Will of John Hunter
State of South Carolina:  Know all men by these Prisents that I John Hunter Esqr. of the District of Laurens & State aforesaid, Being at present of purfect mind & memory & knowing the Present Mortality of my Body & that it is appointed for men to Die - Do make & ordain this to be my last will & Testament in manner & form following - viz- first I commit my Soul to God that Gave it & my Body to be Dicently Buryed at the Discression of my Executors - and as touching Such worldly Estate as it pleased God to indow me with it is my will & Plesure it may be Disposed of in the following Mannir -- first I Desire that all my Just & Lawful Debts may be Paid out of such property as is hereby Directed to be Sold for that purpose - but should the property hereby Discribed to be sold not be sufficient to Discharge the Debts then it is my will & Pleasure that such other property as my wife may think proper & which can be best spared except the negros left by this will to my children to be sold to Make up the Difference in paying my Debts & should the property thereby directed to be sold for the Discharge of my Debts over God the amount it is my will & pleasure that the Ballance may Remain in the possession of my Beloved wife for her suport & children to be disposed of as she may think proper -- It is further my will & Pleasure that the whold of my Estate should be & Remains in the possession of my Beloved wife Except what is Directed to be Sold to be keep & improved by her for her suport & children who I wish & Desire May live together on my present plantation and in my House - Provided always that as soon as any of my children comes to the years of maturit or marry that such child or children May then Receive their proportionate part of my Estate Left them.

First I Give & Bequeath to my Beloved wife the House & Plantation whereon I now live during her natural life with the plantation tools - cotton Gin, wagon, & still with all my Household Goods & furniture (except what is otherwise disposed of by this will) to be kept & enjoyed by her during her natural life with the following Negros-Rody, Nancy, Joshua, Big ?, & Adam & Nany with all my stock of cattel hogs & Horses except what is hereafter Directed to be Given away by this will --Provided nevertheless that no part of the Property hereby Left my wife shall be permitted to Remove out of this District --nor any part or Distroyed or Consumed Except what may be absolutely necessery for her own suport so that she may Enjoy a Deacent comfortable suport During her life - It is further my will that her own Bed & furniture should be hers forever --again I Give & Bequeath to my son John the whole Lower Division of my Land - Beginning at Gery Leeks corner near to his apring Branch & running across the Creed a direct corst to near where the line of the tract of Land purchased by William Dunlap crosses the wagon road Nothern to the fork of the main Road & that to Sam Neels & then Down the Main Road to the Line - So as to include the old place - The Land purchased of Wm. Anderson with all Below this Division Line - I also Give & Bequeath to him Lewis and Pheby with their child son with the one half of all my Books & my silver butins - with a Bead & furniture one work Horse such as my wife Pleases to Give - Again I Give and Bequeth to my son Henry the other half of my Books & my surving Instruments with one Bed & furniture with Bill & his Brother Peter with a Horse & Sadel with all the uper part of my Land - Including the shole not Given to my son John subject However to the condition of my wife Enjoying Peaceable possession of the House and Plantation where I live During her natural life & at her Death it is my will & pleasure that my son Henry shold have all the upper division of my Land - It is further my wish that he be kept at school out of the future income of the Estate untill he becomes the long ages (?) & then that he should be put to study Law with Henry W. Desson (?) or some other Gentelman of the Law who would have a strict Regard to his Morrals - My own advice wd be if possable to Study with Mr. Desson(?) in the winter & Jno Dunlap in the summer but those arraingments must be made according to circumstances, he However being still suported in all things necessery During his studys out of the profits or income of the Estate thus Left in the Possession of my wife -- again I Give & Bequeth to my Daughter Sarah a negro wench named Judy & a Boy named Tom with a Bead & furniture a Horse at the discresion of my wife with a sadellll --again I Give Bequeath to my Daughter Elizabeth Cresson (?) Yellow Peter & Moses with a Bead & furniture Horse & Sadel --again I Give & Bequeth unto Rachell America (?) & family viz -George Tim & Houst with a Bed & furniture A Horse & Sadel -- It is further my will & plesure that my daughter Elizabeth should have Rody at the death of my wife she However Paying according to her true value at the time apportional part of said value to the rest of my children then living or their lawful Heirs - so that she the s'd Elizabeth with Each child is to have an Equal share in her value --it is further my will & Pleasure that my Daughte Sarah should have old Nany at the Death of my wife & it is further my Pleasure that the whole property hereby left my wife During her Life should at her Death be fairly appraised and Each of my children then Living or the Hears of the Body shall have one share of the value of s'd property the children among themselves if they cannot agree otherwise is to caist lots who shall have such and such a negro Proveded that no one is to have more than one s'd negros & the person Geting such negro is to pay or sittel with the other children for their porportional part of the value of s'd negro Provided always that this caluse shall not Effect or resting the Right of my wife to Dispose of any part of the stock of any kind or of the Household furniture for the purposing Enablling Henry to prospect his Leaving or Stadys or suporting herself or children or to help to Discharge the Debts of the Estate - and as it is immpossible for me to know the Exact amount of Demands that may come against my estate - it is my will & Pleasure that the following viz be sold on a credit of Eighteen monthes by my Executors & the are hereby authorized to make absolute & complet conveyance three negro men - Oring Holiday & Sissie & to Selton on advantages credit two tracts of land joyning to Each other in the District Pendelton & to make complet ? to the same and to appropriate the money Both from Land & negros to the discharge of my Debts -& again I Give and Bequeth unto William Dunlap & Robert Creswell a tract of six Hundred & forty acres of Land on the waters of three & Twenty and Eighteen mils Creeks granted to Mthew Hunter & by him conveyed to me to be Equaly Divided Between them --I Give & Bequeth my specticles to my beloved wife - the Lines of the Land hereby Given to my son John is in adition to the way they are mentioned to be Extended so as to Include the Land I Got from Hudgens Granted to Franks It is further my will & Pleasure that the whole store may be sold out after the first Day of January next to the best advantage best would prefer a sale of the whole or as much as possable to any one person taking steps to Reveive the amount- By the first of January next my agreement with Mr. Jno. Black Expires - he was to have one third of the clear profits from the time he entered into the Business which will be two years - he Doing all the Business & paying for his Board subject to a propotional loss of Bad Debts --It is further my will & Pleasure that all the Debts Due on account of the store or to become Due should be kep & Remain free & Intier to the Discharge of all the Debts contracted on account of said store - & should there be a surplus arising from the sale of the Present stock of Goods with the Debts Due & to become Due  ?  what will discharge the Debts Contraacted on account of the store then it is my will & Pleasure that the s'd surplus be kept by my wife to asist the funds Prescribed by this will for the Eduction & suport of my son Henry & the maintainence of the Rest of the family - the whole stock hereby left my wife During her life with the Household Goods & furniture wagons Gin & still, is to be Equaly Divided among all my children then living at the Death of my wife or among the Lawful Heirs of there Bodeys with all my plantation tools still However Reserving the Powers hereby vested in my wife of Disposing of any part thereof for the purposes before mentioned - the following negroes is to be Equaly Divided at m wifes Death among my children agreeably to the mannor heretofore prescribed by this will -Rody, Nany, Big Soat (?) & Adam & Joshua - lots to be caist for all Except Rody, she being Divided by a fromer clause in this will to belong to Elizabeth - lastly I authorize constitute & appoint my beloved wife my son John Hunter and Col. John Simpson whole and sole Executors of this my last will and testament ratifying and confirming it and no other in witness whereof I have set my hand and seal this the 14th December 1802.
                                                                                           
Witness 
Jno. Caldwell
Marey Johnson
Henry Hunter                                                                   Jno Hunter

Codicil December 29th, 1802 to the forgoing will upon reflection it becoming necesary to make some alterations with regard to some part of the property bequeath'd by my will and whereas I gave to my daughter Nancy Creswell a Negro wench nam'd Philis which I consented to have sold for disobedience and purchase another nam'd Ana which wench Ana and her increase I bequeath to William & John Dunlap as trustees for Nancy Creswell subject to the following conditions should she die without lawful Heirs then the said wench becomes the property of Robert Dunlap son of William and I further give the said Trustees a tract of three hundred and Twenty acres of Land in Pendleton District fer the absolute use of Nancy Creswell with power to sell and convey it is further my will and pleasure that all the property that would hereby went to said Nancy Creswell at the Death of her mother is hereby left to the said Trustees and in case of no Legal Heirs to said Robert Dunlap as aforesaid.

Witness:  Jno. Black
Matthew Hunter                                                                   Jno. Hunter   (seal)
William x Underwood
      his mark

South Carolina Laurens District I Wm. Neal do hereby certify that Marey Johnston and Henrey Hunter this day appeared before me and proved the will of John Hunter Dec'd agreable to Law and that Wm. Underwood and Mathew Hunter proved the Codiciel to the will annexed agreable to Law.
                                                                                                         Wm. Neale, J. P. (seal)
Given under my hand 26 day of Feb'y 1803.
Recorded in Adm'book C page 36 by me. D'd Anderson, Ord'y.

Above: Copied from the original will of John Hunter on file in the office of the Judge of Probate of Laurens County, S.C., in Box 37, pdg. 12.