Will of Stephen Ward

Stephen Ward left his unnamed wife a life estate, made cash legacies, and divided the remainder among seven family groups and individuals.

Kind of paper

Will

Testator

Stephen Ward (printed STEPHEN WARD)

Dated

3 January 1833

Proved

May 1837 court

Also left something

Stephen Ward (son of William Ward); Stephen Pike (son of William Pike); Stephen Elliott (son of Abraham Elliott); Stephen Wells (son of Nathan Wells); Stephen Moon (son of James Moon); Leah Siler (wife of Jeremiah Siler); Priscilla Free; Antony Ward

Executors

John Long,Jr.; Benjamin Way

Witnesses

A. Shearer; Geo. C. Mendenhall

Money and goods

$50 each; $25; $100

Also named

William Ward; William Pike; Abraham Elliott; Nathan Wells; James Moon; Jeremiah Siler; Susannah Ward; William Ward; ...?ster Wells; James Ward; Thomas Ward

Reading note: Heir group unclear as ...?ster Wells’ children. Volume correction on PDF223 says Esther, instead of Stephen, Wall’s children.

Names and places are given as the abstract writes them, spelling and all. This record has not been checked against the will book.

Where to find it

• Orange County Will Book E, page 417.
• Abstract: Ruth Herndon Shields, Abstracts of Wills Recorded in Orange County, North Carolina, 1800–1850 (1958), page 173.
• Also listed in Mark Chilton, “Wills Recorded in Orange County, NC 1756–1893” (Wandering through the NC Piedmont, 2019), an index of the will books with references to the court minutes.
• Microfilm at the Orange County Public Library, Wall Local History Collection: reel 80003, “Record of Wills, 1822–1851, Vols. E, F” (State Archives film).