Wills: Johann Georg Sommer, Written: June 19, 1782: Shenandoah County, Va. Proved: April 26, 1787: Shenandoah County, Va. Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by James Summers ****************************************************************************************** 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. ****************************************************************************************** Last Will And Testament Of Johann George Sommer In the name of GOD Amen, I George Sommer of Shenandoah County in the State of Virginia being at present of sound and disposing mind and memory and sensible of this mental life. I do hereby publish declare make and constitute this my last will and testament as followith Viz} first my will and desire is that all of my debts together with my funeral expenses be paid & discharged as soon as convenient after my decease by my Executor herein after nominated and appointed to this my last will and testament. Secondly I do give and bequeath to my dear beloved wife Mary Margaretha Sommer during her natural life one full third of my real and personal Estate after my decease or if she shall chose her maintenance from out of her third of my Estate with my son Andrew Sommer if they should so agree that is say my said wife Mary Margaretha Sommer shall one full third part of my Estate upon the plantation where I now live in the County of Shenandoah in the state aforesaid during her natural life and after her decease the same shall descend to my said son Andrew Sommer provided that if my if my said wife should be willing to have her maintenance out of said Estate and land of my said plantation besides her bed & bedsteads and bedcovers everything whereunto belonging as it shall be at the day of my decease to her as aforesaid during her natural life and peaceable possession in the house wherein I shall live before the day of my decease on the plantation aforesaid and if my said son Andrew and my said wife should not agree amongst themselves for her good maintenance during her natural life out & from my Estate and on my said plantation and have and her coats and bedstead and bed as aforesaid first to her delivered than my said son Andrew Sommer his Executor & Administrator or Afore assigned shall give peaceable house room & possession on my said plantation aforesaid during her natural life and the one full third of my aforesaid and I further give and bequeath to my sons Johannes Sommer and Michael Sommers decd heirs John Sommer Paul Sommer and Andrew Sommer and my daughters Elizabeth Yeager and Eve Black all my two thirds and remainder of my personal estate remaining of the debts first paid and my said wife's part taken from it I give the two other third & remainder as aforesaid to my said sons and daughters here above mentioned to them & their several heirs and assigned to be equally divided among them the aforesaid and my will and desire is that if the said personal estate aforesaid my said children cannot agree among themselves upon a division as aforesaid among them selves that the same shall be sold by my Executors and the money arriving from such shall be equally divided as aforesaid among them and no more and my real estate and plantation aforesaid in the county aforesaid containing one hundred sixty acres more or less of land I do give ( and wish ?) the same to my youngest son Andrew Sommer to be by him possessed and all appurtenances thereunto belonging or any wise appertaining I give the said plantation of one hundred and sixty acres as aforesaid to my said sin Andrew Sommer to him and to his heirs and assigned for ever with all houses and profits after the day of decd. Of my wife Mary Margaretha Sommer for ever and lastly I do hereby nominate constitute & appoint my true friends John Mauk and Phillipe Wendel to be the Executors to this my last will and testament allowing this and no other to be my last will & testament ratifying and disannulling all others by me heretofore at any time by me made In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this nineteenth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty two. Sealed Signed and Declared by the said George Sommer to be his last will and testament in the presence of the subscribers who have hereunto set our hands as witnesses in the presence of the Testators Alexander Hite Abraham Hochman }George Sommer Johannes Jarsman At a court held for the County of Shenandoah on Thursday the 26th Day of April 1787. The last will and Testament of George Sommer Decd. was produced to the Court by John Mauk & Phillipe Wendel Executors therein named and was proved by the oaths of Alexander Hite, Abraham Hochman & John Hochman & to be rec'd. on the motion of the said Executors a probate thereof is granted them they having sworn to the same & given Bond & Security according to the law. Teste John Williams Know all men by these presents that we John Mauk & Philipe Wendel & George Keller & John Windle are held and firmly bound unto Charles Bird, Jos. Watson Jacob Rinker George Keller E. Jones & Wick Keagle Gentleman Justices of the County of Shenandoah now sitting in the sum of one thousand pounds current money of Virginia to the payment will & truly to be made to the said Justices their successors will bind ourselves our & each of our heirs Exec's and Administrators jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed with our seals & dated this 26th Day of April 1781. The conditions of the above is such that it the above bounden. John Mauk & Philipe Windle Executors of the Last will and Testament of George Sommer Decd. do make or cause to be made a perfect inventory of all and singular the Goods Chattels and Creditors of the said decedent which have or shall come to the hands or possession of the said John Mauk & Philipe Windle or into the hands or possession of any other person or persons for them & the same so made do Exhibit or cause to be Exhibited unto the County Court of Shenandoah at such time as they shall be hereunto required by the said Court to the same Goods Chattels & Creditors of the said decd. At the time of his death or any time hereafter shall come to the hands or possession of the said John Mauk & Philipe Windle or into the hands or possession of any other person or persons for them to do well & truly administer according to law & further do make a just and true account of all their actings & doings therein when there is required by the said Court & also do well & truly pay & deliver all the legacies contained & rectified in the said Testament as far as the said Goods Chattels & Credits will Whereunto extend of the said charges then the above obligation to void else to remain in full force and virtue Signed & Sealed in the presence of the Court }Johannes Mauk Philipe Wendel George Keller Johannes Wendel Know all men by these presents that we Clary Coffett & Henry Huddle & George Harris are held and firmly bound with Jacob Rinker ??? Joseph Watson George Keller & Evan Jones Gentleman Justices of the County Court of Shenandoah now sitting in the sum of one thousand pounds to which payment well and truly to be made to the said Justices and their successors We bind ourselves and each of us we & our heirs Executors and Administrators jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed with our seals & dated this twenty sixth Day of April 1787. Some Notes, Background and general information on George Sommer's Will These are some names from: HEADS OF FAMILIES AT THE FIRST CENSUS OF THE UNITED STATES TAKEN IN THE YEAR 1790 RECORDS OF THE STATE ENUMERATIONS: 1782 TO 1785 VIRGINIA HEADS OF FAMILIES----VIRGINIA, 1782. SHENANDOAH COUNTY. Name of head of family White Sommer, George 3 Johann Georg Sommer Sommer, Nancy 4 Michael's heirs(George's son) Hockman, Abm 4 Witness of George's Will Hite, Alexr 6 Witness of George's Will Windle, Phillip 7 Friend and Executor of Georg's Will Mock, Jno 9 Friend and Executor in Georg's Will Windle, John 11 Present at Probate of Georg's Will to show some of those listed in the will. John Mauk was also the Executor of George's son Michael's will who had passed away in 1782. John was a little older than Michael but was probably a friend to all of George's children since they were close in age. George probably wrote this will because of Michael's death and it is probably a rewrite of an earlier will but needed to be changed to reflect Michael's heirs (see Nancy Sommer above, Michael's heirs). It is wise to remember whenever looking for names in census , ship lists, wills or other records that the names usually were written by someone else and they usually wrote them as they thought it should be spelled which is often not even close to how it should be spelled. This will is a good example of that. Written in the will Johannes Mauk was written John Mauk and he probably was called John but when signing something he signed Johannes Mauk. Wendel is another, I have seen it spelled Windle, Wendle, Vindle (mainly because the W is pronounced like a V in German) but when Philipe and his relatives signed their names they signed Wendel. The name Sommer is often found spelled Somer. If it truly is with only one M then the person was probably of English background not German. What confuses many is that when writing their name Sommer they often use only one M but with a small mark above to indicate it should be two but write the two M's when signing. Some other points that can be of help also in George's will are the signatures of the others. The small h in Johannes doesn't look like an h we are accustomed to but it is. Also of note the small e's look more like r's that we would write. With this it is then easier to see someone like George Keller's name that to some it might look like Roller or Rinkler. And Mauk is truly Mauk not Mark. The name Sommer was also often written Sommers and Summer, and later became Summers in our line. George's will is mostly clear and readable. There are a few words and a name or two that I still can't really be sure of but all those important to the will are really readable. Another point in George's will is the amount of land, 160 acres. George's original Grant was for 442 acres. In August of 1771 George sold 120 acres to his son John, another 160 acres to his son Paul. Plus required 5 schillings each as lease for the crops there on, with the rent being 1 Peppercorn due on Lady Day next.They both later sold that property to the same individual, Peter Schwartz an uncle of Paul's brother-in-law Martin. Michael's heirs Nancy and the 3 children were living close to George on land left to them in Michael's will. In the census she is shown as the head of her household because Michael had already passed away.