CULPEPER COUNTY – WILL: JOHN MICHAEL SMITH SR., 1760 Contributed by: Von Mings Stachon ******************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net ******************************************************************************** Will: John Michael Smith (Sr), Brumfield Parish, Culpeper Co, VA (1760) IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, I John Michael Smith of the Parish of Brumfield in Culpeper County, being old, weak and helpless, but thanks be unto God of perfect mind & memory & calling unto mind the mortality of my body, & knowing it is appointed for all men once to die, do make & ordain this my last will & testament.  That is to say, principally & first of all, I give & recommend my soul into the hands of almighty God that gave it, & my body I recommend to the earth to be burried in decent christian burriel, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection, I shall receive the same again, by the mighty power of God; and as touching such worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life, I give, demise & dispose of the same in the following manner & form, viz: I do give bequeath & make over unto my dearly beloved only son John Michael Smith Junior & his heirs forever, all my estate, personal as well as real, that he may take the sole & full possession of it & of all the lands, goods, & chattels forever. After my decease, reserving unto me only the claim to my estate as long as I live & thereby I do revoke & disannull all Wills made before by me & I do acknowledge to be this my Last Will & Testament never to be revoked. WITNESS my hand & seal.                                                     Michael Smith (Sr) (LS) Signed, sealed & delivered in the presence of us in the year of our Lord God 1760 25th of February Interlined before delivered: Adam Yeager Henry Ayler                        At a Court held for the County of Culpeper                           Thursday, the 19th day of February 1761 This Last Will and Testament of John Michael Smith, dec'd, was exhibited to the court by John Michael Smith, his only son, & heir and the Executor therein named, and was proved by the oaths of Adam Yeager & Henry Ayler, witnesses thereto.  Ordered to be recorded and on the motion of the said Executor, Certificate is granted him for obtaining a Probat thereof in due form, he giving bond & security according to law and also took the oath of an Executor.                                                       Teste:                                                       Roger Dixon, Cl.Cur. Source: Library of Virginia, Will Book A, 1749-1770 Culpeper Co, VA Reel 31, pages 243-244 Note: Spelling errors were not corrected.  Paragraphing and some punctuation were added by transcriber for ease in reading.  There are no paragraphs in the original. Viz & vizt are abbreviations for videlicet which means "that is to say, namely".