Abstract of James Moseley’s Will

He wrote his will on October 4, 1839.  He left his youngest child, Jane, “the land whereon I now live known as the Home Place.”  He left half the land he received from his late wife, Martha, to John Pickens, her out of wedlock son.

“Since my last wife, Martha, inherited a considerable estate from her father, and Martha died some six months ago, she and I planned to make a deed of one half of her estate to her son, JOHN PICKENS, which she had before she married me.”

He left his son, John Baxter Moseley, “the tract known as the Berry tract, 100 acres except 15 acres where William Fowler now lives”.  He left his son-in-law, Mark Fowler, “the tract whereon said Mark Fowler now lives, 50 acres”.

He left his daughter, Rhoda Fowler, “tract whereon she now lives”.

He left his son-in-law, Womack Fowler, “all of my blacksmith tools”.

He stated that his son-in-law, Berry (Benjamin) Hodge “has been provided for and has demeaned himself unkindly to me.  I give him one shilling.”

He stated that his deceased son, James, has “all ready been given all that I am able to do”.  “I give to each of his children one shilling.”  I give to “Jared Foster’s children one shilling”.  He gave “to his son, William, the old rifle”.  He left his son, John Baxter, “the small shot gun”.

“All my pocket and hunting knives are labeled and I want each knife to be given to whomsoever it is labeled for.”  (This seems to indicate that he was a knife maker.)

James Moseley did not mention the children of his daughter, Mary, who married John D. Long Sr., in his will.  Mary and her husband were both deceased before Moseley’s will was written, though his grandson, John D. Long Jr., was still living in Union County, S. C., and had already married his grandaughter, Missindy Fowler, daughter of Wymac and Susannah Moseley Fowler.

He also did not refer to any of Nancy’s children by Ephraim Fowler.

When he wrote his will, he was fully aware that Dorcas had left her husband, Benjamin Hodge, and gone to Tennessee with Jared Foster.  He left Jared’s children one shilling each.

Benjamin Hodge and his daughter, Nancy, had a son, Jasper Hodge, before the will was written.

Major Joseph Stark Sims was to act as his executor and guardian of “my minor child, Jane”.

The will was witnessed by William B. Hames, Jordan Johnson and John M. Foster.  William B. Hames was the grandson of Charles and Catherine Krugg Hames.

It was proven by Jordan Johnson and John M. Foster on June 6, 1840.  Johnson and Foster married sisters of Moseley’s second wife, Martha.

“Sims having renounced, letters of administration, with the will annexed, was granted to John Pickens.”  Pickens was James Moseley’s stepson and his daughter, Jane, stayed with Pickens for about ten years until she married Shelton McWhorter.

(Union County South Carolina Will Abstracts, 1787-1849, p. 143.)