1824 - Neill to Frederick - Lee Co, VA

1824 - Neill to Frederick - Lee Co, VA

05/03/1824

1

In the name of God Amen. I William Neill of Lee County & State of Virginia being weak in body but of sound mind & disposing memory (for which I thank God) & calling to mind the uncertainty of human life & being desirous to dispose of all such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with. I therefore give bequeath & dispose of the same in the following manner, that is to say.
First, I desire & direct that my Executors hereafter appointed so soon as practicable after my decease proceed to settle all my debts & funeral expenses out of my estate.
2ndly. I desire that my negro man Frederick within five years after my decease be liberated and set free for his careful industry and diligent servitude rendered to me in my life time, and I also desire that he may have the care of his own family during the above mentioned term of five years together with a work horse & farming utensils sufficient to cultivate a farm, a cow & calf & a sow & pigs to enable him to raise his children out of my estate.
3rdly I desire that my youngest daughter Eudocia have two good feather beds & furniture & besides that an equal part of my estate with the rest of my children.
And best remember that I have given my son Jeremiah H. Neill six hundred dollars & took his receipt for the same & exonerate me from giving him anything more in future.
4thly I desire that my tract of land containing two hundred acres adjoining William Ewing be reserved for Frederick my negro man for five years & that he have the use of the same for that length of time to assist in raising his family & for the support of my infant daughter Eudocia.
5thly I desire & direct that all my estate both real & personal be equally divided amongst my children except Jeremiah H. Neill to whom I have given his full share.
6thly I do hereby cancel, revoke & disannul all and every will & testament by me heretofore made written or subscribed, and I do hereby make ordain & declare this to be my last will & testament.
7thly & lastly, I do hereby constitute & appoint my beloved son & son in law Stephen T. Neill & John D. Sharp my sole executors to this my last will & testament, and do earnestly request that they take upon themselves the execution thereof conforming themselves to the true spirit & meaning thereof producing peace & harmony among all those interested.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name & affixed my seal this 3rd day of May 1824.
Signed, sealed & acknowledged Wm. Neill (seal)
in presence of
Elkanah Wynne
John Carne
Alexander W. Mills

I William Neill of the County of Lee do make and ordain this as a codicil to my last will and testament this day made by me, and executed in the presence of Alexander W. Mills, Elkanah Wynne and John Carne, subscribing witnesses thereto, to wit, there may be some instances where I have sold lands in this county, the conveyances for which are not yet made. Now I do hereby authorize my executors named in said will, in all such case, to make proper conveyances for the said lands to the person or persons entitled to the same.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed my seal to this codicil to the said will, this 3rd day of May in the year of Christ 1824.

Signed, sealed and acknowledged William Neill (seal)
in the presence of the undersigned
witnesses called on by the testators
who subscribed the same in his
presence of
John Fulkerson
Elkanah Wynne
John Carnes

William Neill Will
Recorded Page 101 2 of 3
Exd
1-101

Misc. Wills 1:101

Last Will & Testament

Frederick to be allowed to care for his family in the time prior to his manumission, also provided farming tools and livestock "sufficient to cultivate a farm" and "enable him to raise his children out of my estate"