43Note: The picturesque and interesting Will of this devout German Lutheran pioneer is somewhat typical of Wills made by educated religious men of this early period as may be seen from the following copy of the manuscript. Because of the general interest of so many people who now occupy this area, the Will is included in its entirety. [Additions made to version from article in "Greeneville Sun", 15 Jun 1957, to conform to copy of handwritten will]
CHRISTIAN BIBLE DIED Monday, 22d Oct, 1833 [followed by Min. 17, p.76]
The execution of the Last Will and Testament of Christian Bible Dec'd, was duly proven in open court by the oath of George Easterly and Lewis Stolz, the subscribing witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded. and is as follows:
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN.
I, Christian Bible, of the county of Greene, and the State of Tennessee, being in a state of good health and perfect mind and memory, but calling to mind the mortality of mankind that it is appointed for all men once to die, I therefore make this instrument of writing to be my last will and testament in the manner and form as followeth:
Viz. 1, I will that all my lawful debts shall first be paid out of my estate.
Secondly, I give and bequeath unto my dear beloved wife, Margareth, the dwelling house, the well and milk house, the garden and as much fruit as she is in need of, likewise five bushels of wheat, five bushels of rye, and two bushels of corn, one hundred weight of pork, fifty weight of beef, one bushel of salt, one quarter of an acre of flax, two pairs of shoes annually, one cow and two sheep, the same shall be kept for her own use and purpose in the summer pasture and in the winter they shall be feed for her as long as she keeps my name and be my widow, further it is my will that my wife Margareth, shall have all the household furniture the same or such as she brought into my house when I married her, for her own self.
I give and bequeath unto my oldest son, John Bible, one hundred acres of land, the same plantation whereon he now dwells.
And unto my son, George Bible, I give and bequeath a certain tract or parcel of land, the same whereon he now lives, the number of acres not known, it being a tract I bought of George Reitzel with an addition of a part of my old tract beginning at a sugar tree to divide the part of the old tract before mentioned between George and Adam, then to a Branch, thence with the same to its mouth into the creek to a pin oak stump, thence to a box elder on the line of the aforesaid Reitzel tract.
And to my son, Lewis Bible, I give and bequeath a certain tract or parcel of land containing one hundred acres the same whereon he now lives.
And to my son, Jacob Bible, I give and bequeath a certain tract or parcel of land containing eighty-three acres, the same more or less adjoining John Bible's land and the old place.
And to my son Abraham Bible, I give and bequeath a certain tract or parcel of land, the number of acres not know, be it begins on John Bible's upper corner, a hackberry tree from thence north to a cedar stake corner to Adam's, thence with Adam's line to Daniel Coffman's line, Thence with said Coffman's line west to the creek, thence up and with said Creek to the beginning.
And to my son Isaac Bible, I give and bequeath the old plantation and all appurtenance thereunto belonging, except what is herein willed aforesaid unto my wife, Margareth, during her life or widowhood.
And my will and desire is that every part of the land herein bequeathed to my sons John, George, Adam, Lewis, Jacob, Abraham and Isaac Bible shall be valued by three good and sensible freeholders what every part of land may be worth, and that one whose land is valued higher shall and must give to the other whos land is not worth so much, that they may all be equal in sharing of the land, they may pay other as well as they can agree together.
And my son John Bible shall receive of my moveable estate the just and full sum whatever he has paid to John Nehs Senior up to the present time for the land which I bought from Michael Dettemore. The plantation of one hundred acres lying and being on Wolfs Creek shall (if I do not sell it before my decease), and equally divided amongst all my children and likewise my moveable Estate shall be sold and divided amongst all my children namely, John, George, Adam, Lewis, Jacob, Abraham and Isaac Bible, Elizabeth, Catherine and Sarah Bible.
And it is my will and desire that every one of my daughters (Mary excepted)shall receive after my decease twelve months the sum of fifty pounds in good trade at cash price.
And to my two Grand Children, daughters of my son, Christian Bible deceased, I give and bequeath five dollars to the eldest, Elizabeth, and to the youngest, Anny, one dollar.
My daughter Elizabeth, the wife of Isaac Crezilies, shall receive the sum of fifty-pounds as aforesaid, and Mary, the wife of Jacob Easterly, one dollar, and Catherine, the wife of Phillip Easterly, the sum of fifty pounds as aforesaid, and to Sarah, the wife of Jacob Bortle, the sum of fifty pounds as aforesaid, and those payments equally paid by my sons agreeable to the valuation of their lands as aforesaid.
And it is my will and desire that my two youngest sons, Abraham and Isaac Bible shall receive first out of moveable estate each of them a good horse saddle and bridle and a good home made rifle gun.
And further it is my will and desire that my daughter, Sarah shall receive out of my estate the same furniture as one of her sisters has received.
And it is my will and desire that whatever I have herein bequeathed unto my wife Margareth, shall be delivered unto her annually by my sons agreeable to the valuation of their lands, except the flax, wintering and pasturing of the aforesaid stock which my son isaac shall do and also to find her in firewood, do her milking, to prevent her from that which would be unfit for her to do.
And I do appoint and constitute my two trusty friends and sons John Bible and Philip Easterly, Executors of this my last Will and Testament in order that this and no other instrument of writing is but this my last Will and Testament. I renounce and revoke all others and do certify that this and no other to be my last Will and Testament.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have herunto set my hand and seal this thirteenth day of July in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty Four.
Signed and sealed in the presence of:
George Easterly
Lewis Stolz
Christian Bible X his mark
And thereupon came John Bible and Philip Easterly, The Executors named in said will and entered into bond with Adam Bible and Jacob Bible Securities in the sum of four thousand dollars with conditions as the law direct and having taken an oath to execute said will, it is ordered that letters testamentary issue to them accordingly.

43Note:
n 1782 through 1784 Christian was living in Hampshire County, Virginia (Virginia State Census). In 1782 there were 6 white souls in Christians household and in 1784 there were 7. However, according to "The Coffelt History Notebook, the 1784 census shows Christian with 7 people, 1 dwelling, and 3 slaves.
In 1786, Christian was apparently in Hardy Co, VA, as the Land Tax list shows him with 103 acres. He also appears on the tax lists for Hardy Co in 1787 and 1788.
In 1791 and 1792 Christian was living in Greene Co., TN in Captain Walker's Company and owned 100 acres of land(Greene Co., TN Tax List).
On August 15, 1795 Christian was ordered to serve with others to lay off a road running from Warrens Mill on Little Chucky to Greeneville via John Biggs plantation(Greene Co., TN Court of Common Pleas, page 403). On November 16, 1796 Christian purchased 152 acres of land located on Little Chuckey Creek from John Wilson (Greene Co., TN Deed Book number two and page 531). This deed indicated that Christian was already a resident of Greene County. See also Greene Co., TN Court of Common Pleas, page 478 dated 11/19/1796.
According to Greene County Tax Records, Christian lived in the county from 1791 through 1830(Tax Records do not exist for all the years between 1791 and 1830, the last one checked). Christian purchased lands on the waters of Little Chucky and in 1811 the Greene County Tax Record listed his combined total land holdings at 468 acres. His homestead was supposedly located across the Little Chuckey River from the present day covered bridge linking the Warrensburg Highway with Denver Bible's farm. Denver apparently owns part of Christian's old homestead(1986).
* Note:

Note: The birth date of Christian is recorded in the New Hanover Lutheran Church record book of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. This record also indicates he was baptised February 9, 1752, sponsored by Christian Kurtz and Elizabeth Borchart. Montgomery Co did not exist at the time of his birth, the county was actually Philadelphia Co. Montgomery Co. was formed in 1770.
Christian wrote his Will on July 13, 1824 and it was probated in Greene Co., TN on October 22, 1833. The inventory of his estate was recorded on January 28, 1833 (Greene Co., TN Inventory of Estates, volumn January 1828 to June 1843, page 305 dated January 28, 1833). Christian's Will mentions his children by name including Christian Jr. who had died in 1806 and also his second wife Margareth. The death date of Christian is recorded in the family Bible belonging to his youngest son Isaac(Greene Co., TN Pioneer May 1990 issue).
Christian and Margareth are buried in the Gum Springs cemetery located down the Warrensburg Highway from Christian's homestead. A worn and weathered stone marks their final resting place and because of the nature of the tombstone selected, any inscriptions on the rock have long since disappeared.

Children:

Bible, Abraham
Bible, Catherine
Bible, Lewis
Bible, Jacob
Bible, Sarah
Bible, Isaac