I read the posting about the 187 will mentioning slaves with interest. The practice of the writing of wills was very different in the 1800s. The person writing the will would go to the county seat on the day(s) that there was a clerk (often the local preacher or someone else who could write) available. The person leaving the will would tell the clerk what he want in the will, the clerk would write the will in the court record book, and the person would sign (often with an "x")along with witnesses. In fact it is not unusual for see wills that were recorded in the court records several years after the person had died, with the information for the content of the will coming from witnesses. Then, sometimes days or sometimes years, there would normally be probate of the will. This too was often entered years later. When reading these old wills, the date of probate is often confused with the date of the will. Thus, it may well be that the 1875 date was actually the date of probate or the date that the probate was entered into the court ledger. At any rate, it is very unlikely that anyone, even in rural Tennessee, would have included salves in a will actually written in 1875. And, no, there was nothing remotely like Tara (Gone with the wind) in Stewart Co TN in 1875 or 1975 or 2000. Clay Futrell __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE. http://im.yahoo.com/