Will of Thomas Reed
of Giles County, Tennessee

The Last Will and Testament of Thomas Reed of Giles County and State of Tennessee


An article in "A Brief Sketch of the Settlement and Early History of Giles County, Tennessee," by James McCallum, 1876, published by The Pulaski Citizen in 1928, tells a lot about the Reeds that settled in Giles County, Tennessee:

"The neighborhood of Aspen Hill was settled at a very early date. Thomas Reed, Sr., the father of the late Thomas Reed, Esq., came from Kentucky and settled in a place Thomas Reed, Esquire, first lived on, about a quarter of a mile East of where J.P.C. Reed now lives ... J.P.C. Reed thinks his grandfather came about 1806, but as they have no records of dates to refer to, and as they nearly all came along the Bumpass trail, it is very probable they came in the summer or fall of 1807. They all raised corn in 1808."

Will of Thomas Reed:

In the Name of God Amen I Thomas Reed of the County of Giles and State of Tennessee being of sound mind and memory but knowing this in certainty of life do hereby make ordain and publish my last Will and Testament.

Item 1st I give unto my son Thomas Reed as trustee for the use and benefit of my daughter Susannah Covington the following property towit Eighty acres of land lying in Limestone County State of Alabama, it being the tract upon which James Covington now lives. Also one negro woman named Pat and her child named Martha, one feather bed and furniture, one roan filly two years old, one black cow, one brindle cow and one red brindle cow to have and to hold the said property to the said Thomas Reed for the comfort support and maintainance of my said daughter during her natural life and after her death to be equally divided between the heirs of her body then living and the legal heir and as presentation of such as may at that time be dead, the whole of the heirs of the named child or children to stand in the place of their deceased parents.

Item 2nd Out of the residue of my property I wish my just debts to be paid and the remainder thereafter to be equally divided between the children of Joseph Moore deceased.

Item 3rd I do hereby constitute and appoint my son Thomas Reed the sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament. On Testimony whereof I have caused this my last Will and Testament to be duly declared and published Given under my hand/seal on this 30th day of August 1834.

                                                                                                               his
Thomas X Reed Seal mark
Witness
Thomas Tarpley
John P. C. Reed
The State of Alabama Limestone County, County Court July 11th 1836. This day the last Will and Testament of Thomas Reed decd was duly presented in open Court by the Deposition of Thomas Tarpley and John P. C. Reed the subscribing witnesses to said Will which is ordered to be recorded accordingly.

Extract of Minutes Pa 102. Test Robert Austin Book. The foregoing last Will and testament of Thomas Reed is duly recorded in my office in Will Book No. 4 Page 609.

Test Robert Austin, Sr. Clk L.C.Co


Note: See the will of Thomas Reed, the son.


Submitted by Jane Gilbert