Description
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If the surname you are researching is listed below, you might have struck the proverbial genealogical “pot-of-gold.” This publication contains the COMPLETE TEXT of wills registered in Bedford County from 1847-1881 as compiled by WPA Workers **.
Along with the actual will, you will find names of children, spouses, brothers, sisters, aunts, nephews, slaves, aunts, uncles, and friends. No changes have been made … the wills read exactly as written and bring you back to a different era of forethought, understanding, and love.
* * WPA Workers
During the Great Depression in the early 1900s, many Americans were given a “job” by the United States Government to support their family. One such “job” was transcribing early court, family, Bible, and cemetery records as well as other local records. Original versions were typed on onion skin paper with “x” number of carbon copies. Although the State Archives owns the vast majority of ‘first’ or typed copy, carbons have circulated for years but are now scattered. Often the typing is not the best and is difficult to read but these valuable records still constitute one of the best sources of information for Tennessee Counties. In many cases, these are all that remain of the original as many county records have been lost. WPA records are generally full text transcription: much larger in scope than an abstraction or summary.
Item #4: I devise to my Daughter Jane ARNOLD, the part of the Newsom tract, lying between the tract of forty acres, heretofore conveyed by me to my son Robert by deed, and the tract of thirty acres by me in this will devised to Cary NEWSOM, supposed to be about Thirty Acres.
Item #5: I devise to my Son Francis M. REEVES the remainder of my home place, after the portion of the North and East side of the river is cut off, being all that part of the home place on the south and West side of the River, including the dwelling house, supposed to be about fifty or sixty acres.
Item #6: I own about twenty eight acres of Cedar land, which I bought of the SIMS and known as the Buzzard Roost, which land I desire to be divided. Ten acres to my Son Grances M – ten acres to my son Robert; and the remaining eight acres to be divided equally between my daughters Chany NEWSOME and Jane ARNOLD.
The list below contains surname of deceased ONLY and does NOT include heirs, spouses, relatives, friends, witnesses, etc.
ARMSTRONG
BROWN
CAMPBELL CANNON CARLTON CASTELL CHAFFIN CHRISMAN COBB DAVIS
FEATHERSTON FONVILLE FRIZZELL
GREEN GREER GREGARYHAGGARD HARRISON HILES HOLT HOUSTON
KELLER KINKTON
MCGREW
NEILREED REEVES RIPPEY
SHAFFNER SIMPSON SMITH STEPHENSON
TEMPLE
WHITSETT WILLIAMS WOOD
