His method of disbursing his estate sounds biblical. I have another PERKINS ancestor who was a lay preacher for the Methodist church. There is an archives for the Methodist church at Lake Junaluska, NC which is their southeastern jurisdictional conference center. That is where I found my fellow being appointed to a church in AL, probably very small. You might try addressing a letter like this: Methodist Archives Harrell Center Lake Junaluska, NC 28745 or you might try calling. The area code is (704), but I don't know the number. Do you have any more information on this Peter Perkins? Thanks, Julie O'Neil Perkins Coweta Co., GA >Forwarded to: internet[PERKINS-L@rootsweb.com] > cc: >Comments by: Ernest E. Fricks@53choc@SWEC >Comments: > >This may of interest to those PERKINS members with a tie to Campbell Co, TN. > > -------------------------- [Original Message] ------------------------- > >Since many of us of the Joseph BAIRD-Hannah LAY line also share ancestry from >Rev. Peter PERKINS, I tho't a mention of a 'new find' might be of interest. >Jane Ayers of LaFollette TN has come up with the will of Peter, dated 25 Sep >1846. Interestingly, it is not witnessed until 4 Jan 1847 when it was offered >for probate. > Of most significance, perhaps, is that it was signed with an X. Rev. Peter >was apparently illiterate. This I would not have expected of a reputed >Methodist cleric. So, perhaps we have to reevaluate that bit of the family >lore. It may also explain why I have been unsuccessful in finding any >indication of Peter's ordination in the Methodist records at Drew and >Southern Methodist Universities. Perhaps someone with more insight into the >details of Methodist organization can inform me if a counterpart to the >church deacon exists, who would have preached without necessarily being >ordained. > He does not name his children but has an unusual way of dividing his >property for distribution. He instructs that the heirs select two disinterted >individuals to divide the possessions into equally valued parts and then have >the heirs cast lots to select their portion. > >Gene 8}) ------------------------------