David Bowman will - 1896 - Rockingham County, VA In the Name of God Amen. I David Bowman of the County of Rockingham and State of Virginia, Being of sound mind and dispossesing memory & knowing the uncertainty of human Life and being desreous (sic) of disposing of such Property as it has pleased Got to bless me with, do make ordain and establish this my last Will and Testament, and as follows, First my juts depts (sic) & funeral expense s&c to be paid, my personal property to be put up by my Executors on publick sale and sold to the highest bidder, Second I will give, and bequeath to my daughter an Mariah and her children providing she will have any living, Five hundred dollars one year after my deceased one hundred dollars, so on til all is paid she shall be charged up with her book account with interest there on She is to be allowed twenty dollars a year for her services over twenty on year old at home if she should dy & leave no ishue the five hundred dollars willed to her is to fall back to the other remaining heirs of mine or there Children, My daughters are all to be allowed twenty dollars a year for there services over age at home, Third I will give and divise to my son Franklin Bowman one hundred and twenty one acres 3 R II poles more or less land the western portion of my farm which I had surveyed and plated which is represented on the Plat and for the meetes and bonds of which reference may be had to the said Plat, the said land I give and divise to my son Franklin M. Bowman his heirs and assigns forever, upon the condition that he shall pay the sum of Four thousand two hundred & thirty five dollars after the following manner, one year after my deceased, pay one thousand dollars, and then anually two hundred and eighty dollars on til all is paid, Fourth, I wil give and divise to my soninlaw Ezra M. Minnick and wife Joannah, I give on the North end of my farm, containing 217 acres 3 Roods 12 poles of land, of which had been surveyed and platted and which is represented on the Plat, on this track of land stands a Schoolhouse of which on half acre of land shal be reserved for a Schoolhouse providing the hous will be keptup, which track of land I give to my soninlaw Ezra M. Minnick & wife Jonnah their heirs and asignes of ever upon the condition he pays for the same, Eight thousand Six hundred & eighty dollars after the following manner, one year after my deceased, two thousand dollars, and annually seven hundred dollars on til all is paid, if the parties are not willing to take the land is willed to them at the above valuation the land may be sold private or on public sale, Fifth, my daughter Jinna Wise and her husband P.S. Wise shall be charged up with all book accounts & notes I hold against them in trust on same to be added, An Mariah is to have the five hundred dollars as stated above, the balance to be distributed among my other seven children or their heirs Lastly I do constitude and appoint my son Solon M. Bowman and Ezra M. Minnick Executors of this my last will and testament, In witness where of I hereunto affix my hand and seal this 9th day of July 1896. (Signed) David Bowman, Witness present, Hugh Pence, Samuel B. Arehart P. Allen Arehart In the same envelope as the copy of the will was the following : Dates of Births of D Bowmans children The following are the dates of the births of D. Bowmans childred viz; Solon M. Bowman was bor July 11, 1844 Franklin M. Bowman " " June 12, 1846 Dilman J. Bowman " " Apr. 8, 1848 Virginia F. Bowman (Wise) Aug 3, 1851 Amanday ? E. Bowman (Pence) Nov. 3, 1853 Angeline A. Bowman (Foltz) June 17, 1856 Joanah C. Bowman (Minnick) Nov 28, 1861 Ann Mariah Bowman (Halterman) Mar. 11, 1864 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Harriet Welch hwelch@rica.net USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material AND permission is obtained from the CONTRIBUTOR of the file. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation.