1803 - Williams to Sarah - Charlotte Co, VA

1803 - Williams to Sarah - Charlotte Co, VA

Manumission of Sarah by the last will of Thomas Williams of Charlotte County, VA

06/03/1803

1

I Thomas Williams of sound mind and memory and mindful of the uncertainty of life do make and ordain this to be my last will and testament revoking hereby all others heretofore recorded. First, I desire all my just debts to be paid by the proceeds of he crop now on harvest the crop in cultivation and such part of my perishable estate, not hereafter specifically divided. I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Frances the tract of land whereon I now live lying on Twitties Creek composed of the several parcels of land bought of May Thweatt and Mullins during her natural life only. I also lend to my wife during her natural life only the following slaves to wit Jesse, Phebe, Beck, Frankey, Dolley and Sarah. I also give to my wife to dispose of as she pleases twenty head of cattle, ten sheep, thirty head of hogs, three horses to wit, Paddy, a mare called Margey and her choice of the colt got by Planten & as much provisions as will plentifully maintain herself and family & stock until she can make a crop. I also give to her all my household & kitchen furniture except such as may be hereafter expressly given to some other legacee [sic] and as many of the plantation tools and fowls of every kind as she may think proper. I do will and desire that my son Robert and my two daughters Sally and Peggy may lie with their mother as long as she may think proper and if at any time she shall desire that Robert shall so live separate and part from her. In that case I do direct that the above tract given to my wife for life may be divided by a line drawn from a ford on Twitties Creek near the big log so as to divide the Spring now used by my family and from thence to be continued so as to divide the said tract into two equal parts. Robert is then to take immediate possession of the northern moiety and my wife will retain in her possession the southern moiety only. With regard to the spring my meaning is that they shall equally enjoy the benefit and use of it however it may hereafter change its course of situation. After the death of my wife I give to my son Robert the whole of the tract of land first given to my wife for live to him and his heirs forever. And in case my two daughters Sally and Peggy outlive their mother and remain unmarried, it is my will and desire that they live with my son Robert and work their hands jointly with his. But if they or either of these should disagree with and cannot live in harmony with my son Robert, it is my will & desire that they may live on that moiety already assigned my wife, in case she should not choose to live with Robert and use and enjoy the same as long as they remain unmarried and not longer. I also give to my son Robert a negroe man named Isaac and four ewes to him and to his heirs forever. I also give to my daughter Sally one negro woman named Betty her male child John and her female child Rhody, a negro boy named James one feather bed and furniture a cow and calf and four sheep to her and her heirs forever. I also give to my daughter Peggy one negro woman named Milley, a negro boy named Major a girl named Betta & a negro boy named Clem, one feather bed and furniture a cow and calf and four sheep to her and to her heirs forever. I lend to my daughter Molly Shelton during the joint lives of herself and her husband one hundred acres of Land of the horse pen tract beginning on Brooke line and running parallel with MCargo’s line back to my line making the parcel of one hundred acres of equal worth. I also lend to my said daughter Shelton my slave Kate and a girl named Judy during the joint lives of herself and husband and after their deaths, I will and desire the said one hundred acres of land to be sold, and the money arriving therefrom together with the said two slaves Kate and Judy, and their increase to be equally divided among my said daughters children. It is my will and desire that the residue of my horse pen tract of land be equally divided between my three sons Jeremiah, Matthew, and Martin and their heirs having regard in the division to quality as well as quantity- and I will and desire the division to be made that the plantation in which Matthew lives may have a due proportion of adjoining land, and that the plantation on which Martin lives may have its due proportion of adjoining land, and that the residue of the tract may appertain and go with the mill and that in the division the value of the mill shall not be estimated. After this division is made it is my will that Matthew shall be entitled to that allotment on which he now lives, that Martin shall be entitled to that allotment on which he lives, and that Jeremiah shall be entitled to the residue with the mill to them and their heirs forever. I do lend to my daughter Collier during the joint lives of herself and husband a negro girl named Betsy, a negro girl named Polly and a negro girl named Mary and after their deaths to be equally divided among my said daughter’s children. I do lend to my daughter Nancy Collins a negro woman named Dicey and a girl named Hannah during her natural life only and after her death to be equally divided among her children. I do give to my son Martin a negro man named Sam, a negro man named Bob, a negro woman named Amey, a negro girl named Dilsey to him and his heirs forever. After the death of my wife I will and desire that out of the negroes left to her for life and their increase my daughter Shelton have one other negro, my daughter Colliers one other negro, and my daughter Collins two other negros, the two first during the joint lives of themselves and husbands, and my daughter Collins during her own life only and after their deaths to be divided among their children as in before directed in divises to them and the residue of the said negros left to my wife for life except Sarah I will to be equally divided among my five daughters so that my daughters Shelton, Collins & Collier shall have no greater estate in them than is before directed in divises to them and it is my will and desire that my daughters Shelton, Collins and Collier shall have choice of the four first divided to them in this clause. I will and direct that after the death of my wife, my negro woman Sarah be liberated from any service except what she may voluntarily render and I do hereby direct and request that she may live with either of my children she may choose hereby meaning and intending that she is not to go at large, but to remain with any child she may choose of her discretion. Also the residue of my property both real and personal I desire may be sold and my debts due to me to be collected and the monies applied to the discharges of my just debts, and if there with the crop on hand and crop growing shall not be sufficient to pay all my debts I do direct that the whole of my estate both real and personal may be kept together until by the crops the whole of my debts shall be fully discharged and should it be necessary to help my estate together I wish and direct during that time my wife and two single daughters may have a comfortable maintenance. It is my will and desire that wherever I have given female negros, the future increase from this date shall be considered as part of the gift and upon the same terms of the gift. Lastly I do will and desire that the residue of my property both real and personal be equally divided among all my children and I do hereby appoint my sons Jeremiah Williams and Robert Williams executors of this my last will and testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand affixed my seal in presence of the subscribing witnesses who subscribed their names as witnesses in my presence this twentieth day of April one thousand eight hundred and three.
Thomas Williams (seal)
In presence of W.M. Watkins, James Mullins,
James Mullins Jun.

At a court held for Charlotte County the 6th day of June 1803.
This last will and testament of Thomas Williams deceased was presented in court by Jeremiah Williams one of the Executors herein named and the same was proved by the oath of William M. Watkins, James Mullins, and James Mullins jun. the three witnesses hereto subscribed and ordered to be recorded.
Teste, Thomas Read, Clerk

At a Court held for the said County the 3rd day of October 1803.
On the motion of Jeremiah Williams and Robert Williams the executors herein named who made oath according to law certificate is granted them for obtaining a probate of the said will in due form they giving security whereupon they with Charley Daniel, Collier Hutcherson, John Roberts and William Dupree their securities entered into and acknowledged their bond according to law for that purpose.

Teste, Thomas Read, Clerk Truly Recorded, Thomas Read, CC

WB 2:244-245

LW&T