Joseph and Nancy Lones lived on the 640-acre Alexander Cavett/Moses Cavett
tract of land in Knox County for the remainder of their lives. The Will of
Joseph Lones, dated 2/8/1866, was filed in Knox County Court during the July Term
(first Monday in July) in 1872. He bequeathed $190.00 to his son George H.
Lones, to be paid out of his estate to make him equal with all my other
children. He bequeathed his daughter Mary Ann Kidd 164 acres of land. He bequeathed
his son Wiley B. Lones 164 acres of land. He bequeathed his son Samuel R.
Lones 164 acres of land. He bequeathed his daughter Catherine J. Gilson 164
acres of land. You will note that those four bequests add to 656 acres of land.
Either he had purchased an additional 16 acres of land during their married
life, or the 640-acre tract actually contained 656 acres.
"I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Nancy Lones all of the rooms in the
west end of the house in which I now live from the floor to the roof including
the dining room with access to the kitchen and use thereof and all the
passways around the same including as much of the garden as she may desire for her
own special use and benefit. Also a sufficient amount of the orchard, both
apple and peach, as much as she may desire for her own use, with the use and free
access to all the water, horse lot, one stable and one corn crib, and all the
household and kitchen furniture. Two choice farm horses, one good wagon and
harness for each of said horses, cows of her own selection, five head of hogs,
five head of sheep, all the poultry on hand with a sufficient amount of land
for truck patches at her own selection with the priviledge of getting timber
for her own use anywhere off any section or fractional section of the farm as
stipulated and set forth by deeds."
"I further will and direct my executors to pay to my wife Nancy Lones $150.00
at the time of my decease, to be paid out of the money on hand, if any, if
not to be collected equally off of all the legatees in this will heretofore
named."
Nancy probably was not too wild about not having use of the entire house, and
she probably worked on Joe for about three years, and on 5/12/1869, he filed
the following codicil: "I, Joseph Lones, do this day change the above will in
this I desire if my wife Nancy should outlive me, she is to have the entire
use of the dwelling in which we now live and all the outhouses, lots, orchards,
and garden during her life, and I do make and publish this as a codicil to my
above written will."
Clara Smith of Knoxville told me that the 164-acre tract of land he
bequeathed his daughter Mary Ann Kidd is the site of the massacre and Cavett cemetery,
and is still in the family of one of Mary and McCoyer Kidd's descendents.
Howard Roach