We resurrected this site because we didn't want the years of work by Gloria Crumpler Vester and her fellow Crumpler researchers simply to be lost. Nobody maintained it for many years, so a lot of its links had stopped working. We have pointed them to archived copies where any exist and marked the rest; if you spot something we missed, please tell us.
All of the family information has been carried over to our family history site, including a separate tree for Gloria's own database: Gloria Crumpler Vester's Crumpler Database · The Lucies Family History Site.
Please take the site for what it is: a slice of history, from the days of the rotary telephone, the daily newspaper and polite politics. — HMDP
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Date: 1/25/01
Time: 7:55:20 PM
Remote Name: 209.54.248.180
The Following will obtained from Bertie County, N.C., or NC Archives In the name of God, Amen. This ninetheenth day of November 1736, I John Blackman of Bertie County, being very sick and weak in body, but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be given to God, therefore calling to mind that this mortality of my body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, I do make and ordain this my last will and testament........, and first of all recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it, and my body I recommend to the earth to be buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors & as touching worldly estate wherewith it has pleased allmity God to bless me with in this life, I give, devise, and dispose of the same in the following (sic) manner & form.
Impremis. I give and bequeth to Sarah my dearly beloved wife the life of one Negro woman called Filliss during life, then to return the said Negro woman and her increase to my dearly beloved son Steven Blackman & my dearly beloved daughter Elizabeth Blackman, to them & their Ears (Heirs) for ever to be divided between them.
Item. I give and bequeath to my well beloved son John Blackman one Negro boy Collie to him and his Ears (Heirs) for ever.
Item. I give and bequeath to my well beloved son Bennett Blackman one Negro girl maned Nanna to him and his Ears (Heirs) for ever. I further give to y son Bennit Blackman a young horse which is called his and a young mare called his, and increase of this horse to him and his hears (Heirs) for ever.
Item. I give to my dearly beloved son Arthur Blackman one Negro boy named Pettor to him and his heirs for Ever. I further give to my son Arthur Blackman one young mare which is called his to him and his heirs for ever.
Item. I give to my dearly beloved son Joseph Blackman a young black mare that is called his, to him and his heirs for ever. And after my debts pade the rest of my Goods and Cattels to be equally divided amonst my Children. I likewise constitute and make and ordain my dearly beloved son Bennit Blackman & my well beloved friend Theophilus Williams I do make and ordain them my sole executors of this my last will and testament and I do hereby utterly dissallow, reevoke and disannul all and every other former testaments, wills, legacies and bequests and executors by me in any way before named, .....and bequethed, and ratifying of this and no other to be my last will and testament. In witness where of I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
John (X) Blackman his mark Signed, sealed in the presence of us by the said John Blackman as his last will and testament of us the subscribers.
William Taylor Jnr.
Arthur (his Mackdonnell (?) Mackdaniel mark)
Phebe P Jernigan (mark)
Bertie Precinct of North Carolina
The afore-written will of John Blackman dec'd. was proved in open court by the oath of William Taylor, one of the subscribing witnesses thereto and also Theo. Williams & Bennett Blackman, Executor herein named and the oath by law required. /s/ (clerk of court)