Samuel Strickling
Last Will and Testament
February 16, 1784
Of Johnston County, North Carolina

In the name of God Amen, the 16 th day of February in the year of our Lord, 1784, I, Samuel Strickling of Johnston County, and in the state of North Carolina, being weak in body but of perfect mind and memory, thanks be to God, therefore calling to mind that the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die, do make and ordain this my last will and testament, that is to say, principally and first of all,

I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it and my body, I recommend to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian burial at the deviation of my relations and as regarding my wordly estate, where with I hath blessed Almighty God to bless me with in this life, I give and dispose of the same in the following manner:

I lend to my dearly beloved wife, MARY, one bedstead, bed, and furniture during her life and no longer and after her death to my son

I give and bequeath unto my beloved son STEVEN STRICKLING, all my wairing clothes to him;

I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved daughter, ABIGIL WORLEY, two shelling current money to her and her heirs forever;

ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved son JOSIAH STRICKLING's three children, JOSIAH, HESTER and EADY, one shilling sterling a peace to them and their heirs forever;

ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved son BENJAMIN STRICKLING twenty shillings current money to him and his heirs forever;

ITEM, I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved son DAVIS STRICKLING, my plantation and all my lands excepting one hundred acres that hereafter give to my son URIAH, and I further give to my son DAVIS, all my stock of horses, cattle and hogs; and one car(?) of ham, mill stone, one grine stone, one gun, and all my sider carhe sider and brandy, and all of my planatation ____ and working tolls, one feather bed, one pot, one frying pan, and all my pewter, one loom, one wooling wheel and all my cards and one chest and all my chairs to him and his heirs forever.

ITEM: I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved son URIAH STRICKLING, one hundered acres of land in Johnston County, lying on the north side of Hense River, joining his one line of Benjamin Williams and Jeremiah Bowell line; to him and to his heirs forever;

ITEM: I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved daughter, MARY STRICKLING, one bedsted, bed and furniture and one linen wheal to her and her heirs forever;

ITEM: I give and bequeath unto my dearly beloved son JEREMIAH STRICKLING, twenty shillings current money to him and his heirs forever;

It is my will and desire that my widow shall live on the plantation during her life without any interruption and that my son DAVIS shall take care of her and maintain her during her lifetime or widowhood and no longer; I likewise constitute make and ordain them my sole executors of this my last will and testament and and disallow any will before named wills and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last will and testatment;

In witness whereof, I haveset my hand and seal, the day and date above mention;

Samuel (his mark) STRICKLING     (Seal)

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Signed, sealed, published in the presence of us by the said SAMUEL STRICKLING as his last will and testament. In the presence of us the subscribed:

Joseph Ingram