Last Will and Testament of Shadrick Bell
In the name of God, Amen.
I, Shadrick Bell of Dickson County and State of Tennessee being infirm of
body but of sound mind and memory do make and publish this as my last Will and
Testament revoking and making void all other wills by me at any time made.
Firstly, I direct that I shall be decently buried and that my funeral
expenses and all my debts be paid as soon after my death as possible and of any
moneys that I may died possessed of or that first come into the hands of my
Executors.
Secondly, as to my worldly goods I dispose of them in the following
manner:
Item 1st - I lend to my daughter Mary T. Ross the following
negroes (to wit) Nelson, Charity, and Charlotte during her natural life
and, in the event she dies childless, it is my will that the three negroes above
mentioned, with their increase, revert and be divided equally between my sons
Shadrick and Elisha.
Item 2nd - I give and bequeath to my son Thomas Bell that part of
a two hundred acre tract of land lying on the East side of Bear Branch which was
entered by me. Also three negroes (to wit) Jim, Mary and Ned.
Likewise a parcel of land containing by estimation fifty two acres and
bounded as follows, to wit, beginning at a Beech the South West corner of the
tract where on he, the said Thomas Bell, now lives, running thence west 52 poles
to a stake, thence North 142 poles to an Elm on the bank of the Cumberland
River, then up said River to the mouth where said branch runs Eastwardly, then
leaving said branch and running south to the beginning. Also my saw and grist mill, and it is my will that one acre
on the East and one acre on the West side of the creek be reserved for the use
of the said mill.
Item 3rdly - I give and bequeath to my son Shadrick Bell Junior
the following negroes (to wit) Dency, Wiley and Viney to him and his
heirs forever.
Item 4th - I give and bequeath to my son Thomas Bell the remaining
part of that tract of land or parcel of land purchased by me of Thomas Williams
be the same, more or less. Also three negroes (to wit) Alton, Daniel, and Ben,
in trust however for the following purposes which I desire to carry out
according to my last wishes, to wit, That my daughter, Nancy Williams,
shall enjoy the rents profits and emoluments of said Land and retain possession
thereof during her natural life and which life interest not to be liable for the
contracts and debts of her husband, Wesley A. Williams.
Also that she shall retain the possession of and enjoy the hire labour
and all other benefits arising from the possession of said negroes (to wit) Alton,
Daniel and Ben, during her natural life and which life interest in not to be
liable for the contracts of and debts of her husband Wesley A. Williams,
and her sole and separate receipt from time to time for the possession of said
land and negroes shall be a sufficient voucher for the said Thomas Bell
in the execution of this trust, and it is my further will that after the death
of my daughter, Nancy Williams, the said Thomas Bell shall sell the
aforesaid land and divide the proceeds equally among her children and also
divide the above named negroes and their increase among the children of my said
daughter Nancy Williams.
Item 5th - I give and bequeath to my daughter Elizabeth W. Caldwell
the following negroes (to wit) Alfred, Wilson, Paralee, Vester and Hannah
to her and her heirs forever.
Item 6th - I give and bequeath to my son, Elisha Bell, the
following negroes (to wit) Caroline and her four children Rachel, Aggy, Vilet
and Dilsy, also Venis, and also two beds and furniture to him and
his heirs forever.
Item 7th - I give and bequeath to my son Elisha Bell all the
residue from my land after deducting the land bequeathed in trust for my
daughter Nancy Williams as before mentioned and the lands bequeathed
heretofore to Thomas Bell in this Testament.
I bequeathed all the residue to my son Elisha because he has paid
eight hundred dollars to my son Shadrick for one portion of it. I make
this as an explanation of this item.
Item 8th - I give and bequeath to my grandson Joseph A. Dickson
one negro girl, named Kitty or Catherine, to him and his heirs forever.
Lastly I do hereby nominate and appoint my two sons, Thomas and
Shadrick Bell, as my true and lawful Executors to this my last Will and
Testament. In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 9th
day of June in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty Six.
Signed
and sealed in the presence of us
J.
Fenly
J.P.
Bell
W.B.
Smith
Shadrick Bell
(his X seal)
November
2, 1846
State of Tennessee, Dickson County Court, November term of 1846. Then was
the last Will and Testament of Shadrick Bell, deceased, produced in open Court
and proven to be such by the oath of James Finly, one of the subscribing
witnesses and John P. Bell, being dead, his handwriting was also proven by the
oath of James Finley whereupon the Court ordered the same to be recorded
November 2, 1846.
(Will Source:
Dickson County Will Book A)
NOTES:
Shadrick is
frequently seen spelled as Shadrach.
Shadrick Bell was
born about 1770 in Halifax county, North Carolina. He was about 5 years old when
his father, Arthur Bell, died. By
the time he reached his early twenties, all of his brothers had died and
Shadrick had inherited most of his father's property, over 1000 acres in Halifax
County, North Carolina.
He is listed in the
1790 census of Halifax as owning 12 slaves.
He was still living
in Halifax County in 1800, but by 1812 he was living in Davidson County, where
he was a member of Captain Campbell's militia company.
He bought property
in Dickson County on September 3, 1813 but the deed wasn't registered until
November 24, 1814. This time roughly coincides with the Creek Indian war.
Shadrick is listed
in the 1820 census of Dickson County.
He sold slaves to
his son, Thomas, in 1825, and that he bought 200 acres from the State of
Tennessee in 1826.
In 1835, he bought
274 acres of Cumberland River bottom-land, including the mouth of Johnson Creek.
It is believed he
was married twice, to Charlotte “Unknown” and to Sarah Moore.
Children of
Shadrick Bell:
(Sources:
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This Document was donated by our Friend of Dickson,
Mary Hosea Rimlinger