Lunenburg County, VA - Will of John Knight, 1771 Submitted for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Helen Pate Ross ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** In the name of God Amen, I JOHN KNIGHT of Lunenburg County being very sick & weak of body, but of perfect mind & memory, Thanks be given unto God, Calling to mind the mortatlity of my Body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, Do make & ordain this my last will & Testament, that is to say princepally and first of all, I give & recommend my soul unto the hands of Almighty God that give it, and my body I recommend to the earth, to be a decent Christian burial a the descretion of my executors, nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mightly power of God, & as touching my worldly Estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me in this life-I give & devise and dispose of the same in the following manner & form- ITEM it is my will desire that my whole Estate should be kept togather and divided or separated untill all mylawful debts are paid by meansof croppng or other ways to be managed by my Executors, hereafter, named and after that is fullyaccomplished, it is my further desire that the Estate should be still kept togather, and managed as aforesaid until the sum of two hundred pounds can be raised & layed out in the purchased of a tract of land, for my son, JOSEPH & then to be divided in the form and manner hereafter mentioned, ITEM I lend to my wife ELIZABETH during her natural life all that tract of land whereon I now live, except one hundred & fifty acres, hereafter bequeath to my son -PETER, also five Negroes viz JACK, DELCY, AGG, ISAAC & NUTTY, with all my houshold furniture, stock __& after her decease it is my it is my --further will & desire the Negroes should be disposed of as follows. ITEM, I gequeath unto my son WILLIAM, after the decease of his mother, one-Negroe man, Jack, to him & his heirs forever-- ITEM, I bequeath unto my son JOSEPH, after the decease of his mother, one negore man, Isaac, also a Negroe Peter, to e delivered him at the dividing the Estate, ITEM I bequeath unto my daughter, RACHEL, after the decease of her mother a Negroe girl, Nutty, also two young negroes, Lewis & Miller, ITEM I bequeath unto my son, Peter, one moiety of two Negroes, Agg & Delcy to be equally divided between him & his brother, JOHN, after the decease of their mothers, also one hundred & fifty acres of land more or less, I ---- the tract whereon, I now live to be divided by a branch --------- from near Sheltand bridge, in a straight line to , minores land, all the land to the North of that branch is what I bequeath to him & his heirs forever, ITEM, I bequeath to my son, JOHN, one moiety of two Negroes above mentioned after the decease of his mother. ITEM I bequeath to my son JONATHAN, one Negroe girl, name Fanny, to him and his hiers forever. ITEM I bequeath to my son CHARLES, three Negroes, Jane, Ceasar & Betta, to him and his heirs forever, ITEM I bequeath to my daughter JUDITH BARLEY one negroe girl named Beck. ITEM I bequeath to my daughter MRY LEA , two negro girls Phillis & Tabby, during her natural life & if she should die without ---- me to return to the surviving part of my children to be equally divided between them, its my further will & desire if she should have an heir or heirs that the negroes should divided to them as she directs. ITEM I bequeath to my son- WOODSON, two negroes Tom & Cloe, also that tract of land before d------- to his mother during her life to him & his heirs forever being the same I now live on, with all my stock oof every kind ---& household furniture except three beds, which I desire maybe given to CHARLES, JOSEPH & RACHEL at the discresion of my beloved wife, ELIZABETH, ITEM I bequeath to my daughter's daughter LUCY COOK, one negro girl name Tamer, its my will & desire that if any my Children, should die before the Dividing the Estate, that his or her proportion should be equally divided between, the serviving parties. I also desire that every person within mention, should take in possession of Estate as ua by this will divised provided it doth not consist in negroes upwards of tem years of ae, on that part alotted for the immediate use of my wife ELIZABETH. I do hereby constitute & appoint, JOSEPH,CHARLES, PETER KNIGHT Executors to this my last will & testament. In Witness wheeof I have heeunto set my hand & seal, Seventh day of September one thousand seven hundred and seventy one. In Witness & nbsp; JOHN KNIGHT sen (seal) Miller WOODSON &nbs p; his Francis + AMOS mark Thos JEFFREYS At court held for Lunenburg County the 12th day of March 1772. This last will and Testament of JOHN KNIGHT senr was exhibetted. in court by the Executors, therein named and was proved the the oaths of the Witnesses thereto subscribed and ordered to be recorded, And o te motion of the said, Executors, who made othat according to law, Certiicate is granted them for obtaining a probate of the said Will in due form, they giving security, whereupon they gave bond and security according to law. &nbs p; ; Teste &n bsp; WM TAYLOR CSC