This is Week 3 of my five contributions to The Slave Name Roll Project, hosted by Schalene Dagutis, for Black History Month 2018.

There are a number of question marks at the end of many lines of this will because the page is torn and missing. The missing words don’t seem to impact who the heirs were or the names of the enslaved people.

This will is also interesting because I don’t think there were many Catholics in this area of Kentucky in the 1790s. However, William requested that a High Mass and 12 Low Masses be offered for him.

Washington County, Kentucky Will Book A; 21-22
Source: FamilySearch

In the name of God amen I William
Hayden of Washington County and district of
Kentucky being of sound and perfect mind and
memory blessed be God do this 24th day of March
in the year of our Lord 1794 make and publish this
my last will and Testament in manner following
that is to say, first I will and bequeath my body to
its parent Earth and my Soul to God its first great giver
and after my lawfull debts are payed out of my
worldly Real and Personal Estate I will and be
queath as follows I will and bequeath to my loving
Wife Melleta Hayden the plantation on Road (?)
during her widowhood in Case I Should dye (?)
Case She should Marry the thirds of the same (?)
ring her natural life Remainders to my sons W(?)
and Robert their heirs and assigns Equally to be (?)
ded between them both with all said planta(?)
appurtenances my will and desire is tha(?)
tation I now live on in Pottengers C?)
and the mony a rising from the S(?)
terest for the use and benefit of (?)
and Robert Equally to be divided I will and be
queath my Negro Wench Rose to my loving wife
during her Natural life Remainder and her of
spring to my aforesaid two sons William and
Robert. I will and bequeath a Negro wench
Cald Agnes to my Daughter Elizabeth her –
Heirs and assigns forever. I will and bequeath
a Negro Wench named Charity to my Daugh
ter Molly her heirs and assigns forever. and
in Case one should die the surviver to heir
the other ie Molly and Betsey. I will and be
queath my Sorrel Hores to my loving Wife Melleta
Hayden I will a Mare and Colt by the name of Fil
to my son William I will and beequeath to each of
my deseased Daughter Annys Children a three
year Old Heifer all other my Acet. Goods and
Chattles to the use of benefit of my two sons
William and Robert but in Case that my
Daughters Molly and Betsy and my son William
and Robert should die before they Come to age to
will or any of them I will that my sons Thomas
and George s(?) their remainder after to my
next heirse. My will is that there be a high
mass offered for me the anniversary of my death
and twelve Low Masses as soon as Convenience
to be payd out of what is owing to me of my br
other Basel in whiskey. I Constitute and ap
point my loving Wife Meletta Hayden and
Hallon Hilton and my Brother Basil Hayden
Executors of this my last Will and Testament
(?) Present
(?)l Hayden junr. William (his mark) Hayden