Will of William Cotton, Sr., 1787 - Prince George Co. VA It appears at page 109 of the 1787 Prince George Will Book: "In the name of God amen, I, WILLIAM COTTON SENR.of the Parish of Brandon and County of Prince George, being of sound mind and memory; but weak in body & knowing the uncertainty of human life, do make and ordain this my last will and testament. And first, I recommend my soul to the hands of god that gave it, securing his gracious acceptance of same and my body to be buried at the discretion of my friends, and as for my worldly goods that god has blesed me with, I do hereby dispose of them in form and manner following; Item, I will, devise and bequeath to my son John Cotton, one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf. Item, I will, devise and bequeath to my daughter Mary Cotton one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf. In case my said daughter Mary should die before marriage, it is then my desire and bequest that her daughter Nancy shall have the said effects. Item, I give devise and bequeath to my son Smith Cotton one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf. Item, I give devise and bequeath to my son William Cotton one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf, together with a horse bridle and saddle. Item, I give devise and bequeath to my daughter Frances Cotton one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf. Item, I give devise and bequeath to my daughter Martha Cotton one feather bed and furniture and one cow and calf. Item, all of the rest of my estate, both real and personal, together with the Plantation whereon I now live, I devise and bequeath to my loving wife Lucy Cottn during her natural life or widowhood. At her death or intermarriage the land to be equally devided amongst all of my children, tho none has any right to claim anything during my wife's life or widowhood unless they marry and go away. The above is declared to be the last will and testament of Wm. Cotton who does hereby constitute and appoint his friend Adam Heath and his son John Cotton executors to this his last will and testament. Signed, sealed and declared to be the last wioll and testament of William Cotton Senr. in the presence of his witnesses this 6th day of September 1787. Brian Turner Edmund Heath William Cotton (seal) Banister Moore The will was probated in Decenber 1787 and the inventory was taken in January 1788.He was my 5th great grandfather. I descend through his son Smith. Submitted by William M. Cotton **************************************************************** USGENWEB 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. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ****************************************************************