1801 - Lewis to Richard - Spotsylvania Co, VA
Manumission Item Data Item Type Metadata
Manumitter
Manumitted
Number of Persons
1
Text of Freedom Document
In the name of God Amen I James Lewis of the County of Spotsylvania being of sound mind & memory do make and ordain this my last will & testament in manner & form following, that is to say it is my will and desire that my just debts should be first paid & fully satisfied.
Item I give and bequeath to my dear wife Elizabeth Lewis four slaves thus named Lucy and her three children Winey, Ajax & Dick to her and her heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath unto my dear wife Elizabeth Lewis (during her natural life) the whole of my estate both real and personal and at her death to be divided as following:
Item I give and bequeath to my nephew James Lewis all that tract or parcel of land lying on the northwest side of what we call Lewis’s River, beginning where my fence joins the Mill Bridge on said River, and to continue that fence as the present lane runs until it strikes the road out to Fredericksburg and with that road to a corner with Hez’h Ellis’s line, and with the said Hezekiah Ellis’s line, until it intersects with a corner of Oliver Towle’s line, until it hits the line of Robert Cammacks land which was also the land of John Chew’s estate, and with his line, until it intersects with the line of Ann Chew’s dower land, and with her line to the corner of the north branch of New Lick from thereon down said branch to where it intersects with the south or main branch of New Lick and so down the said branch to the river aforesaid, and up the same to the Beginning, the within mentioned land of Robert Cammack is included in this gift of the bargain’s lands between the said Robert Cammack and myself, as I have contracted for the same it containing thirty seven acres and a half lot no.8. The whole of the above mentioned tact of land here described as well as I can, as also the money I am liable to pay as security for the said James Lewis to a certain [illegible] Southcomb which bond is in the hands of Robert Patton of Fredsburg [sic]. I give & bequeath to him & his heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath to my dear niece Lucy Miner daughter of my friend, the slaves following (to wit): Lettie & her three children: Will, Harry, and Willis, and all her future increase to her & her heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath to my nephew William Grymes Maury, son of my friend Walker Maury, all that tract or parcel of land purchased of Henry Robinson containing about ninety seven acres, be the same as by deed recorded in Spotsylvania Cout will more fully appear to him & his heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath to my nephew William Lewis all the remainder of my estate both real and personal after the death of my dear wife Elizabeth Lewis (except my old man Richard) to him and his heirs forever. Let it be remembered at the same time that one half the mill on the estate is the property of my friend Edward [?Herndon?] built at our joint expense, and I do enjoin that any request he shall make was to confirm a title of the said one half to him and his heirs forever may be made without any aversion whatever. As to my old faithful servant Richard, it is my request he may be set free from labor, to be supported out of my estate in a decent like manner so long as he thinks property to live with.
I lastly constitute and appoint my friends Edward Herndon & John Miner Herndon my Executors to this my last will & testament. Given under my hand and seal this 20th day of August one thousand eight hundred.
Ja’s Lewis (seal)
Mem: It is my wish that my estate may be inventoried but not appraised.
Ja’s Lewis
A codicil to this my last will and testament, made this 26th day of May 1801.
Item Three of the negroes Lucy, Ajax and Dick devised to my wife, I do hereby give to William G. Mury together with a home, a yoke of oxen, & a cow which my wife is at liberty to put into his possession at any time she thinks proper.
Item It is my will and desire that all the residue of my slave except Winney who I have given to my dear wife and my old man Richard who I have directed to be set free, be equally divided between my two nephews James & William Lewis and my niece Lucy Miner of Debney Miner.
Item I give to my niece Elizabeth Waller, daughter of Thomas Miner two cows, all the rest of my stock and furniture. It is my will & desire that it may be divided between my two nephews James & William Lewis & I do hereby revoke the devise to James Lewis of the debt of money which was his security to Southcomb for.
Item It is my will and desire that my Executors sell & convey any part of my estate both real or personal that they may think best for the payment of my debts.
Item It is my will and desire that my Executors hold in their own hands all the property which I have given to my nephew James Lewis and appropriate the same as they may think fit for the support of my said nephew James & his family nevertheless with power to convey the same to him or his heirs whenever they think proper, and should they die without making any disposal of the same, that then my said nephew is to hold the same during his life and at his death to go to his heirs.
And lastly nothing in this codicil contained is to be understood to revoke or in any manner to effect the bequest of my whole estate to my dear wife during her life.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day & year above written.
Signed, sealed & published James Lewis (seal)
in presence of
Jane Hart
Jane Herndon
Edward Herndon
Item I give and bequeath to my dear wife Elizabeth Lewis four slaves thus named Lucy and her three children Winey, Ajax & Dick to her and her heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath unto my dear wife Elizabeth Lewis (during her natural life) the whole of my estate both real and personal and at her death to be divided as following:
Item I give and bequeath to my nephew James Lewis all that tract or parcel of land lying on the northwest side of what we call Lewis’s River, beginning where my fence joins the Mill Bridge on said River, and to continue that fence as the present lane runs until it strikes the road out to Fredericksburg and with that road to a corner with Hez’h Ellis’s line, and with the said Hezekiah Ellis’s line, until it intersects with a corner of Oliver Towle’s line, until it hits the line of Robert Cammacks land which was also the land of John Chew’s estate, and with his line, until it intersects with the line of Ann Chew’s dower land, and with her line to the corner of the north branch of New Lick from thereon down said branch to where it intersects with the south or main branch of New Lick and so down the said branch to the river aforesaid, and up the same to the Beginning, the within mentioned land of Robert Cammack is included in this gift of the bargain’s lands between the said Robert Cammack and myself, as I have contracted for the same it containing thirty seven acres and a half lot no.8. The whole of the above mentioned tact of land here described as well as I can, as also the money I am liable to pay as security for the said James Lewis to a certain [illegible] Southcomb which bond is in the hands of Robert Patton of Fredsburg [sic]. I give & bequeath to him & his heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath to my dear niece Lucy Miner daughter of my friend, the slaves following (to wit): Lettie & her three children: Will, Harry, and Willis, and all her future increase to her & her heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath to my nephew William Grymes Maury, son of my friend Walker Maury, all that tract or parcel of land purchased of Henry Robinson containing about ninety seven acres, be the same as by deed recorded in Spotsylvania Cout will more fully appear to him & his heirs forever.
Item I give and bequeath to my nephew William Lewis all the remainder of my estate both real and personal after the death of my dear wife Elizabeth Lewis (except my old man Richard) to him and his heirs forever. Let it be remembered at the same time that one half the mill on the estate is the property of my friend Edward [?Herndon?] built at our joint expense, and I do enjoin that any request he shall make was to confirm a title of the said one half to him and his heirs forever may be made without any aversion whatever. As to my old faithful servant Richard, it is my request he may be set free from labor, to be supported out of my estate in a decent like manner so long as he thinks property to live with.
I lastly constitute and appoint my friends Edward Herndon & John Miner Herndon my Executors to this my last will & testament. Given under my hand and seal this 20th day of August one thousand eight hundred.
Ja’s Lewis (seal)
Mem: It is my wish that my estate may be inventoried but not appraised.
Ja’s Lewis
A codicil to this my last will and testament, made this 26th day of May 1801.
Item Three of the negroes Lucy, Ajax and Dick devised to my wife, I do hereby give to William G. Mury together with a home, a yoke of oxen, & a cow which my wife is at liberty to put into his possession at any time she thinks proper.
Item It is my will and desire that all the residue of my slave except Winney who I have given to my dear wife and my old man Richard who I have directed to be set free, be equally divided between my two nephews James & William Lewis and my niece Lucy Miner of Debney Miner.
Item I give to my niece Elizabeth Waller, daughter of Thomas Miner two cows, all the rest of my stock and furniture. It is my will & desire that it may be divided between my two nephews James & William Lewis & I do hereby revoke the devise to James Lewis of the debt of money which was his security to Southcomb for.
Item It is my will and desire that my Executors sell & convey any part of my estate both real or personal that they may think best for the payment of my debts.
Item It is my will and desire that my Executors hold in their own hands all the property which I have given to my nephew James Lewis and appropriate the same as they may think fit for the support of my said nephew James & his family nevertheless with power to convey the same to him or his heirs whenever they think proper, and should they die without making any disposal of the same, that then my said nephew is to hold the same during his life and at his death to go to his heirs.
And lastly nothing in this codicil contained is to be understood to revoke or in any manner to effect the bequest of my whole estate to my dear wife during her life.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the day & year above written.
Signed, sealed & published James Lewis (seal)
in presence of
Jane Hart
Jane Herndon
Edward Herndon
Record Location
DB F:214
Document Type
Deed
Notes
Unclear if Richard is to be freed (manumitted) or simply no longer required to physically labor ("to be free from labor")
Files
Collection
Citation
“1801 - Lewis to Richard - Spotsylvania Co, VA,” Manumission Project, accessed January 22, 2026, https://manumissionproject.omeka.net/items/show/2382.