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Last Will and Testament of Aaron Thornley

Will Book 3, Pages 207 - 210             King George County,Virginia Records

Page 207
In the name of the holy and undivided Trinity, I Aaron Thornley of the County
of King George and State of Virginia aged about seventy years at present low
in health, but of sound mind memory and understanding yet calling to mind the
uncertainty of life and being desirous to dispose of such worldly goods as I
may die possessed of do make, constitute and appoint this as and for my last
will & testament in manner & form following Vzl.  First I commend my soul to
God who gave it with a well grounded hope of pardon and remission of my sins
through Jesus the Messiah and redeemer of man kind; and my body to my Exors
herein after mentioned to be decently buried after the accustomed manner form
and ceremony of the Protestant Episcopal church in this Country.  Item, it is
my will and desire that all my just debts be paid out of the most perishable
part of my goods & chattels ~  Item, I give to my son William Thornley and his
heirs forever all the upper or back part of my land, embracing the land on
which he lately lived heretofore conveyed to him by deed to be divided from my
other land by a ditch intersecting the line between me and the late John
Strother back of and near my Negros quarters, and along the North side of an
old peach orchard extending Westerly along the said ditch till it intersects
the line of the land purchased of William Boon, thence a straight course to a
spreading oak on a Hill corner to me and William Bernard thence along the line
of Bernard to the head of the Port Conway land ~ also my two half acre lots
No. 4 & 6 in the town of Port Conway according to the plan or

Page 208
plott of the said town recorded in the County Court of King George.  Item.  I
give to my son Thomas Berry Thornley & his heirs forever all the rest and
residue of my lands lying to the south of the above mentioned line, also a
small part of lott No. 1 in the said Town of Port Conway adjoining the river
and main street.  I also give and bequeath to my said son Thomas B Thornley my
blacksmith Tom together with his tools  also Milly and her children, and one
small bay mare.
     Item as a provision for my wife and in lieu of her dower,
I devise to her, during her life the tract of land I last purchased of William
Boon containing three hundred and ninety acres also the horse gig and harness
she has usually driven, a loom with its necessary apparatus and one third part
of all the live stock, house hold and kitchen furniture and plantation
utensils at Poplar Grove. ~ also one third part of my Negroes during her life
in lieu of her dower,  including the Negroes in our marriage contract ~  Item,
I give and bequeath to my son William Thornley one large looking glass at
Poplar Grove also one small still with its apparatusces.
      Item  I give and bequeath to my son Thomas B. Thornley, all the
household, dairey and Kitchen furniture at White Plains his choice of ten head
of cattle and as many sheep from among my stocks, also one small liquor case
with gilt bottles, also one large still and its apparatus and one weaving loom
now at White Plains  Item as I have already settled with Theodosius Hansford &
Jane his wife for the full provision intended them it is my will and desire
that they have no further part of my Estate.

Page 209
Item  I give and bequeath to my daughter Lucy Monroe the Woman Mary now in her
possession, also to Clarissa Greer one Woman Suckey, also to Louisa Thornley
one girl Dinah also Helena White one girl Malinda.
     Item I give & bequeath to my daughter Mary Matilda Riding, one Negro girl
named Amy one boy named Simon one man named Solomon and one man named Sampson
or Sam.
     Item  it is my will & desire that after the payment of my just debts; all
the rest and residue of my Estate be divided into nine equal parts of which I
give and bequeath to my son William, one part, to my son Thomas B one and to
each of my daughters, Elisabeth, Mary, Judy, Lucy, Clarissa, Louisa, & Helena
the use of one equal part during their natural lives and to their child or
children if any which shall be living at their or either of their death, to be
equally to be equally [sic] divided between such child or children.  Lastly I
appoint my two sons William Thornley & Thomas B. Thornley executors of this my
last will and Testament, hereby revoking all others heretofore by me made.  In
testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & affixed my seal this Twelfth
day of February 1820.
     Signd. published and      }                   Aron Thornley (Seal)
acknowledged in presence of    }
     Lau Berry
     William Greenlaw
     Saml. Oldham
     Joseph P. Greenlaw
     William Jones

     At a court held for King George County on the 2 day of August 1821 ~
     The last will and testament of Aron Thornley decd. was proved by the
Oaths of Laurence Berry and Joseph Greenlaw, witnesses thereto and is ordered
to be recorded ~
                                           Teste
                                              Lau Berry Clk

Page 210
And at a court held for King George County on the 1st of November 1821 ~
     On the motion of William Thornley one of the Executors named in the
aforegoing last will and testament of Aron Thornley decd. who made oath
thereto, and together with Austin Smith his security entered into and
acknowledged their bond in the penalty of $15.000, conditioned as the law
directs, certificate is granted him for obtaining a probat [sic] of said will
in due form ~
                                         Teste
                                             Lau Berry Clk


Note:  In transcribing a will, I have opted not to use the abbreviations used
in the recorded will either because the abbreviation may not make sense to
someone reading my transcription or the abbreviations were superscripted.  An
example of a superscripted abbreviation would be a letter with either a period
or some other letter or symbol beneath the superscript letter, for instance
"sd.", the d would be superscript with a  period underneath or "Testamt.", the
t would be superscript with a period underneath.   These two words are "said"
and "testament."  If I thought the abbreviation would make sense to someone
reading my transcription or if I could not translate the abbreviation, then I
did the best I could to copy it exactly.  Other than translating the
abbreviations,  I have tried to transcribe the document exactly as recorded.
If I could not transcribe  it then I placed a (?) to so indicate. 

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by A. Murdock  smalldab@bellsouth.net