Will
Prince Edward County Wills and Administrations, Will Book No. 2 1785-1795 (Reel 15, LVA)
p. 70-72 Will, pro. 18 Mar. 1788
I John Martin of Prince Edward County being in a low state of health but of sound & perfect memory do make & constitute this my last Will & Testament
Imprimis, It is my will & desire that all my just debts be paid.
Item I lend my son Robert Martin my negro man Squire now in his possession during his natural life & after his decease I give the said Negro to my said son Robert Martins younger son John Martin. I give him to him & his heirs forever. After this, It is my will & desire that my whole Estate real & personal be equally divided between my six children after named vizt. Robert Martin, Sarah Carter, Mildred Wimbish, Anne Flournoy, Lettice Win and John Martin. I would choose that my negroes & my personal Estate be divided by their appraised value, into six divisions as equal as is practicable, & that they be assigned to my aforesaid Dear Children by lott. My land I wish my Executors to sell for such convenient time of Credit as to them shall seem best the money arising from said sale together with the money that may arise from my outstanding debts, I desire as I have before mentioned to be divided equally amongst my aforesaid six children. It will appear from what I have already declared as my Will, that I wish no Sale of any part of my personal Estate, yet if my Executors should judge it for the advantage of my children, I would wish them to sell such of my perishable Estate as might go to waste before the Division could take place & apply the money arising from such Sale as I have directed the money arising from the Sale of my land to be applied.
I provide that if either of my Children aforementioned should be now dead or should die between the date of this my last Will & my death, their Children shall be entitled to such share with my living Children as such Child so deceased would have been entitled to.
I appoint Thomas Flournoy & Samuel W. Venable Executors of this my last Will & Testament, In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & affixed my seal this twenty-eighth day December 1787.
Witness
Samuel W. Venable
James Allen Jun.
John Martin (seal)
Codicil
I John Martin being low in health but of sound memory do make & constitute this a part of my within declared last Will & Testament & I do hereby revoke that part of my Will that gives my son Robert Martin an equal dividend of my Estate & I give that part of my Estate that would have fallen to him, in case I had made not alteration as above declared, to the children that my said son Robert Martin shall have living at my death to be equally divided between them. With respect to the remainder of the within I declare it to contain as far as it goes my last Will. Witness my hand and seal this 23rd day of February 1787 (old style date).
Teste Samuel W. Venable
James Allen Jun.
J. Martin (seal)
Probate
At a Court held for Prince Edward County March 18th 1788. This last will and Testament of John Martin deceased with codecil annexed, was presented in Court by Thomas Flournoy Gentleman, one of the Executors therein named, Samuel W. Venable Gentleman the other Executor therein named in Court relinquished the right to take the burthen of the Execution of said Will, & Codecil annexed, and the said Will and Codicel was proved by Samuel W. Venable & James Allen junior Witnesses thereto, and Ordered to be recorded. On the motion of said Thomas Flournoy who entered into and acknowledged bond with Thomas Scott Gentleman and John Purnell his securities & took the oath required by Law. Certificate for obtaining a probat in due form is granted him.
Teste
Watkins Clk.
Inventory and Appraisal of Estate
Inv. & appr. rec. 21 Apr. 1788.
p. 19-21
Appraisement of the Estate of John Martin deceased made 5th April 1788.
Agreeable to the Order of Prince Edwards Court.
Dick [no value] Pompey [no value] Mingo 20 Gilbert 90 Mercer 80 Jacob 70 Little Dick 60 Sarah 65 Teller & her child Lucy 66 Betty & her child Nancy 60 Charles 70 Caroline & her child Letty 65 Aaron 40 John 40 Judy 15 Little Judy 30 Peter 20 Little Betty 15 Jessee 12 Saunders 18 Harry 20 [£856] 3 yoke oxen & rabart. 35 47 head of cattle 68 4 work horses 39/13/4 4 colts 8 parcel of plantation tools 12/13/9 parcel kitchen furniture 6/12/8 13 ews & 4 lambs 5/8 53 hoggs 29/12 37 pieces bacon & 3 sides beef natured at still & two worms 11/5 2 pr. iron traces & 3 pr. harrows 3 beehives, a large jarr & 2 grind stones 18 casks & tubs p.20 amount brought forward 1130/0/3 3 beds & furniture with bed steads a desk & bookcase 1 desk 3 tables 1/2 dozen walnut chairs 6 rush ditto 1 clock case 4 chests 10 jars & pitchers 1 copper tea kettle & coffee pot 1 bell mettle thullitt? & homalt? cask 3 gallon case bottles 2/ 4 gallons rum sugar tea & pepper coffee 6/2 1 spice morter & pestle parcel crockery including looking glass 7 basons, 4 plates, 6 dishes, 6 spoons pewter 1 doz. knives & forks & tea spoons and a quart pott 1 money seales, a grid iron & frying pan 1 poker tongs & shovel 2 belts & pr. hinges 1 house bite & pr. end irons 3 pair flease shears 4 old books 2 iron candle sticks & pr. masking irons 1 toaster & 7 raw hides 1 saddle bridle & tursingle 1 bed stead & 6 wheels 1 pewter chamber pott & trucell 1 flax hatchett parcel boxes & barrels 1 pink flint tumbler about 95 barrels corn about 15 bushells wheat 8 HL crop inspected tobacco weighing 11,086 1 HL Not carried down, supposed to be worth 2 table cloths total 1472/13/9
p.21
We the Subscribers do Certify that we met agreeable to the Appointment of the Court of Prince Edwards at the plantation of John Martin dec.d and being first Sworn proceeded to make an apprasement of the said Estate as Above Stated.
Samuel W. Venable
Thomas Scott
Daniel Allen Jun.r
Thomas Flournoy Ex.r
At a court held for Prince Edwards County April 21st 1788. This apprasement of the Estate of John Martin dec.d was returned & ordered to be recorded.
Teste Watkins Clk.
The Estate of John Martin an Account with Thomas Flournoy Executor [margin: 1788-1789]
Payments are itemized, including to doctor, for labor, transport of tobacco, for proven debts, etc. An interesting item:
To 25 negroes specifically devised between the Legatees according to appraisement and delivered agreeable to them All. 916 pounds/13sh/4pThe total appraisement value for 24 slaves, plus one overlooked person worth 60 totals £916. © 2007 Footie Lund
flund at fuse dot net