Documents in the estate of
Esaias Harbour,
grandfather of William M. Hooper

Information on this page is intended to supplement an "Angie Asks" column which appeared in Volume 5, beginning on page 456 of the Hooper Compass. Click on the table of contents page for a link to a web version of that column.

View the Estate Inventory for Esaias Harbour.

Part of Harbour will
Figure 1a. The beginning of the will [incomplete]

Harbour, Esaias

In the name of God, Amen.
I, Esaias Harbour of the County of Franklin &
State of Georgia, being through the abundant mercy
& goodness of God, of a sound mind & perfect under=
standing, do constitute this to be my last will &
testament, & desire that it may be received by all
as such. Imprimis - I most humbly bequeath my
Soul to God my maker, beseeching him of his most
gracious acceptance of it through the all sufficient
merits & mediation of my most compassionate
Redeemer Jesus Christ, who gave himself for me,
to be an atonement for my sins; & is able to save
to the uttermost all that come unto God: seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them: &
who I trust will not reject me a returning penitent
Sinner, when I come to him for Mercy & pardon.
Imprimis. I give my body to the Earth from whence
it was taken: in full assurance of its resurrection
from thence at the last day. And as touching
my worldly goods, my will, & desire is, that they
be divided as follows.
Item. I give, & bequeath to my Son Talman Harbour
    Thirty dollars.
Item. I give & bequeath to my daughter Rebeckah
    Shelton one Negro girl named Jane.
Item. I given and bequeath to my Son John Harbour one
    Negro man named George: also my wagon hind gears also
one lot of land in Wilkinson County Tenth District & eleventh
number, also one negro boy named Green out of the value
of which property he shall pay my son Talman Harbour
twenty five dollars.

Second Part of Harbour will
Figure 1b. The last part of the will [not yet available].
The transcription herein is slightly modified from one
provided by Deanna Baumgardner.
Capitalization, punctuation and line breaks
will not match the original manuscript.		 Item. I give and bequeath
to my daughter Catherine Molder
One Negro boy named Oliver. Also, half of a lot of land lying
in Old Wilkinson District, number one hundred and forty one, also twenty five
dollars and one feather bed and furniture.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my grandson Talmon Harbour
one half of this land and premises where I now live. Also, one Negro
boy named Franklin. Each of my sons? just mentioned
grandsons shall pay one hundred dollars to be equally divided
among their three sisters, Sally, Catherine and Polly.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my three granddaughters, Sally,
Catherine and Polly Harbour one Negro woman named Debb, also
my cotton machines to be equally divided among the three.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter Sally Aderholdt one Negro
woman named Jude. Also, one Negro girl
named Milly.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my former son in law Richard Hooper two dollars.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my grandson William Hooper Fifty dollars.
My will and desire is, that all my other property of any description
not bequeathed by this will be held and enjoyed by my beloved wife during
her life and after her death to be equally divided among all my
children and my grandson William Hooper.
Item. I leave and appoint my beloved son John Harbour sole executor
of this my last will and testament which I declare to be & every other
will to be void and of no effect.
In witness where of I have hereunto set my hand and seal this
29th of May, 1822.     Esaias Harbour
Signed , Sealed and acknowledged in presence of
Jas. H. Little
Robert G. Little
John H. Little
Harbour will codicil
Figure 2. Codicil to and proving of the will

Codicil to the above will
My will & desire, is that my two grand
sons Talman Harber & Eli Jasper,
do pay to there three
Sisters Sarah, Catherine & Mary
Three hundred dollars each out of
the property above bequeathed
to them in lieu of the Sum
above mentioned.
In witness whereof I have hereunto
Set my hand & seal, this 29 May 1833
Signed sealed
  acknowledge        Esaias Harbour
in presence of
Seborn J Harbour
Martha Harbour
Jas. H. Little

Georgia                 Court of Ordinary
Franklin County         Sept Term 1833
                  Personally appeared in open
court, James H. Little, Esqr. who being duly sworn
deposith and saith that he saw the above named
Esaias Harbour sign & seal the within will &
Codicil for the purposes therein mentioned when
in his proper mind & that he saw Seborn J
Harbour, Martha Harbour, Robert G. Little
& John H. Little sign the same as witnesses, and
that this deponent done so likewise
Teste
Thos. King CCO                 Jas H. Little

Harbour estate receipts
Figure 3. Receipts, apparently all in 1833

Harbour, Esaias

No 1 Received of John Harbour executor
    of the estate of Esaias Harbour Decd
his tax for the year 1833
$2.37½         N. Gunnel   TC
No 2   Received of John Harbour
   executor of the estate of Esaias Harbour
    Decd $1.50 in full       P Holbrook
No 3 Recevd of John Harbour executor
    of the estate of Esaias Harbour Dec
one dollar \         Daniel Chandler
                Court of Ordinary March Term 1835
Personally appeared in open Court John Harbour
 who saith on oath that the above returns
 is Just & true         John Harbour
Attest
  Thos King   Clk

Harbour estate receipts (2nd page)
Figure 4. Receipts from October and July 1833

Harbour, Esaias

Georgia
Franklin County   Received of John Harbour Executor of
                        the last will & testament of Esaias
Harbour Dece,d one Negro woman & child in full of
a legacy bequeathed to me in & by the last will & testament
of the said Esaias Harbour Dece,d october the 3rd 1833
test James Hammett         Abraham Aderhold
No. 5
Georgia Franklin County     Received of John Harbour
Executor of the last will & testament of Esaias Harbour
Dece,d in full of a legacy bequeathed to me in & by the last
will & testament of the said Esaias Harbour Dece,d
test         october the 3rd, 1833 Daniel Chandler
  James Hammett
No. 6
Georgia Franklin County         Received of Esaias Harbour
test Robert Swilling John Shelton
No. 7
Georgia Franklin County Received of John Harbour
Executor of the last will & testament of my Deced
husband Esaias Harbour in full of a legacy bequeathed
to me in & by the last will & testament of the said
Esaias Harbour Deced             Catherine herxmark Harbour
test James Hammett
No. 8
Received of John Harbour, Esaias Harbours tax
for the year, 1832, this 22nd day of July 1833 tax due
$2.62½                   Nathan Gunnels, JC

Harbour estate receipts (3rd page)
Figure 5. Receipts from October to December 1833
Georgia
Franklin County		 Received of John Harbour Executor
of the last will & testament of
Esaias Harbour Dece,d one bed and furniture and
twenty five Dollars, and has had one negro boy named
oliver in full of a legacy bequeathed to me in & by the
last will and testament of the said Esaias Harbour
Dece,d - November the 2nd 1833   lewis Molder
test Atson Molder
No 1
Georgia
Franklin County		 Received of John Harbour Executor
of the last will & testament of
Esaias Harbour Dece,d in full of a legacy bequeathed
to Eli Jasper Harbour & Mary Harbour Minors in
& by the last will & testament of the said Esaias
Harbour Dece,d - December the 5th 1833
testElias Boing
No 2		 Daniel Chandler gardean
[guardian]
Georgia
Franklin County		 Received of John Harbour Executor
of the last will & testament of Esaias Harbour Dece,d
one negro man named Garrot in full of a legacy bequeathed
to me in & by the last will & testament of the said
Esaias Harbour Dece,d october the 3rd, 1833
testJames Hammett
No. 3		 Talman Harbour
Georgia
Franklin County		Received of John Harbour Executor of
the last will & testament of Esaias Harbour Dece,d in
full of a legacy bequeathed to me in & by the last will
& testament of the said Esaias Harbour Dece,d
october the 3rd, 1833
    test James Hammett
No. 4		 Wiley Skelton
Harbour estate receipts (1833/4)
Figure 6. Receipts 1833 and 1834

The Estate of Ezias Harbour decd
1834                  with John Harbour Exr.
May 5       By Cash Rec'd for the time
          of two Negroes, at Gold Mine   $163.37½
          after deducting Clothing &c.

Contra Do 
1833 
To Cloth & Sewing$3.37½
 "   black Smith Work done2.12½
 "   attending to business during
 "   the year 1833 on the		 10.00
farm & in going to Polled Pony in
Cherokee Teritory two or three times		 15.50
No 1 - To cash paid A. warwick pr rct - 5.65
 "   2   To  "    "   N. Holly  "    "  -   - 36
 "   3   To  "    "  Field & King  "    "      25

          Court of Ordinary May Term 1834
Personally appeared in open court John
Harbour who saith on aoth that the
above return as stated is Just & true -
                                John Harbour
Attest
Thos King C. C. O.
Harbour estate receipt (1836)
Figure 6. A late receipt in 1836 was
that of Esaias Harbour's grandson
William M. Hooper,
witnessed by Mary Ann Harbour.

Harbour, Esaias

A return of the estate of Esaias Harbour Decd
   by John Harbour Exr
                    Said estate Do [Due] to the Exr
To cash paid Wm M Hooper as p[e]r note in
full    No - 1 -     as follows - to wit

no. 1

Georgia
Franklin County		Recd. of John Harbour Exr
of the last will and Testament
of Esaias Harbour decd fifty dollars in full of a
legacy bequeathed to me in and by the last will
and Testament of the said Esaias Harbour Decd
March 1st 1836 -
    Tested
        Mary Ann Harbour		Wm M Hooper

No. 2    Cash paid Thos King   C C O -            $12.62½
 

      Court of Ordinary May Term 1836
Personally appeared in open Court who saith
that the above return is Just and true
                                                            John Harber

The photocopies of the documents for Figures 1-7 were provided through the kindness of Deanna Baumgardner. This page is © 2005 by Anne Goodwin. Although comments or corrections are much appreciated, the volume of email prohibits personal replies for all but a few of the messages received.

updated 6 May 2005