Will of Rebecca Clendenen Coe
Emancipating Jane and her daughters Lucinda and Cursandana
Isaac Clendenen & Rebecca Coe,
Division of Slaves Jane, Lucinda, Lewis Jasper and Powel
Submitted by
Cathy O'Hare
See Notes at bottom for
additional information
=======================
Deed [Bk] H - [pg] 304 Barren Co., KY.
Whereas this day Rebeckah Coe and myself have mutually divided our joint
interest in a certain six negroes (to wit, Peter, James
(probably should read Jane), Lucinda, Lewis, Jasper and
Powel), Know all men by these presents that Isaac Clendennon for
myself my heirs and &c have this day covenanted bargained sold and delivered
unto the said Rebeckah Coe her heirs and &c the above named negroes girls
slaves Jane? and Lucinda which I bind myself to warrent to her against all
claims or claiments whatever it being for full satisfaction received of her
in settlement given under my hand and seal this 5th day of November One
thousand eight hundred and sixteen.
/s/ Isaac Clendennon (seal)
attest John Hamilton
John H. Hamilton \
Barren County towit, February County Court 1821
This Bill of Sale from Isaac Clendenen to Rebekah Coe was produced in Court
and Sundry witnesses being Sworn & Examined as to the said Clendennons
signing of said Bill of Sale & the Court being satisfied as to the proof
thereof ordered that the same should be Recorded which is done agreeable to
the direction of said Court.
Teste W.
Logan Clk
BARREN COUNTY KENTUCKY
ORDER BOOK "A"
1821 FEB.
REBECA COE
Last Will and Testament
In the name of God Amen, I Rebeca Coe of the County of Barren and State of
Kentucky, Being sick and weak in body, but of sound and perfect mind.
Considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the time thereof,
and being desirous to settle my worldly affairs, and thereby be the beter
prepared to leave this world when it shall plesse God to call me, hence, I
thereefore make and publish this my last will and testament, in manner and
form following (that is to say) First and principally I commit my soul to
God and my body to the earthe to be deacently buried at the discretion of my
executior hereinafter named and after my debts and funeral charges are paid,
I devise and bequiathe as follows----------------- First my will is that
after my debts and Funeral charges are paid out of my personal property I
give and bequeath the balance all and singular that is left to my negro
woman Jane -------------------------and secondly my will is
that my negro woman Jane and her two daughters, Lucinda and
Cursandana shall all and singular be free and amancepated to all
intents and purposes, as I have no relations who I would wish to leave them
to as slaves.---------------------------------------
Third, I do hereby nominate and appoint Abner Hamilton of the county &
state aforesaid my executor to this my last will and testament in witness
whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this 20th day of
January in the year of our Lord 1821.
her
Signed and marked Rebeca X Coe
In presents of mark
Adams D. Hamilton
John Shearer
Barren County, to wit, February County Court 1821
The foregoing writing purporting to be the last Will of Rebeckah Coe Dec'd.
was produced in court and Adams D. Hamilton & John Shearer the subscribing
Witnesses thereto being sworn diposeth and saith that the said Rebeckah Coe
delivered the said writing as her last Will and that they believe she was in
her propper sense and of a desposing mind & Isaac Clendennon, brother of
said Rebeckah appeared in court and objected to the Recording said Will,
which objections were overruled and the said Will admited to Record as the
true last Will & Testament of the said Rebeckah Coe, Deceased.
Teste: W. Logan, Clk
======================
Agreeable to an order of the Court we the appraisers of the estate of Rebk
Coe Deceased met at Abner Hamilton's and after taking the necessary oath
before a justice of the peace proceeded? To value the shone property as
follows to wit: one red cow at eigth dollars, to one white cow with black
spots on her at ten dollars, to one red and white bull yearlin at four
dollars, and one red yearlin heifer at three dollars, and one red bull
yearlin at three dollars and fifty cts., To two old foot wheels three slays
and a flax hackle at eight dollars and thirty seven and a half cts, one
kittle at five dollars, to a lot of kitchen furniture at eleven dollars and
fifty cts, one box iron and heaters at one dollar and twenty five cts, to
one cle??? And two ha?s and other iron articles at one dollar, to one saddle
at two dollars, to a parsel of wool and wollen yarn at two dollars, and to a
certain parcel of hogs runing at large, not seen, supposed at six dollars
----- To three negroes that were willed free to wits: Jinney
at five hundred dollars, Lucinda at three hundred
and fifty and Cassanderia at two Hundred Dollars.
This Given under our hands and seals this third day of April in eighteen
hundred and twenty one.
Richard W.
Shirley (seal)
David Anderson?
(seal)
Washington
Shimmons? (seal)
To one note on Isaac Clendennon on settlement since the aprasment Fifteen
Dollars receved by me.
Abner Hamilton
- Executer
Barren County ---- To wit:
I do hereby certify that the above named commissioners? --- appeared before
me a justice of the peace and took the necessary oath before they in??? upon
the duties assigned them . Given under my hand this 16th day of Apl. 1821.
Barren County, To wit, April County Court 1821
The foregoing Inventory & Appraisment of the Estate of Rebeckah Coe, Dec'd.
was returned to Court and ordered to be Recorded.
Teste: W. Logan Clk
=========================================
Notes:
"Bill of Sale", which was submitted in court at the same time as the Will
for Rebecca Coe, Feb. 1821, (to prove that she owned the slaves and had the
right to free them) but the date of the Bill of Sale was 5 Nov. 1816. Isaac
Clendenen and Rebecca Coe were brother and sister. This appears to be
a division of the slaves because their father, Adam Clendenen had recently
died and they were his slaves.
It appears that the only reason Rebecca Coe had for writing this Will was
for the purpose of freeing Jane and her two daughters and leaving everything
she owned to them. (I also suspect that she was trying to protect them from
Isaac.) Isaac Clendenen tried to contest this Will but was unsuccessful.
Rebecca appears in the 1820 Barren County census and Jane and her children
are accounted for in that census. Rebecca apparently had no children.
Adam & Isaac Clendenen
migrated from Montgomery Co. VA to what was originally Green Co. KY in
1797 and Adam owned 200 acres on the south fork of Little Barren. They
were in Barren Co. KY until 1811, then I found them in Hardin Co. KY in
1813/14. After that I lost them again until Isaac Clendenen & Rebecca
Coe appear in the Barren Co. tax list in 1819 showing Isaac Clendenen
has six slaves. (I'm a great fan of tax lists!)
LDS FHL # 0007866 BARREN CO.
KY TAX BOOKS 1817; 1819-1829; 1833-1834
1819 Pg. 11
Clendennon, Isaac; 1261
Coe, Rebeckah; 0131
(Isaac Clendennon does not
appear any other year in this set of tax books. Have also checked the
tax books for both Adair & Nelson Co. KY and he does not appear in those
counties either.)
The following was sent to me
by a "cousin" who is researching the Hamilton family. This is the last
record she could find regarding Isaac's whereabouts.
Ruth
Rucker Whitely, Overton County, Tennessee, (1979), p. 39.
Deeds F, pg. 27.
Isaac Clendennon of Cumberland County, Kentucky, for and in
consideration of $500 sell Jacob Dillon of Overton County certain
negroes. 1828.
Abner
Hamilton, the executor of Rebecca Coe's estate, was her brother-in-law,
husband of her sister Mary Clendenen. They had ten children. Abner
Hamilton died in 1824 in Barren Co. KY according to the Hamilton
researchers. It's possible that Jane and her daughters might have ended
up somewhere around them since it appears that Abner was supporting
Rebecca Coe in her efforts.
Additional Information:
Neither Adam or Isaac Clendenen ever owned any slaves while
they were in Virginia.
From 1797 to 1810 while they were in Barren Co. KY they owned either one
or two slaves. In 1811, the year they sold their land and left Barren
Co., Isaac owned three slaves.
In 1813/14 in Harden Co. Adam has three, Isaac has one. They did not
own land there.
In 1816 Isaac and Rebecca Coe are splitting up their shared interest in
six slaves. (She gets two, he keeps four.)
The next Isaac "sighting" is in 1819 Barren Co. where he then had
six slaves again.
It's possible that some of those slaves came from Rebecca Coe's
marriage. I have not been able to find a marriage for her so I don't
know who her husband was or where they lived.
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