TABITHA BRASWELL IS THE ILLEGITIMATE DAUGHTER OF THOMAS VEALE & MARY BRASWELL.
In the name of God amen Thomas Veale of the County of Bertie and State of North Carolina being weak in body but of Sound and perfect mind & memory bless by the Almighty God for the Same do make and publish this my Last will and Testament in manner and form following that is Say first I Lend to my loving wife Elizabeth Veale dureing her natural Life or widowhood half the Land and Plantation I now live on & half the houses I also lend her the other half part of Said Land and houses as Long as my Son Thomas Veale Lives Single and if he Should marry then my Desire is that my Said wife Elizabeth Veal deliver up to him any Said Son Thomas Veale Half the Land and houses above mentioned I also lend to my Said Loveing wife Elizabeth Veale Six negros named as followeth Mingo, Stephen, Amy hannah dinah and Sarah also all my horses my brandy Still and Cider Casks which She is to have the use of dureing her natural life or idowhood
Item I give and bequeath to my Son Demcy Veale and his heirs forever one Negro boy named Peter one feather bed and firmature also all the rest of the property I have let him have Item I give and bequeath to my Son Richard Veale and his heirs forever one negro boy named Arthur
which I have heretofor let him have Item I give and bequeath to my Son Thomas Veale and his heirs forever one negro boy Robert one Dark filly two Cows and Calves one feather bed and firnature Ten Chairs one Iron pot two house pigs and all the hogs that is in his mark the bees that is called his Item I Lend to my Daughter Agness Veale one negro girl named pheby which I have
Let her have also I further Lend her one other negro named Ham[?] which negro She is to have the and during her natural Life and at her death to the heir or heirs Lawfully begotten of her body if any there be if no Such heir or heirs then my will and desire is that the negros I have Lent to my Daughter Angess Veale should be returned, to my children or their heirs Lawfully begotten of the bodys then liveing Item I Lend to my daughter Margret Ruffin one negro Girl Called yallow pheby which I have let her have also I further Lend her one other Negro named Adam which Negro She is to have the use of dureing her natural life and at her Death to the heir or heirs lawfully begotton of her body if any there be if no Such heir or heirs then my will and
desire is that the negro that I have Lent to my Daughter Margret Ruffin Should be returned to my
children or their heirs Lawfully begotten of their bodies then liveing Item I Lend to my Daughter
Catharine Grimes one negro Girl named penny which I have Let her have also I further Lend her one other negro named Abraham which negro She is to have the use of dureing her natural life and at her Death to the heir or heirs lawfully begotton of her body if any their be if no Such heir or heirs then my will and desire is that the negros that I have lent to my Daughter Catherine Grimes Should be returned to my Children or their heirs Lawfully begotton of their bodies then liveing. I further give and desire to my son Thomas Veale and his heirs Lawfully begotten of his
body forever all that Land and plantation I now live on which I have lent to my wife Elizabeth Veale also the land and plantation that my Son Demcy now lives on which my Thomas Veale is to have and possess at the death or marriage of my wife Elizabeth Veale and if he the Said Thomas Veal Should die without an heir Lawfully begotten of his body then my will and desire
is that the Land and plantation that I have given to my Son Thomas Veale may goe & be the property of my Son Richard Veale and his heirs forever Item I hereby further give and devise to my Son Richard and Thomas Veale my Swamp Land containing one hundred acres more or less to be devided as followeth that is to Say Richard to have two Thirds which is the Lower part of
Said Land Thomas to have the other one third which is the uper And Called the Island part of Said tract of Land also my will and desire is that my three above named daughters may have Liberty to turn their Stock of Cattle on the Said hundred acres of Swamp Land as Long as they live in the neighbourhood and also my will and desire is that my Son Thomas Veale may have after the death of my wife Elizabeth Veale my Brandy Still Cider Casks hanmill Beaufet and firnature also my will and desire is that Tabbetha Braswell may have after the death of my wife Elizabeth Veale one feather bed and firnature and one Cow and Calf She is not to come in for any more of my Estate and my will and desire is that my loveing wife Elizabeth Veale may have after all my Lawfull Debts are paid the use of all my property not already disposed of dureing her natural life or Widowhood and after her Death or marriage my will and
desire is that the property I have Lent to my loveing wife Elizabeth Veale may be Equally Divided between all my Children and their heirs Lawfully begotten of their bodies forever and also my will & desire that my Executors hereafter named may Sell Such of my property that is not already Disposed of as will pay my Lawfull Debts that is to Say that property that can be best
Spared out of my Estate I do hereby appoint my Son Richard Veale and my Son in Law James Grimes my Executors of this My Last will and Testament hereby revokeing all former wills by me made In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal the Eighteen day of April in the year of our Lord one Thousand Eight hundred and Six Signed Sealed published
& Declared by the above named Thomas Veale to be his Last will and Testament in the presents of us who have hereunto Subscribed our names as witnesses in the presents of the Testator
Test Robert (his "x"mark) Write
John Ruffin Thomas (his "x" mark) Veale (seal)
Treasy (his "x" mark) Rutffin
Bertie County May Court 1806: proved by John Ruffin.
Jo' Blount Dep Clk.