 years old, THOMAS, about 5 years old, HULDAH, about 3 years old, and HANNAH, about 6 months old, are to be given to said sister for her own proper use until they arrive at the age of 21 years old, at which time they are each to receive their freedom without further delay. Also to said sister, one-half of the horses, cattle, sheep and hogs and half of the household and kitchen furniture.

... To NEPHEW WILLIAM COTTON, JR., the other half of the tract of land the testator now lives on, which tract is to be divided by the legatees or their representatives; also the Negro children SPENCER about 10 years old, FRANCIS about 8 years old, MARYANN about 3 years old, LUCINDA about 1 year old, and when each shall arrive at the age of 21 years, to receive their freedom without further delay. Also to said NEPHEW, one-half of the horses, sheep, cattle and hogs, and the other half of the household and kitchen furniture.

... Desires that his TRUSTY HOUSE SERVANT, DINAH, shall immediately be set free, and bequeaths to said DINAH her daughter PEGGY, a girl about 14 years of age, and she also to be set free at the age of 21 years.  Also, immediately upon decease of the testator, NANCY and LETTY shall be set free.  Inasmuch as HENRY, CHARLES and ENOCH are now hired out until the end of the present year, they shall continue until the end of the present year, and at that time they are to receive their freedom immediately.  GEORGE and JACK shall also be hired out until the end of the present year and then are to receive their freedom.  Wages arising in the present year from the above hirings, and all other income owed from any other source, shall be equally divided between said Francis SPURR and nephew WILLIAM COTTON JR.  All property not specifically bequeathed shall likewise be divided between testator's sister and nephew.  Testator forbids the transportation out of the state of any of his Negroes. If County Court should require a security for the emancipation's, then executors are to step forward and provide the same.

Names two NEPHEWS,  WILLIAM COTTON, JR. and WILLIAM C. SPURR as executors of will. February 20, 1818.
LEWIS HICKMAN, SAMUEL DUNCAN and SAMUEL BLYTHE, witnesses.
PROBATED April Court 1818.

Will is on microfilm Family History Library..missing page of research notes that has film # but they are easy to find in catalog.
Also Michael L. Cook has done volumes of abstracts and md of Fayette Co, KY....His work is excellent and will get you into the films to look at copies of the originals fast.  He is also working on other KY counties.
The microfilms of the originals have more information.

From my reading of the will, it looks like Francis SPURR may be the only living sibling John COTTON has.  William C. SPURR is her son.  Know that from something I studied before but can't get my hands on it now.
Since WILLIAM COTTON is a JR....I believe his father is WILLIAM COTTON....also because of some information in the LOUDOUN CO, VA WILLS....I don't know where  WILLIAM COTTON and his wife died....in LOUDOUN CO, VA or in FAYETTE CO, KY.....but it looks like to me that there are three WILLIAM COTTONs in a row, from the information I have so far.  If JOHN COTTON is giving his estate to his sister and nephew, that his wife and children are dead, if he had any.
The SLAVES were very fortunate that JOHN COTTON wrote his will in Feb 1818, as by the following April he was dead....a lesson to us all, to take care of our wishes while we can.
The COTTON family in LOUDOUN CO , VA had several marriages with the TAYLOR family....Possible names taken by freed slaves: TAYLOR, COTTON, SPURR, BARNES (Johns nephew WILLIAM COTTON may have md a BARNES, and RILEY.  Two of WILLIAM COTTONS daug md RILEY.  Both went to Clay Co MO.

Diane Y. Smith Royer
Arlington, SD

Contributed by: "Diane Y. Smith Royer" dysmithroyer@dtgnet.co