Name: Leonard LOFTIN
Sex: M
Birth: 1654 in Pennsylvania
Death: 11 APR 1720 in Bath, Craven Co., North Carolina
Note:
Will Of Leonard Loftin

In the name of God amen:
In the name of God Amen: I Leon. Loftin Esq. of Craven Precinct, County of Bath and Provinces of North Carolina, being very sick and weak of body, but of sound mind and perfect memory thanks be to Almighty God for ye same, Do make this my Last Will and testament in manner and form following.
I give & Bequeath my Soul into ye hand of Allmighty God my maker hoping to receive the same again through ye meritorious death and sufferings of Jesus Christ, My redeemer in full pardon of all my sins and for my body I recommend it to ye Earth from whence I came, to be buried in Christian Burial all at ye discretion of my Executors; hereafter named. It is my mind and will that all my lawful Debts and Funeral Expenses be first paid.
In Primis: I give and bequeath and devise unto my loving son Cornelius Lofton, the plantation that he now lives on containing two hundred and twenty acres of Land to be enjoyed by him and his heirs forever.

I give and bequeath to my loving son Leonard Loftan, the plantation on which I now live containing eighty acres of Land to be enjoyed by him and his heirs forever.

And I give and bequeath and devise unto my loving son Benoni a black ball faced mare with her and her issue from this date hereof to be enjoyed by him and his heirs forever, and I bequeath unto my son Benoni Loftan to take one gun, and he to have his choice of my guns.

I give and bequeath unto my loving daughter, Dorcellay, one young black ball faced mare, and I give and bequeath the first mare colt, that my daughter Janies mare brings to be given to my Daughter Joice, all of which are to be enjoyed by them and their Heirs forever.

And I give and bequeath all my female cattle and sheep to be equally divided betwixt my four children hereafter mentioned Dorcelly & Benoni & Jane & Joyce to be equally divided amongst them to be enjoyed for them and their heirs forever. 
I give my daughter Dorcellay, the bed she lies upon and all of furniture belonging to the bed. 
And I give her also ye largest two powder dish and ye largest bason and ye smallest iron pott, ye spinning wheels and all belonging to of same.
I give and bequeath all my male stock of what kind-soever to be equally divided betwixt my son Cornelius and my son Leonard to have equal share and proportion to them and their heirs forever, and I give unto my sons Cornelius and Leonard Loftain all of rest of my personall estate to be equally shar'd betwixt them and to be enjoyed by them and their heirs forever.

And further it is my mind and will if my son Cornelias Loftain and my son Leonard Loftaine do purchase a certain parcel or tract of land known by ye name of Little John's and of same land make over and give to my son Benoni at their own proper cost and charge, and so be that my sons Cornelius & Leonard shall miss purchasing of aforsaid land for my son Benoni, I do hereby further oblige them to purchase some other parcel of land in Neuse River which shall be judged as good as aforesaid land, which said land being for of use of my son Benonia and his heirs forever.

Be it is my mind and will that my son Cornelius after my desease take my daughter Jane and her stock and full power to bring her up and tuition----until she shall arrive at of age of sixteen years all of increase of her stock both male and female to be laid out for ye best advantage of my orphan. 
And it is my will and mind that Cornelius also have the tuition of my daughter Joyce until she shall arrive unto the full age of sixteen years of age and all her stock of cattle of what kind soever.
And it is my mind and will that my son Leonard have full charge of my son Benonia until he shall arrive at ye age of eighteen years and likewise to take care of his stock of cattle of all kinds male and female to run on for ye use of ye orphan and I do hereby constitute and appoint my loving sons Cornelius Loftain and Leonard Loftains to be joint persons of this my last will and Testament by me made. Revoking all other wills and Testaments by me made and this to stand in full force.
Hereunto have I set my hand and seal in witness the 11 day of April Anno Domini 1720.
Signed, sealed and Delivered in ye presence of us
his
William W. Handcock
mark Leonard Loftin X Seal
Caleb Metcalf
her
Anne x Metcalf
mark Proved in Craven Precinct Court
Caleb Metcalf
Clk Ct.
Granted Jan. 21, 1721


!. Ray's Index & Digest to Hathaways, 1979 P. 79.
2. NC Historical & Genealogical Reg. P. 60.
3. Colonial Records.
4. 17th Century Colonial Ancestors, P. 159
.Leonard Loftin, son of Leonard Laughton, left Pennsylvania and moved to North Carolina in 1688, where he founded the Loftin name. Six of the seven children born to Leonard and Elizabeth survived their parents and were progenitors of a large family, some of whom have become prominent in the life of the nation, notably Tom Loftin Johnson, Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio and Democratic Presidential Candidate; Senator Simmons of New Bern, N.C. Judge George Rountree of Wilmington, N.C. and a long list of clergymen. Loftins have made significant contributions to their nation and occupied positions of importance throughour the country, expecially in North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.

Leonard lived in Chowan Precinct, near Albemarle Bay on the Yeopim River, from 1688 until 1716. After losing his wife in 1716, Leonard sold his plantation to a Colonel Thomas Pollock and moved to the Craven Precinct of Bath county, not too far from Kingston, N.C., where he died some four years later in December 1720.

The historical record of Leonard Loftin (1654) as developed by W.M. Creasy's of North Carolina in 1636.



Deed Book W#1 Chowan County, North Carolina
#46 pg. 25 John Porter of Chowan 

Deed Book B #1, Chowan County, North Carolina

#1648 pg. 1 At a Court held at ye House of John Hill 18 Jan. 1714 Present the Worshipful Leonard Loftin, John Bird, Thomas Garrett, Rt. Lanier, Esquires Justices the sd. justices qualified themselves by taking and subscribing ye Oaths appointed by Law.

#659 pg. 65 Leonard Loftin of Chowan Prect., Planter to Col. Thomas Pollock of N. C. 4 Apr. 1715 for thirty one in sterling money, acres (not given) on south Lancester, joining Col. Wilkinson Archibald Mitchell and the sound all houses, etc. being that tract of land I now live on. Wit.: Thomas West, Thomas Daniel Reg. (not given)

#616 pg. 17 Leonard Loftin to Jacob Blount 11 Apr. 1715 Assignment of a Patent dated 19 Apr. 1712 for 165 acres on the south shore of Chowan Wit.: James Long, Thomas Long Reg.3 8ber 1719

#1650 pgs. 3, 4 and 5 at a Court held at ye House of Henry King ye 19 Apr 1715 present: John Byrd, Thomas Garrett, Robert Lanier, Esquires Justices John Jordan and Francis Smith were appointed Justices, taking ye oath appointed by law. 
A law made and ratified last Session of Assembly was Published by this Court
Deed of Sale from Leonard Loftin to Coll. Thomas Pollock is proved on ye Oath of Thomas West and Thomas Daniel.

Then ye Court adjourned to ye next Court in Course in ye House of Mr. Henry King /s/ Leonard Loftin, John Byrd, Thomas Garrett, Jr., Robert Lanier






Father: Cornelius LOFTIN b: 1642 in Henrico Co., Va. 
Mother: Mary BORN b: UNKNOWN

Father: Leonard LOFTIN b: BET 1610 AND 1616 in Kent, England 
Mother: Elizabeth ? b: ABT 1620

Marriage 1 Elizabeth PARKER b: 1677 in Chowan Co., North Carolina
Married: 1694
Children
Cornelius LOFTIN b: 1695 in Chowan Co., North Carolina
Leonard LOFTIN b: 5 JAN 1697 in Bath Co., North Carolina
Mary LOFTIN b: 1703 in North Carolina
Benoni (Benonia) LOFTIN b: 16 JAN 1705 in Old Bath, Chowan Co., North Carolina
Priscilla\Dorcelly LOFTIN b: 1706 in Chowan Precinct, North Carolina
Jane LOFTIN b: 1707 in North Carolina
Joyce LOFTIN b: 1711 in Craven Co., N.C.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ploftin&id=I00124