Week 2 of my contribution to African-American genealogy resources and Schalene Dagutis’s The Slave Name Roll Project:

Will of Sarah Bowles, 1783
Caswell County, North Carolina Wills 1768-1861: 12-13

In the name of god amen this first day of November
Anno Dom 1783 I Sarah Bowles of Caswell County State
of North Carolina being sick in body but of good and perfect
Memory thanks be to almighty god and Calling to Rembrance
The uncertain Estate of this transitory life and that all flesh
Must yield unto Death when it shall please god to Call
do make and declare this my last will and Testament in
Manner and form following first being penitent and sorrey
For all my sincs I Commend my Soul unto almighty god my
Saviour and Redeemer in whome and by whose mercies(?) I trust
And believe assuredly to be saved and to have full Remission
and forgiveness of all my sins and To inherit the kingdom of
Heaven and my Body I commit to the Earth to be decently
Buried at the Discretion of my Executors heareafter named
and for the selling of my Temporal Estate and such goods
chattels and debs as it hath pleased god to bestow upon me
I do order and give, and dispose the same in manner and
and (sic) form following that is to say, I give and bequeath unto
unto John Bowles one Negroe man named Langston
also one Negroe man named James also one Negroe
woman named Sarah (it is my will that the said
Sarah keep her Children untill each of them is seven
years old) to him * his Heirs forever also my Bay
horse named Buck also four head of horned Cattle
also one pewter dish & two pewter plates
Item I lend unto my Daughter Mary Washington
my Negroe girl named Hannah during my said
Daughter Mary Natural life and after her Decease
to return to my Grandaughter Sarah Bowles.
Item I give & bequeath unto my Daughter Oney
(Yuergin?) my Negroe Girl named Indiy to her and
her Heirs forever also one Pewter Dish and two pewter
plates and one pewter Bason

Turn over

Item I give and bequeath unto Benjamin Yeurgin
my Negroe Boy Samuel to him and his Heirs of his
body for ever but if the said Benjamin Yeurgin dies
without heirs of his body the said Negroe shall
return unto John Yeargin his Brother also one
Pewter Dish

Item I give and bequeath unto my grandson
Andrew yeargin my Negroe child named Fill to him
& hir heirs for ever

Item I give and bequeath unto my grandaughter Sarah
Bowles one Feather Bed and Furniture also one Coffee pot

Item I give & bequeath unto my Grandaughter Nancy
Bowles one Feather Bed & Furniture also one spice morter

Item I give and bequeath unto Bartlet Yeargin my
Bay Horse Colt

Item I given and bequeath unto my Grandson Jordon
Bowles my black horse

also the remainder of my (home &)? Cattle not yet
given away to be equally divided amongst Andrew
Yeurgin’s chidren that hav no Cattle and I hereby appoint my loving son John Bowles & also my loving Grandson Benjamin Yeurgin full
and sale Executors of this my last will and Testament
in Witness hereof I have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirty first Day of October aD
on Thousand seven hundred & eightythree
in Presence of
Wm Waite (?)                                                   Sarah (her mark X) Bowles seal
Walter (his mark) Oakley
John Cragg