Lowrey, James

ALOB, Vol. X #10, p. 89-97:
“p. 184.  21 Oct. 1854..  I, James Lowrey, in the seventy second year of my age but in good health & of sound & disposing mind and memory.  I desire that my just debts & funeral expenses to be paid.  As I have made some advancement to my children as equal as I can as they come to mature age or marriage.  To each of my sons David R. & James M. Lowrey I give a negro boy & a good horse to each and to my daughters I give as they marry a negro girl & a horse, bridle & saddle & the usual amount of household furniture & stock, all these advancements I now confirm & as my dtr. Lourena remain single & in order to make her equal with the others, I give her my negro girl Violet & her increase and I direct that she shall have one room in my dwelling house with furniture & that my son James M. Lowrey shall furnish her with suitable provision & clothing so long as she remains single and at her marriage she shall receive from my estate a good horse, bridle & saddle, two cows a bureau & other household furniture to make her equal with the others.  Having conveyed to my son James M. Lowrey the upper or mill tract of land & having an agreement made between James M. & my son David R. whereby James M. shall pay unto my son David R. $2,000.  I will & devise unto James M. the homestead plantation whereon I now live with all the real estate I may own at my decease and after his mothers Hannah death.  I give to my beloved wife Hannah Lowrey during her natural life the homestead & the farm & all real estate I may die seized of at my death, except the provision made to my dtr. Lourena. I also give to my said wife Hannah two horses, four cows & calves, ten head of sheep, & hogs, farming tools, household & kitchen furniture..  The remainder of my property to be sold and the proceeds equally divided among my six dtrs. Margarett Roberts, Elizabeth Gudger, Matilda Gray, Harriet Dickey, Cyntha L. Patton & Lourena P. Lowrey.  I desire that my negroes viz:  Jef, Isham, Miley, Jess, Dillard, Alfred, John, Henry, Ben, Maln, Jiney, Eliza, Carolina, Altha & Sarah to be held & used by my wife & on James M. during my wife life time & after her death to be equally divided among my six daughters.  My dtr. Caroline Cummings after having been equally advanced with my others dtrs. died leaving four children two sons & two daughters the expense of raising & educating fell on me & they continued to be members of my family until they married & then received an equal advancement with my daughters so far has been beds & household furniture & stock.  Therefor[sic] I give to my grand dtr. Jane Taber & Harriet Robeson enough to make their mother share equal to the amount my others dtrs. have or will receive.  I desire that my son David R. pay unto Jane Tober the sum of $200; likewise, I desire that my son James M. pay unto Harriet Robeson the same sum within twelve months after my death.  At the time of my wife’s death, the property she may have with her is to be surrendered to my executors for a division.
I appoint my son-in-law Samuel Gudger as my executor.
Wit:  Joshua Roberts & Jacob C. Robeson..
Signed James Lowrey..
Proved in open court by the oath of Joshua Roberts this Jan. term 1857.  R.B. Vance, clk…”