Will of Samuel MADDOX (1684); St. Mary’s County, Maryland This file was contributed by Denise Maddox . ************************************************************************ * USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. ************************************************************************ In the name of God, Amen. This eighteenth day of January in the year of our Lord God one-thousand six-hundred-eighty and four, I, SAMUEL MADDOX of St. Mary's County being sick of body but of good and perfect memory, thanks be to Almighty God & calling to mind the uncertain state of this transitory life and that all flesh must yield unto death, when it shall please God to call, do make, constitute, ordain & declare this my last will and testament in manner & form following, revoking & declaring by these presents all and every testament & testaments, will & wills heretofore by me made & declared either by word or by writing & this to be taken only for my last will & testament & none other, and First being penitent & sorry from the bottom of my heart for my sins past, most humbly desiring forgiveness for the same. I give and commit my soul to Almighty God, my Savior and Redeemer in whom and by the merits of Jesus Christ, trust & believe assuredly to be saved & to have full remission & forgiveness of all my sins & that my soul with my body at the general day of resurrection shall rise again with joy and through the merits of Christ's death and passion possess and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven prepared for His elect & chosen, & my body to be buried by my wife, & now for the settling of my temporal estate & such goods, chattels, & debts as it hath pleased God far above my deserts to bestow upon me, I do order, give & dispose the same in manner & form from the following (That is to say) FIRST, I will that all those debts & duties as I owe in the right or conscience to any manner person or persons whatsoever shall be when and truly contented & paid or ordained to be paid within convenient time after my decease by John Hilton. ITEM, I give & bequeath to my eldest son, NOTLEY MADDOX, three hundred acres of this land I now live upon & an equal share of all my goods and chattels, that is to say, a fourth part of my cattle, horses hogs & a fourth part of all my household goods, it being fourteen-thousand pounds of tobacco that was given by Governor NOTLEY & it is my desire that he should enjoy the same at sixteen years of age. (Notley Maddox, Sr.) ITEM, I give and bequeath to my second son, SAMUEL MADDOX one hundred acres of land called the INDIAN FIELDS joining upon John Hilton's land a fourth part of all my cattle, horses, & hogs and a fourth part of all my movable goods. ITEM, I give and bequeath to my third son, WILLIAM MADDOX, another fourth part of my cattle, horses, & hogs, & a fourth part of all my movable goods. ITEM, I give an bequeath to my youngest son, JOHN MADDOX, another fourth part of my cattle, horses, & hogs & a fourth part of all my movable goods. ITEM, I give and bequeath one Negro woman & a child and three English hands unto my four sons after named, that is to say, that each of them shall have an equal share of these laborers; and furthermore it is my will and desire that CAPTAIN JUSTIAN GERRARD, JOHN HILTON, RALPH FOSTER and JOHN SMITH do look after my children in their minority that they may be brought up to learn to read & write if possible, & to instruct so that they live in the fear of God; and to look after their estate that it be not molested or made away with. IN WITNESS THEREOF I have set my hand and seal the day and the year above written SAMUEL MADDOX (Seal) Signed and sealed and delivered in presence of us: EDWARD O. SMOOT (Seal) RICHARD HOGANE (Seal) ROBERT R. FLETCHER (Seal) LAWRENCE C. BEDINGFIELD (Seal)