In the Name of God
Amen I Peter Jefferson of the County of Abemarle being of perfect and
sound memory (for which I bless God) Do make and Publish this my Last Will and
Testament revoking & annulling all former or other Wills by me heretofore
made in manner & form following that is to say Imprima I Give and devise to
my Dear & Well beloved Wife Jane Jefferson for and During her
Natural Life or Widdowhood the use and profits of the House &
plantation wherein I now live comprehending four hundred acres of Land
being the same I purchased from the Late William Randolph of Tuckahoe Esqr the
Water mill only Excepted Item I Give and bequeath unto my Dear Wife the
sixth part of my Slaves During her Natural Life which slaves I
hereby impower her by a Deed Executed in her Lifetime or by her Last Will and
Testament to dispose of amongst & to such & so many of my Children as
she shall think fit but if she shall fail or omitt to make such Disposition
then my Will is that such as shall be undisposed of by her be Equally
Divided between my two sons Thomas & Randolph in the
same manner as I have Directed my other slaves to be Divided Item my Will is
that my Wife shall have & Enjoy all my Hous hold stuff (my Cherry
Tree Desk and Bookcase only Excepted) dureing her Natural Life or Widowhood
with full power and liberty to Disposing of1 the
same amongst my Children according to her discretion & if any part thereof
shall remain undisposed of at the time of her Death or Marriage then my Will is
that the same be Disposed of by my Execrs as to them shall seem
most to the Interest & Benefit of my Children Item I Give and bequeath to
my Daughter Jane one of my two Negro Girls Chloe or Patt,
which she shall Chuse and her futur Increase to her and her Heirs
forever and the sum of two hundred pounds to be paid unto her in one year after
she shall Attain the age of twenty one years or shall marry which ever shall
first Happen Item I Give and bequeath to my Daughter Mary my Negro
Girl nan salls Daughter & her future Increase to her and her
Heirs forever & the sum of two hundred pounds to be paid unto her in the
like manner as is appointed for the Payment of her sister Janes Fortune
Item I give & bequeath unto my Daughter Elizabeth my Negro
Girl Cate & her futer Increas to her and her Heirs forever &
the sum of two hundred Pounds to be paid in Like manner as is appointed for the
Payment of her sister Janes Fortune Item I Give & bequeath unto
my Daughter Martha my mulattoe Girl named Rachel & her
future Increase to her & her Heirs forever & the sum of Two hundred
Pounds to be paid unto her in the like manner as is appointed for the Payment
of her sister Janes Fortune Item I Give & bequeath unto my
Daughter Lucy my Negro Wench Cutchina & her Child Phebe together
with their Future Increase to her and her Heirs forever and the sum of two
hundred Pounds to be paid unto her in the like manner as is appointed for the
Payment of her sister Janes Fortune Item I Give and bequeath unto my
Daughter Anne Scoot my Negro Girl Eve and her future
increase to her and her Heirs forever and the sum of two hundred Pounds to be
paid in as is appointed for the payment of her other sisters Fortunes that is
to say in one year after she shall attain the age of twenty one years
or shall Marry whichsoever shall first happen: and if it shall happen that any
of the slaves bequeathed to my Daughters as aforesd die
before they come to the Possession of my said Daughters respectively then it is
my Will that such & so many Female slaves of near the same age be
set apart out of my Estate & Given to such Daughter or Daughters
whose slaves shall be so Dead in the list thereof and if any of my
said daughters die before they attain the age of twenty one years or marry then
it is my Will that the Portion or Legacys bequeathed to such Daughter Immerge
into my Estate & that no Distribution thereof be made: and it is my Will
& Desire that what ready money I may have & Debts owing to me at the
time of my Death together with the clear Profits of my Estate (after the
maintainance of my Family & Education of my Children is provided for) shall
be appropriated to the Paying off my Daughters Portions at the respective times
they become due & if these should prove insufficient for that purpose I
then & in that case Empower & authorise my Execrs to
sell & Convey my Lands in the Countys of Cumberland & Bedford in
such manner & in such proportions as shall make Good the Deficiency the
Lands in Cumberland being to be first sold Item I Give & Bequeath
to my son Thomas my mulattoe Fellow sawney my Books
mathematical Instruments & my Cherry Tree Desk and Book case Item I Give
unto my son Randolph [. . .] My Negro Boy Peter Mytillas Son
to him and his Heirs forever Item I give and bequeath all my Slaves not herein
otherwise disposed of to be equally divided between my two Sons Thomas and Randolph,
at such Time as my son Thomas shall attain the Age of twenty one
years each of my said Sons to have and to hold the Slaves allotted to them on
such Division to them and their Heirs forever, but Subject nevertheless to this
Condition, that the Estate bequeathed to my son Thomas, as to the clear
Profits thereof, be and remain equally liable with my other Estates to provide
for the Maintenance and Support of my Family, the Education of my younger
Children, and the Payment of my Daughters Portions. Item I give and devise unto
my Son Thomas either my Lands on the Rivanna River and it’s
Branches, or my Lands on the Fluvanna in Albemarle County which
I purchased from John & Noble Ladds, together with all my
other Lands adjacent thereto which I have taken up by Virtue of an Order of
Council which of the two he shall choose he being to make his Election within
one year after he shall attain to the age of Twenty one years if he be at that
time in this colony but if he be out of the same then he shall make his
Election in six months after his Return therto Item I Give and devise to my
son Randolph & his Heirs forever either my Land on the Rivanna and
its branches or my Land on the Fluvannah in Albemarle County which
I purchased of John & Noble Ladds together my other
Lands thereto adjacent which I have taken up & surveyed by Virtue of an
order of Council after my son thomas has made his Election &
Choice which of the two he will take Item I Give & Devise unto which soever
of my said sons shall be possest of my Lands on the Fluvanna River to them and
their Heirs forever the Land I hold on Hard ware River in partnership
with Authur Hopkins and others called the Limestone Land and wheareas
I have Bought of one Joseph Smith two hundred acres of Land Joyning
to my Lands on the Rivanna River being part of a Tract of Land
Granted to Edwin Hickman by Pattent & others for which I have no
Deed my Desire is that my Execrs procure from the said Joseph
Smith a Conveyance to them in Trust for the use of such one of my
sons Thomas or Randolph as shall Take my other Lands on
the Rivanna River & its branches which is left to the Election of
my said son Thomas in the Devise of the said Lands Item whereas I
have a right to and Interest in Certain Lands, on the branches
of missisippi River in Partnership with Doctor Thomas Walker &
others & to two hundred acres on Rocky Run in albemarle
County in parthership with John Harvie & others whereon it
is immagined to be a Vein of Copper Oar my Desire is that my Execrs sell
& Convey or Otherwise dispose of the same in such manner as shall to them
seem to be the most for the benefit of my Famely & any money that may arise
from the sale or Profits thereof to be equally Divided amongst my Children Item
whereof I have surveyed and laid of for James Spears one hundred
acres of Land on Carrols Creek adjoining the Land he lives upon which
is not yet Conveyed to him I therefore Impower my Execrs to
Convey it to him in Fee simple whenever he shall require the same
Item it is my Will
and desire that all my Family live & be maintained & my Children
Educated out of the Profits of my Estate until such time as they shall severly
Attain to the age of Twenty one years or marry and at what time soever my
Wife shall require a Division of my Estate & to have her part
ascertained & laid out for her (which on her Request my Execrs are
hereby Authorised to do without any Judgment or Decree of the Court for that
Purpose) I Order & appoint that my Execrs shall pay and
deliver unto her for her only use and behoof one full & Equal third part of
all my real Cattle Hoggs & sheep that shall be at any or all my plantations
together with two Good serviceable Work Horses and further it is my Will &
I Do hereby Appoint & direct that if any Diffirence or dispute shall
hereafter arise amongst my Children about the distribution of my Estate that
the same shall be finally determined by my Execrs or such of
them as shall remain & be alive at the time & if they should all be
dead that then such Difference or Dispute shall be finally Determined by the
three first Justices in the Commission of the peace for that County where the
matter or thing shall Lye, and if any of my Children shall refuse to abide by
such Determination then it is my Will that such Child or Children shall foever
forfit all manner of Claim and right either in Law or Equity to the thing in
Dispute
Item I Give &
bequeath to my Executors herein after mentioned all my stocks of Horses Cattle
Hoggs & sheep (excepting the part already bequeathed to my Wife) to be
disposed of by their discretion for the support & Maintainance of my Famely
& for the benifit of my two sons equally & for no other use or purpose
whatsoever
Item I do Give &
bequeath unto my son Thomas all the residue of my Estate whether real
or Personal of what kind soever and finally I do appoint Constitu[t]e &
Ordain The Honorable Peter Randolph Esqr Thomas
Turpin the Elder John Nicholas Doctor Thomas Walker & John
Harvie Execrs of this my last will & Testament &
Guardian to all my children In Testimony whereof I have signed sealed &
Published this as my Last Will and Testament on the thirteenth Day of July
in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty seven
Note the Words
(& Guardians to all my Children) were Interlined before signed In Presence
of
|
John Bell |
Peter Jefferson
(Ls) |
|
Edwin Hickman |
|
|
Samuel Cobbs |
At a Court Held
for Albemarle County the thirteenth Day of October 1757 This
Last Will and Testament of Peter Jefferson Gent. decd was presented to Court by
one of the Exors therein named proved by the Oaths of John Bell Edwin
Hickman & Samuel Cobbs the Witnesses thereto & Ordered
to be record and At another, Court Held for the said County the tenth Day
of November 1757 On the Motion of John Harvie Thomas Walker & John
Nicholas three of the Exors therein named who made Oath According to Law
Certificate was Granted them for Obtaining a Probat thereof in due Form giveing
securety
No comments:
Post a Comment