Isle Of Wight County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Wills.....Nelms, John December 12, 1785 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deborah Parker dewdroppedep@aol.com May 25, 2008, 5:07 pm Source: Copy From Will Book, I.o.w. County Courthouse Written: December 12, 1785 Recorded: September 7, 1786 In the name of God amen, I John Nelms of Isle of Wight County Being sick & weak in body yet of a sound & perfect memory thanks be to God, Do make & Ordain this my last will & Testament in manner and form following, In primis I do give and bequeath to my son John Nelms that part of my land bounded as follows: Beginning at the great swamp and so running a straight course to a poplar Joining the run of a little swamp & so up the run of the said swamp to Robert Eley’s line and so down Smithfield Road to the great swamp and so up the said swamp to the First Station, ___ to him and his heirs forever; But if he dies without heirs Lawfully begotton of his body, my will and desire is that the said land should go to my son Elias Nelms, ___ Item I do give & bequeath to my son Thomas Nelms all the remaining part of my land and Tenements to him & his heirs forever, But if he should die without heir Lawfully begotton of his body, my will and desire is that it should fall to my son Mills Nelms, ___ Item I do give and bequeath to my son Elias Nelms Twenty five pounds Cash to be paid to him by my son Thomas Nelms so soon as the said Elias Nelms should arrive and come to the age of twenty one years, ___ Item I do give & bequeath to my son Mills Nelms Twenty five pounds cash to be paid raised for him out of my estate, Item I do give and bequeath to my son Willis Nelms Twenty five cash to be raised for him by my son Thomas Nelms, Item my will and desire is that if my negro wench Patience shall live to bring a child that the said Child shall belong to my son Josiah Nelms & his heirs forever, Item my will and desire is that if the said Negro Patience should live to bring another child that it should belong to my son Jeremiah Nelms and to his heirs forever, Item my will & desire is that if the said Negro Patience should live to have another Child that it should be the property of my son David Nelms & his heirs forever But if either of my sons that has Negros so given by me dies without Issue or heirs of their bodys, my will & desire is that the said Negro shall be equally divided between the other two surviving my will and desire is that the two Living shall divide between themselves the said Negro without any publick sale, Item I do give to my Daughter Betsey Herring five shillings sterling with what she has already had of my estate, Item my will & desire is that my loving wife Mary Nelms should have the use of all my land & plantation during her Natural life or widowhood and also her choice of my feather beds & furniture and one bay horse & the use of my negro wench Patience during the said Term with one pewter Dish six pewter plates & one pewter bason and all the earthen ware that I have, and one Cow & Calf, one sow & piggs, & two sheep And the use of all the remaining part of my estate to her during the said term & time fo widowhood for her to raise ___ my four Youngest Children (unreadable) (Page Break) Them & if not my will & desire is for her to have only in Equal Shares with my Children, Item my will & desire is that my negro wench Phillis should be hired out yearly & the mondy to go towards raising my four youngest Children before mention’d & if the said Negro Phillis has ever a child while she is in my Estate for it to be sold & my part which is the fourth to go to my son Elias Nelms and the said Negro Phillis which is to be sold at the decease of Ann Little, & the fourth part of the money is belonging to me also my will & desire is that the said money should go to my son Elias Nelms also, Item I do give and bequeath to my son John Nelms one cow and calf, one ewe & lamb, one Sow & pigs, and one Gun with a silver sight and my shoe makers tools to him & his heirs, ___ Item I do give and Bequeath to my son Thomas Nelms one large gun to him & his heirs, and after my wife’s decease or marriage my will & Desire is that my negro wench Patience should go to my son Thomas Nelms & to his heirs forever, Item I do give and bequeath to my son Thomas Elias Nelms one small gun to him & his heirs forever, Item my will & desire is that the remaining part of my estate after my wife’s decease or marriage should be Equally divided Between my five youngest Children vizt: Willis Nelms, Josiah Nelms, Jeremiah Nelms, David Nelms, & Mills Nelms, ___ Item I do appoint my Loving wife Mary Nelms and my beloved friend Matthias Spencer to be my whole & sole executrix & executor of this my last Will & Testament, In Witness wherof I have here unto set my hand & Seal this fifth Day of December Anno Domini One thousand seven hundred and eighty Five Sign’d & Sealed In presence of} his Jesse Whitehead} John X Nelms (Seal) her mark Damaris X Little} mark At a Court held for Isle of Wight County The 7th Day of September 1786. This Will was proved by the oaths of Jesse Whitehead & Damaris Little the witnesses thereto and ordered to be Recorded, and on the motion of Mary Nelms the Executrix therein named who made oath thereto according to law and together with Dempsey Marshall & Kinchin Crumpler her Securitys Entered into and (unreadable) their bond in the penalty of one thousand pounds with condition as the law directs Certificate is granted her for obtaining a probat thereof in due form ___ and liberty (unreadable) Matthias Spencer the Executor therin named to Join in the probat when he shall think fit, Test Frank Young Additional Comments: Punctuation, capitalization, and spelling as found. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/isleofwight/wills/nelms396gwl.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 6.3 Kb