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Copy of Will of Asbury Sylvester
In the name of God, Amen. I Asbury Sylvester, planter, in Sumter District, South Carolina, being afflicted in body, but sound and unimpaired in mind, do make and ordain this my last will and testament. My immortal soul I commit and resign into the hands of my merciful Creator and Redeemer.
My mortal body I wish to be decently buried without parade and unnecessary expense. The property with which it has pleased God to bless me, I desire to be distributed in the followwing manner viz:
In the first place, it is my will and desire that all my just debts should be p^aid; and, that the profits of the present crops should be applied to this purpose, reserving a great plenty of provisions and other necessaries for my family on the plantation.
Item: In addition to the two negroes, Molly and Peter, the bed and furniture with a little stock of sheep, cattle and hogs which I give to my daughter Sarah, wife of Col. John Moore, at her marriage, I now give and bequeath her a young negro woman, named Clarissa, with her two children, called Jasob and Sambo; also a handsome mare, called Robinett.
Item:	By this my last will I give and bequeath my son Joseph Sylvester
a tract of land containing two hundred amd ninety acres, being part of the tract of land on which I live, which tract was originally granted to and surveyed for Mr. Daniel McDaniel, and resurveyed and didided by Mr. Roger Dunn.
To my said son Joseph, in addition to the two negroes Tony and Cabe, a bed and furniture with a small stock of cattle, which I gave him at his marriage,
I now give him a negro woman named Fanny, with her two children, called Netty and Lucy, and a negro boy called King.
Item: I give and bequeath my son, James Sylvester, a tract of land containing one hundred acres, lying on upper Rafting Creek, joining the lands of Messrs. William Wright and Wm. Sanders Senior, and another tract of land containing one hundred acres, taken off a tract of land on which Mr. Robert Sanders now lives lying on the Wateree river. I also give my son James six negroes: a woman called Hannah, another called Betty with her son James, a fellow called Bob, a boy called Robin and another called Taffy; likewise, I give a horse called Dolfhin and a bed and furniture. The said six negroes I wish to remain on my plantation until another crop is made on it. The horse, bed and furniture he may take when he pleases.
Item:	It	is my desire and will that my beloved wife Martha should
have a negro girl called Darky and three other negroes such as my Executors may think will suit her best as long as she lives and at her death that these said negroes with their increase shall revert to my four youngest children, viz: Mansor, Demarcus, John, and Mary, and their heirs to be equally divided among than; it is also my desire that my beloved wife Martha should have the use of all my buildings and forty acres of land where the buildings stand as long as she lives; and that these buildings with said land should they be valued by my Executors and equally divided among my four youmgest children, Mansor, Demarcus, John, and Mary.
Item:	It is my will that the four negroes given to my beloved wife
during her life with the remaining negroes not mentioned, should, be kept


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