On a late October day in 1874, a young man not thirty years old prepared his last will, in Southampton County, Virginia. That young man was named Thomas Payne Harris (1846-1874), originally of Northampton County, North Carolina. His father, Benjamin Harris, had passed away sometime before. His mother, the former Frances Ann Jordan (1827-1887), had remarried to a certain Joseph W. Claud (1826-1904) of Southampton.

In the last will of Thomas Payne Harris, he bequeathed $500.00 to one Maria Gay (my fifth great-grandmother, born about 1802) “as a reward for her kindness and faithful attention, during the period of my bodily affliction, the sum of Five hundred dollars to her and her heirs forever to be paid her by my executor hereinafter named as soon after my decease as practicable.” The only other beneficiary in his will was Thomas’ stepfather, J.W. Claud.

Transcription:

In the name of God Amen I Thomas Payne Davis of the County of Southampton and State of Virginia being in ill health but of Sound and disposing mind and memory do make and publish this my last will and testament . As to my worldly estate and all the property real,  personal or mixed of which I shall die seized and possessed or to which I shall be entitled at the time of my decease, I devise bequeath and dispose thereof, in the manner following to wit:
First, my will is that all my just debts and funeral expenses, shall be paid out of my estate as soon after my decease as shall be found convenient. 
Item, I give and bequeath unto Maria Gay, a woman of color as a reward for her kindness and faithful attention, during the period of my bodily affliction, the sum of Five hundred dollars to her and her heirs forever to be paid her by my executor hereinafter named as soon after my decease as practicable.
Item: All the rest and residue of my estate, real personal and mixed of which I shall die seized and possessed or to which I shall be entitled at my decease, I give devise and bequeath to my honored step-father Joseph W Claud, to him and his heirs forever.  
And Lastly I do nominate constitute and appoint Joseph W. Claud executor to this my last will and testament. I do request that the Court before which he shall qualify as my executor will not require of him any security. 
In testimony whereof, I the said Thomas Payne Harris have to this my last will and testament subscribed my name and affixed 

my seal this twenty-second day of October in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy four.

Thomas Payne Harris {seal}

Signed, Sealed, published and delivered by the said Thomas Payne Harris, as and for his last will and testament, in the presence of us, who, at his request, and in his presence and in the presence of each other have subscribed our names as witnesses
Thereto.

P. S. Thomas 
Josiah J Settle 
A G Hyland 

So it seems that Maria Gay had been a type of nurse to Thomas Payne Harris and in his gratitude, he left her a considerable sum. At first glance I wondered if there was more going on here than the prima facie of it all. Were they lovers or something?

As I further considered the age difference between Thomas Payne Harris and Maria Gay (she was born about 1802 and he was born in 1846), I am comfortable with leaning towards the idea that she was a matronly figure to him. (Unless he had an Oedipus/Aemond Targaryen complex). We’ll have to see where any additional facts, if any, lead us.

In any case, Maria was indeed the beneficiary of a considerable amount of money from a white man from North Carolina in Reconstruction era Southampton County, Virginia.

Would Thomas’ wishes be honored?

In the early days of January 1875, Joseph W. Claud traveled from Southampton County, Virginia to Northampton County, North Carolina to the probate court, carrying Thomas Payne Harris’ will with him.

At some point, Maria must have received her promised gift of $500.00 from Thomas, because she became a benefactor herself to her daughter and son-in-law, Eliza (1835-1883) and Henry Turner (born about 1830)—(my fourth great-grandparents), in their 1877 land purchase.

Before we get to that, here is some background: Joseph W. Claud has been on my genealogical radar for some time. His father, Joseph T. Claud (1795-1844), had “purchased” Hannah (died 1845), a sister of Henry and Betsey Turner (1836-1900), in 1844. This was in the aftermath of Henry Harrison’s death.

Additionally, there is a record which may possibly show that Eliza and Maria Gay were being held by Benjamin G. Turner (1893-1932), an associate of the Claud family.

On 2 February 1877, Henry Turner and his wife, Eliza, purchased 137 1/2 acres from none other than Joseph W. Claud and his wife, Frances “Fannie” (Thomas Payne Harris’ mother), for the amount of $343.75.

For the record, according to the Westegg inflation calculator, $500.00 in 1874 is equal to $13, 697.59 in 2023 U.S. dollars.

That same day, Maria Gay secured a deed of trust from Henry and Eliza Turner, with the Trustee being Joseph W. Claud. No doubt, her $500 gift from Thomas Payne Harris was applied for the Claud land purchase. Even though this was family, Maria was handling business. #good

When I first discovered that land purchase/deed of trust record, about ten years ago, I wondered just how it was that Maria had lended the money to Henry and Eliza.

The mystery of the origins of just how Maria Gay acquired those funds to loan out in the first place is effectively solved, with the discovery of Thomas Payne Harris’ will. Yet like genealogy tends to do—more answers bring more questions:

Were Maria and her daughter, Eliza, at some point in the household “holdings” of J.W. Claud?

Ultimately, what happened to the land that Maria’s gift helped to buy?

Thomas Payne Harris died without wife or issue. Was his family connected to Maria’s in ways not explored?

Who were the other witnesses to the will of Thomas Payne Harris? Did they have any familial ties to the Clauds or Turners?

Did Maria herself get to enjoy any of the money that she received? What did she do with the rest of the funds?

I took a look at the 1870 U.S. Census and found Maria, Eliza, Henry, and John H. Turner (born about 1856–later to be preacher/teacher/missionary Turner—and my third great-great-grandfather) living very near Thomas Payne Harris and the Joseph W. Claud households.

Interestingly enough, one of the witnesses to Thomas Payne Harris’ will was P.S. Thomas. He would later (in the fall of 1879—per Southampton County DEED BOOK 34 Page 274) advance Henry Turner monies for future crops. This business arrangement would fail spectacularly and end with Thomas/his estate filing suit against Henry and Eliza Turner, and even Maria Gay. During that legal wrangling, Eliza would pass away. I discussed that HERE.

All things considered, I am amazed, delighted, and humbled by this newest discovery. The mystery of Maria Gay continues but this new information helps shed new light on her life. Even with the many questions this new discovery raises, one thing is clear. Maria was a nurturer who was rewarded in this lifetime with appreciation.

Rewarding others for their selfless service is more than the right thing to do, it is (or should be) Common Sense. On behalf of Maria Gay, thank you, Thomas Payne Harris.

What genealogical gems will be discovered next? By the by—this gem was located courtesy of FamilySearch’s experimental labs and I sure am appreciative of this feature/service. Their AI tool is familiarizing itself with old handwriting and searching through unindexed records that would have been/would be very difficult and time-consuming to find otherwise. This is AI in beneficent mode.

That said…

We have a situation. We need to find our people.

The Genealogy Situation Room

•FYI—I utilized some color coding on this post to help me visualize the connections between names and just as a general cognitive aid.