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- The Last Will and Testament of Louis Leflore
Contributed By Dan Edward
Book 1, page 1 and 2- 28 October 1833
[The first entry in the Record Books of Holmes County, Mississippi]
The last will and Testament of Louis Leflore of the Choctaw Nation and State of Mississippi. I Louis LeFlore considering the uncertainty of this mortal life being of sound mind ; memory ( blessed by almighty God for the same), do make and publish this my last will and Testament in manner and form following that is to say , First I will to direct that all my land debts be paid out of monies to be raised by the sale of such personal property as I may leave at my death exclusion of Negroes provided the same shall be sufficiently for that purpose but if not sufficient then I direct that so much of my real estate shall be sold as may be necessary to complete the amount required for the payment of my said debts. Secondly, I give and bequeath to my son Forbis Leflore the sum of seven hundred dollars, to my two nephews Stephen Crevat ; Placid Crevat each three hundred dollars to my niece [Maruyayu ? ] Crevat, three hundred dollars to be paid by my executioners within one year of my after my decease out of monies to be raised by the sale of such personal property, Negroes excepted as I may leave at my death if the same shall be sufficient for the purpose after the payment thereout [sic] of my just debts but if not sufficient there I direct that so much of my real Estate shall be sold as may be necessary to complete the amount requisite for the payment of my said debts the [????] above bequeathed. Thirdly I direct that if at the time of my decease a crop of cotton shall be growing on my plantation then my Executioners shall keep my Negroes necessary stock imployed [sic] upon the plantation until the crop shall be gathered prepared for market before any part of my personal or real estate is disposed of or until the month of February next after my decease provided the said crop shall not be soon gathered that during the said month of February my real estate shall be sold a public salevendue [sic] to the highest bidder the terms of sale to be one third part of purchase money to be paid within twenty days after said sale, one third part on the first day of January following the last payment two payments, to be secured by mortgage upon the premeses [sic] [ falae (?)] two months notice of such sale to be given by publication in two [reuant (? )] public newspapers. Forthly [sic] , I will and direct that my executioners divide all my Negro slaves for life of which I may die prepossessed or leave at my decease unto eleven lots as parcels of [???] of nearly as equal a value as may be required being had to family connections. The said divisions to be made at the time of the sale of my real estate as before directed & that upon the decision of said slaves unto eleven equal parcels as aforesaid. The names of my eleven children Greenwood, Benjamin, William, Basila, Jackson, Louisa Haskins, Felicity Long wife of Samuel Long Winnia McGahy Silva Harris. Shall be writing [sic] upon separate slips of paper placed in one box then the numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11, shall be written upon separate slips of paper place in another box whereupon one of my said executioners shall commence and draw from the box containing the names [undecipherable] said children one slip or name at a time same person to be used by my said child shall at the same time draw from the box containing the said numbers on slips as often as often as a name is drawn from the other box until all the names numbers shall be drawn when my said eleven children shall commence in the order of the numbers drawn [offorit e(?) ] the second names make choices of the parcels of the said Negroes sukeessfully[sic] it being my will to give the said Negroes to my said eleven children to be divided among them as nearly as possible in equal shears. Fifthly with respect to all the rest residue of my estate property of whatever kind [ sources ? ] give bequeath the same to my said eleven children Viz. Greenwood Leflore, Benjamin Leflore, William Leflore, Basil Leflore, Jackson Leflore, Lousia Haskins, Felicity Long wife of Samuel Long, William McGaley ; Silva Harris, Clarissa Wilson, Isabel Brashers, wife of Vaughn Brashers them theirs alike to be paid over to them by my Executioners or as soon as [????] can be done consisting with the directions herein before [undecipherable] after paying all my just debts, funeral charges [ Exequines(?)] of Executing this my last will and testament [undecipherable] lastly, I appoint my Son in law Samuel Long & my friend Abraham A. Halsey my Executioners of this my last will an testament. In testimony [?] whereof I have herewith set my hand and seal this [?????] 11th day of April one thousand Eight hundred and thirty there. Louis Leflore
Signed Sealed published and declared by the same above named Lewis Leflore to be his last will and testament in the presence of the person of us who have hereunto subscribed our names as witness in the presence of the Testator.
[The words "nine six times’ erased on the 2nd page, the words "then "my said nine children in the other above margin " shall in permitting to [????]" in the same page [????] [????] The word "eleven" Unc’ times inter[??] in that same page also the words "Clarissa Wilson" & Isalel Brashers wife of Vaughn Brashers, likewise interlined on the same page before execution. The figures "10 11" also once interlined same page.]
Wm Parker
W.W. Cherry
J. M Chisum
Facts on Louis Leflore
Born 29 June 1762 in what is today, Mobile, Alabama the son of a French soldier Jean Baptise Leflau and Marie Jeanne Girard. Jean Baptise Leflau arrived at Mobile before 9 January 1735 because on that day he served as Godparent for the son of Jacques Claude Dupont and Marie Foucalt "of Paris." On 19 June 1735, Jean Baptise Leflau married Jeanne Boissinot, a native of Mobile. The church records further record that he was the son of Jacques Leflau and Magdeliene Vichet of Versailles, Ste. Croisse parish who was a foot soldier in the company of Sieur de Bombelle.
Louis, however, came into the world as a result of a second marriage to Marie Jeanne Girard, the daughter of Jean Girard and Marie Anne Daniau who had been married in Mobile in 1732. The last child of this couple would be Michael Leflore, who received baptism on 29 November 1767. Michael Leflore received two sections of land in the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. That land encompassed the site of the village of Bowlingreen in Holmes County.
Operating out of Natchez, Louis began trading with the Choctaw Nation around 1780.
About 1790 married Nancy and Rebecca Cravat, the wards of Chief Pushmataha of the Choctaw nation. They were the daughters of John Cravat and the daughter of Roscoe Cole and an a woman of the Chocchuma tribe. Cravat has given the two girls to Pushmataha, their uncle, before returning to trade among the Chickasaw.
Louis Leflore moved up the Pearl River, establishing a trading post at LeFleurs Bluff, the future site of Jackson, Mississippi. Greenwood Leflore born here on 2 June 1800.
Louis Leflore and Louis Durant introduced cattle raising in present day Attala and Holmes Counties by 1810.
Established French Camp on the Natchez Trace and later ca 1820 the town of Rankin on Black Creek in Holmes County.
His son Greenwood Leflore became one of the chiefs of the Choctaw Nation [NW District].
Son-in-law Samuel Long donated land for the site of Lexington, county seat of Holmes County. Also a founder of the first church in the town. [Presbyterian]
Major in the Russel Expedition to Alabama in February – May 1814 also with Choctaw forces under Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans in 1814.
Said to have been confidant and close personal friend to Andrew Jackson. [2]
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1762 - Abt 1833 (70 years)
[2] 
