Submitted by Gary Welch
Lawrence Common Pleas July Term A.D 1848.
On the 26th day of July in the year of Our Lord, one thousand eight hundred forty-eight. The following order was made in relation to the last will and testament of George Koons, late of Lawrence County, deceased to wit;
In the name of the benevolent Father of all, I, George Koons of Fayette Township, County of Lawrence, in the State of Ohio, do make and publish this my last will and testament.
Item First, I devise and bequeath to my only son, George W. Koons and to his heirs forever the following land and real estate, it being part and parcel of the farm on which I reside.
On the 13th of June 1838, I employed Thomas Walton, County Surveyor, to run the following line through my said farm. The survey of the said line is recorded in the County Surveyors “Record of Surveys” Volume 3rd, page 80, to wit, commencing at a stone near his (my) (George Koons) dwelling house on the second bank of the Ohio river from which a Beech 12 inches diameter bears S. 56˚ E, 56 links and a Beech, 12 inches diameter bears ( S 26 ½ ˚ W ), South, twenty-six degrees and a half West, fifty-eight links distance, thence North eighteen degrees West, seventy-seven chains and forty links to a corner on the North end of the East half of the Southeast quarter of Section Thirty-five, Township Two, Range Seventeen, the —– trees to said corner is an Ash, 10 inches in diameter, bearing S 30˚ West, 11 links and a Beech 10 inches in diameter bearing S 50˚ West, 31 links.
Now the land which I devise to my son George W. Koons is delineated and described as follows to wit: commencing at a stone planted in the Southwest corner of the field, East of my dwelling house, near the bank of the Ohio river, near the South line of Fractional Section One, Township One, Range Seventeen, about forty-five feet East of the South end of the said line ran by a Thomas Walton, as aforesaid from thence running a little West of North inside, said field to a small Walnut tree standing in said field about East from my dwelling house, thence from said Walnut tree running Northwesterly to intersect the said line run by Thomas Walton, opposite to and immediately east of my barn, thence North west along said line of Walton to the Northern termination thereof at the corner made by said Walton as aforesaid, on the North end of the East half of the Southeast Quarter of Section Thirty-five, Township Two, Range Seventeen aforesaid, thence West along the North line thereof to the Northwest corner of said East half of said quarter section, thence South along the West line thereof, to the Southwest corner thereof, thence East along the South line thereof until said line meets the Northwest corner of said Fractional Section One, Township One, Range Seventeen, thence South along the West line of said Fractional Section dividing my land from that belonging to Isaac Frampton, to the bank of the Ohio river, thence Easterly along said bank to the place of beginning.
Item Two: I devise and bequeath to my beloved wife Catharine Koons, in lieu of her dower, one full third part of all my lands for and during the term of her natural life, and my will is that the said third part so devised to her be assigned to her and set off from the South side of that part of Fractional Section One, Township One, Range Seventeen, lying East of the line and not devised to my son George as aforesaid.
Item 3rd: I devise and bequeath all the residue and remaining lands and real estate belonging to me to my son, the said George W. Koons, for and during the natural life of his mother, the said Catharine Koons and my will is that my son, George may clear and cultivate any part of said lands so divided to him as last aforesaid and cut and use all timber necessary for such purpose, but except the purposes aforesaid he shall not cut or take from there the rail timber, but may cut and take from their cordwood.
Item 4th: I devise and bequeath to my daughters, Sally Drury, Margaret Coombs, Nancy Crawford, Betsy Campbell, Mary Koons, Delilah McCoy, Ann Campbell and Catharine Crawford, the estate in reversion of the lands above devised to my wife, the said Catharine Koons and of the lands above devised to my son, George W. Koons, for and during the life of the said Catharine Koons after the expiration of the life estate therein of the said Catharine and the said George W. Koons to be equally divided between my said daughters, share and share alike.
Item 5th: I devise and bequeath to my Grandson, James Reed Crawford, the son of my deceased, Emeline Crawford, the sum of two hundred dollars in cash to be paid to him by my executors when he shall have arrived at the age of twenty-one years. And my will further is that executors for the use of said money from the time of my decease until the said James Reed Crawford shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years shall pay him six percent per annum thereon during said period to be paid to him when the principal sum is that is when the said, James, shall arrive at the age of twenty-one.
Item 6th: I devise to my wife the said Catharine Koons, all my household goods and chattels such furniture, beds and bedding, dishes, cooking utensils, carpeting cloths, cloth, yarn, thread —-. I also give and devise to the said Catharine Koons my buggy wagon with one set of harnesses belonging to the same. I also give and devise to the said Catharine Koons such proportion of my personal estate as may be in money after paying the legacy aforesaid to James Reed Crawford as may be collected in money by my executors as is allowed widows of deceased intestates by the statute of Ohio in such case made and provided.
Item 7th: I devise and bequeath to my son George W. Koons all the residue of my personal estate of every kind and description, whatever chattels, money, notes, mortgages, bonds or accounts, instruments.
First, to pay all my just debts and expenses made necessary in the settlement of my estate. Second, to pay to my daughters, Sally Drury, Margaret Coombs, Nancy Crawford, Betsy Campbell, Mary Koons, Delilah McCoy, Ann Campbell and Catharine Crawford, a legacy of one hundred dollars each.
I hereby give and bequeath to them out of my personal estate, said legacies to be paid in a convenient time after the money is collected, the residue of any goods, chattels, and money which shall remain in the hands of the said George W. Koons after the payments aforesaid, I give and bequeath to him in his own proper right to have and enjoy.
I do hereby constitute and appoint the said George W. Koons, my executor of this my last will and testament. I do hereby revoke all former wills by me made. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 18th day of February A. D. 1848.
George Koons (Seal) (His X mark)
Signed and acknowledged by said George Koons as his last will and testament in our presence and signed by us in his presence. The word “My” was underlined before signing and sealing, the word “On” erased, and the word near also underlined before signing and sealing, the words “twenty-twenty” erased, and “thirty-thirty” interlined before signing and sealing.
J. M. Browning
Camillus Hall
Codicil: Whereas I, George Koons, on this day and before signing and sealing this codicil, made my last will and testament, I
do now hereby declare the same to be a codicil to the same. It is my will further that in case the said James Reed Crawford should die before he arrives at the age of twenty-one years that in that case the legacy of two hundred dollars with any interest that may have accrued on the same be equally divided among my said daughters and my son, George W. Koons and that my said executor pay the same to them accordingly. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 18th day of February A.D. 1848.
Signed and acknowledged by George Koons (Seal) said George Koons as a codicil (His X mark) to his last will and testament, in our presence and signed by us in his presence,
S. M. Browning
Camillus Hall
Proof: The State of Ohio Lawrence County S.S. Court of Common Pleas July Term A.D. 1848
In the matter of the late will and testament of George Koons, deceased.
Camillus Hall of Lawrence County, in the State of Ohio, of lawful age, being duly sworn doth depose and say that he was acquainted with George Koons, late of said deceased, that since George Koons was a resident of said County and departed this life therein on or about the 7th day of June A.D. 1848.
That the proper writing now shown him and hereto prefixed was signed by the said George Koons in the presence of this deponent and declared to be his last will and testament and this deponent signed his name thereto as subscribing witness in the presence and at the request of the said George Koons and that the codicil to the said will and testament written on the same papers were signed by the said George Koons in the presence of this deponent and declared to be his codicil to said last will and testament and this deponent signed his name to the said codicil as subscribing witness, in the presence of and at the request of the said George Koons and that the said George Koons at the time he executed the said last will and testament and at the time he executed the said codicil was over twenty-one years of age and of sound and deposing mind and memory and not under restraint so far as this deponent knows or believes.
Sworn to and subscribed in open court, July 26, 1848.
Camillus Hall
J. M Camp, deputy for Lewis Anderson, Clerk
And at the same time and place also came Saml. M. Browning of said County of Lawrence, of lawful age, who being sworn doth depose and say that he was acquainted with George Koons, late of said County deceased, who departed this life therein on or about the 7th day of June A.D. 1848, that the paper hereto prefixed purporting to be the last will and testament of said George Koons was signed by him in the presence of this deponent and declared by said, George Koons to be his last will and testament and that this deponent signed his name thereto as a subscribing witness in the presence of and at the request of the said George Koons and that the codicil to said last will and testament written on the same paper was signed by the said George Koons in the presence of this deponent and declared to be his codicil to said last will and testament, and this deponent signed his name to the said codicil as subscribing witness in the presence of said George Koons and at his request that said George Koons at the time of the execution of the said last will and testament and who, at the time of the execution of said codicil, was over the age of twenty one years and of sound and disposing of mind and memory and not under any restraint whatsoever so far as this deponent knows or believes.
Sworn to and subscribed in open court.
S.M. Browning, July 26 1848
J. M. Camp, Deputy for Lewis Anderson, Clerk
This is from LDS film # 317747, “Record of Wills of Lawrence Co. Ohio, Book # 1 1846-1860, Pg. # 31-36.
George Koons is believed to be the son of Christian Kouns and one of the brothers of Jacob Koons. George’s daughter, Margaret Coombs (Combs), married Jonas Combs in Lawrence Co., Ohio. Jonas purchased 1000 acres with Jacob Koons in Hardin Co., Ohio.
This will help prove that Margaret and Jonas were Jacob’s niece and nephew-in-law and helps tie Jacob Koons to Lawrence Co. Ohio and Christian Kouns (See Lawrence Co. Ohio Deed Book # 5 pg. # 105-107), and it documents the death of George Koons. See also Lawrence Co. Ohio Deed Book # 11 pg. # 340, wherein Jonas and Margaret Combs of Hardin Co. Ohio relinquish any claim to the estate of George Koons to James H. Drury, the husband of Sally Drury, another daughter of George Koons.
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