Susannah’s Will

Because of the pre-nup agreement, Jesse didn’t automatically get any of Susannah’s estate.  However, she did include him, giving him horse, a bed, first choice of furniture, and all the farming utensils.

 

Kentucky Bank Shares

Susannah had shares of stock in the Bank of Kentucky.  When issued, these shares had a value of $100 each.  She gave four shares of stock to her husband, and three shares to her brother Isaac.  She gave her niece Susannah (Lewis) Finley six shares and her niece Susannah (Lewis) Ellis, my 4th great grandmother, three shares. 

I don’t know why the two Susannahs were called out to receive significant inheritances.  Perhaps it was simply because they were her namesakes.  However, Susannah’s first husband John Butcher had also named Susannah (Lewis) Finley in his will, giving her a cow.  Thus, she likely was very close to his wife or both of them.  According to AI, by leaving stock to her nieces with her name, she was likely attempting to ensure that her name continued to be associated with status and wealth in the next generation.

Susannah wanted two shares of bank stock be sold with the proceeds shared between her a long list of people.  It would seem that was a way to include them in her will without giving them a significant amount of money. (Names included: her brother Isaac Lewis, Isaac’s daughters Anny Lewis and Betsy Lewis, James Lewis’ daughters Nancy and Tacy,  Kesiah Beverly, Anny Lilley, and her husband’s daughter Polly Johnson.)

She also gave $150 from her stock to Sterling Johnson, who it appears is likely Jesse’s son by a previous marriage.

Personal Items & Wearing Apparel 

Items For Valitia, Randol, and Vincent

Susannah provided some items for the three oldest of her slaves.  Vincent and Randol each received a coverlet (bedspread) that were woven in the “bird’s-eye” twill pattern.  Randol also received a linsey blcnet, which was a very warm handmade blanket.  He also received one dress that was to be used as fabric to make clothes for him.

Valitia received numerous items, likely to give her a start in life as a newly free person.  Valitia received all of Susannah’s “coarse” clothing, which would have been her everyday work clothes.  In addition, she was to receive two of the  “coarsest” of Susannah’s homemade dresses.  Susannah also provided her with approximately twenty yards of linen.  For her bed, Valitia received a green hand-woven coverlet  that was woven in the “bird’s-eye” twill pattern and a a linsey blanket.  Lastly, she received a trunk in which to keep her new clothing.

 

Her Step-daughter Polly Johnson

Susannah’s step-daughter Polly Johnson received several items, which shows that they maintained a close or at the very least very cordial relationship.  To wear, Polly received a flowered black silk shawl and a white-ground dress with green spots.  This was a light-weight everyday dress.  It is likely that Polly received this dress instead of a fancier dress as she was still a teenager at the time the will was written

For her bed, Polly received a counterpane (bedspread, quilt) that featured the nine snow ball design.  She also received a trunk and a whip.

 

The Changeable Silk Dresses

Susannah owned two changeable silk dresses.  These dresses were made of 100% silk taffeta with fabric woven with one color of thread used horizontally and another vertically.  It was an ultra luxury fabric.  The dress would appear to be one color.  However, the presence of the two colors created  “an iridescent, shimmering effect.”  As the wearer moved or the light changed, the dress would appear to change color.

These dresses were very valuable.  They would have been professionally made as working with this fabric required special skills and the dresses had to be fitted perfectly.  Additionally, the fabric itself was quite expensive.  It would have been imported and the color choice could add significantly to the cost, which is estimated in that time period to be around $75 per dress for evening wear.  However, some changeable silk dresses exceeded $100 in value.  The value varied depending on the specific style and the embellishments on the dress.

Susannah likely wore these dresses to balls, formal dinners, or when calling on on someone of status.  They were clearly designed to make Susannah stand out as the primary colors were yellow for one and red for the other.

Yellow was a color associated with high-fashion.  It took special skills to dye changeable silks yellow making it a bit more rare, but it also was seen as a turning point toward optimism and bringing sunny skies into clothing.  It was also considered a bit daring.  The yellow likely was paired with white with green, or blue.  These would have created a sunny look, a lime shimmer, and a iridescent gold, respectively.

The red dress may have cost more to dye depending on the specific “red” of the dress.  Vibrant red required expensive special dyes and techniques.  Red changeable silks often paired the red with black, blue, or white.  The white created a silvery rose effect while the blue created a purple effect and the black a more of a crimson.  This dress would have turned heads.  Everyone would have noticed this powerful, daring woman.

The dresses were given to two women who I believe were her nieces.  If the dresses didn’t fit or couldn’t be slightly modified, they could have a dressmaker take the dress apart, clean the material, and resew it into an different style that could be made with the quantity of material salvageable. 

 

Other Fine Clothing

Lustring Silk Dress

Susannah Finley, who received the most shares in the Bank of Kentucky, inherited a black lustring silk dress.  The dress would have had a glossy shine created by stretching the silk during the weaving, which caused it to shimmer in candlelight.  The cloth was surprisingly stiff and would likely have had significant ruffles or other decoration at the hem.  The material would have made a rustling sound when she walked.

Susannah would have worn this dress for sophisticated events, events where she wanted to put on an air of wealth, and for second-mourning.  In the early stages of mourning, a woman would never wear a shiny dress.  However, in the second stage, the dress was perfect as it was shiny, but black.  This showed that she was beginning to transition out of mourning.  Susannah had likely obtained the dress when her first husband died if not before.

Like, red, black was an expensive dye unless you wanted the black to appear as an off-color.  Thus, a black lustering silk dress was no small purchase.  However, it was a good one as it stayed in style for decades.  The younger Susannah could continue to wear the dress for decades.

 

Slip Jaconet Dress

Susannah Finley’s sister Mary inherited a slip Jaconet dress.  Although made of cotton, this dress was also a sign of luxury.  The bright white garment was made of expensive, high quality, imported cotton.  It could only be worn by a woman of higher-society because maintaining the pure white polished look was very difficult.  However, unlike silk, it could be laundered and it could stand up to bleach.

The slip jaconett dress was simple and usually had minimal sleeves if any.  It was used as a layer underneath a lace or sheer tunics or frock. The pure white accentuated the color and design of the top layer.  It could be paired with many different top layers to create a variety of outfits.  However, they were not necessarily plain as many had extensive embroidery.  It was often also done in white using various techniques to create interesting textures.

The slip jaconet dress with its appropriate outer layer would be worn to daytime parties or when calling on friends.

 

Dress and Shawl

Another woman inherited a dress that was described as deep blue ground with white stripes.  The deep blue was another color associated with sophistication.  Thin white stripes were added as a popular accent as they were used to show-off the empire waists, high under the breast, that were popular at the time.  The stripes could be achieved via weaving white cloth in with the blue or by using a process that removed the blue dye to create the stripes.

This dress was to be worn in the daytime with different uses based on the type of fabric.  She could have worn it for a walk in the park or to make afternoon social calls.  No matter where Susannah wore the dress, it showed that she was a sensible woman who had authority.

The same woman received a striped red silk shawl.  The shawl would have been lightweight and likely had a bit of a sheen.  The stripes were probably added during the weaving process.  The most popular style during this era was to have horizontal stripes on the ends.  However, it could have had vertical pinstripes throughout the shawl.

It is unlikely that the two were meant to be worn together unless it was to be a patriotic outfit.  However, since both were striped, that may have been the intent.

Miscellaneous Other Clothing 

Susan Finley, who seemed close to Susannah, also received a riding dress saddle and blanket.  Sterling Johnson received a trunk and a blanket.

Susannah gave her two living sisters and sister-in-laws her caps and handkerchiefs.  They were to be divided equally among them.  The remainder of her clothing, including her stockings, were to be divided between ten different women including two that may have been friends as Susannah did not state a relationship to her and I have not found that they were related.

 

Her Silver Watch

Almost as an after thought, Susannah added that she bequeathed her silver watch to her husband Jesse.  It is likely that he gave it to her and she wanted him to have it as a token of their time together.