WILLS: Miles, Richard July 2 1803, Livingston County, KY
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ed Tatum etatum@peoplepc.com August 24, 2004, 12:59 pm

Source: Livingston Ky Will Bk A, Pg 10
Written: July 2 1803
Recorded: October 1803

The last will and testament of Richard Miles is That first the plantation 
whereon he now lives be sold at Publick sale also his negroe girl Vines and 
also her husband monday if he chooses to be sold and any part of my stock of 
Cattle that my wife may see cause also is to be sold and out of the moneys 
arising from said sale I order that all my Legal debts be first paid and the 
ballance if any should be to be laid out in the purchase of a young negroe or 
Negroes I also will and bequeath to my son Lacey Miles my negroe boy Jame and 
if three other Young negroes can be purchased that my son Lacey also have one 
of them and the child my wife is now pregnant with   is to have the other 
two.   I further will that my wife Jane do enjoy all the residue of my Estate 
both real and personal as her property only she is to raise and school my two 
children out of it if the second should come to the world and live its also my 
will and desire that my son Charles and my father in Law Edward Lacey be the 
Executors of this my last will and Testament but do not require nor is it my 
will That the [sic] should be held to any bail on this will ratifying this in 
witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand seal this Second day of July one 
thousand Eight hundred and Three in presence of us the Subscribers.  Richd 
Miles.  Witnesses: Rebekah [her mark] Mils or Miles?, Charles Miles, Edward 
Lacey} Livingston County August County Court 1803.  The [illeg] will was 
proven by the Oath of Edward Lacey, one of the subscribing witnesses thereto 
and Ordered to Lacey for further proof.  [Test?] Enoch Prince [?] CL.  
Livingston County October County Court 1803.  This will was ordered to be 
recorded….

Additional Comments:
Surely the unborn child was Elizabeth Jane Miles who died 11/12/1874 in 
Pickens Co AL “in her 71st year” according to her husband Stephen Parker 
Doss's obituary. For this to be true, she would have to have been born between 
11/13/1803 and 11/12/1804.

Charles Miles, as executor, was presumably of age when the will was written, 
so by "raise and school my two children" did Richard mean that only 2 were 
still of school age, leaving open the possibility that there were other older 
offspring?  If Lacey and the unborn child each receive 2 slaves equally, does 
that mean Lacey was probably one of the two?

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