Will of James Stinson, Sr. (b. 1760; d. October 22, 1830)--Shenandoah 
County, Virginia

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Submitted by Vern Stinson vstinson@ctaz.com
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In the name of God, Amen.

	I, James Stinson, Senior, of the County of Shenandoah, Beckford 
Parish and State of Virginia, being in perfect health (Blessed be God) 
and of a sound mind and memory, considering the certainty of death and 
the uncertainty of the time thereof, do make this my last will and 
testament, that I may be the better prepared when it pleases God to call 
me hence.

	First, and principally, I commit my soul into the hands of 
Almighty God and my body to the earth, to be decently buried at the 
discretion of my hereinafter named executor.

	Secondly, I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Mary all my 
household furniture and one Negro girl named Rhody, for her to have and 
to hold as her property and to do with as she pleases or to will to who 
she pleases, but is to be considered as part of her dowry; also the 
third part of all my personal property with the slaves during her 
natural lifetime; also the third part of all my deeded land during her 
natural lifetime, and then this property, after her death, to go to my 
two sons, John & James, as I may hereinafter bequeath.

	Thirdly, I give and bequeath unto my son, John Stinson, the tract 
of land whereon he now lives on Flint Run, containing about one hundred 
& thirty-two acres, more or less, and being the land I purchased from 
Henry Harding & wife Delilah, bearing date September 8th, One thousand 
seven hundred & ninety-five; also one other tract adjoining the 
aforesaid, containing two hundred and sixteen acres, more or less, and 
conveyed to me by Isaac Overall and bearing date the 10th day of 
December, One thousand eight hundred & four; also a small tract or 
parcel of land out of the several tracts that was conveyed to me by 
James Mathes, Senior, and Sarah his wife-- he is to have out of said 
land as follows to wit: Beginning at a bridge in John Boyd's road 
several hundred yards from the sign board, then running a southwest 
course to and with a meadow fence, thence a southwest course to a stone 
corner which I made at the lower end of an old bridge in the old road, 
then nearly the same course to a marked white oak at the far corner of 
another meadow in the same tracts, thence nearly an east course with a 
dividing fence to a tall pine and white oak marked, thence nearly 
southward along another fence across the cleared land course continued 
to the back line to the back part of said land; which land is to him and 
his heirs or assigns forever.

	Fourthly, I give and bequeath unto my son, James Stinson, the 
remainder of the above named parcels of land which doth not fall to my 
son John, of the said land containing by conveyance or deed two hundred 
and fifty-two acres, more or less, bearing date the seventh day of 
September, One thousand eight hundred and one; also one other tract 
assigned to me by James Mathes by plot and granted by John Page, 
Governor of Virginia, known by No. 369 and bearing date the eleventh day 
of June, One thousand Eight hundred and three, containing one hundred 
acres, more or less; also one other tract conveyed to me by Thomas 
Hawkins, containing two hundred and fifty-five acres, more or less, 
bearing date the 2nd day of April 1796; also the tract I now live on 
containing 310 acres lying on the east side of the south fork of the 
Shenandoah River and adjoining the lands of George Leath and the heirs 
of Thomas Allen.  Whereas there is some  incumbrance on the land I now 
live on, it is my will that my 
son, James Stinson, shall pay all the incumbrances and debts thereon and 
also all other just [debts] that may ever come against me or against my 
estate after my death out of his moiety or part which is willed to him 
in this my last will and testament and that none of the rest of my heirs 
be bound or made pay any part of the debts that have occurred or may 
occur on this my estate, but have what is bequeathed to them clear and 
without incumbrance or debts on them from me or my estate, and by my 
son, James Stinson, so paying such debts as aforesaid, he shall have the 
bequeathed land to him for him to have and to his heirs and assigns 
forever.

	Fifthly, I give and bequeath unto my grandson, Wiley S. Roy, the 
tract of land which was granted to me by Linah Sims, Governor of 
Virginia, bearing date the 26th day of November, 1813, containing 286 
acres, more or less, and adjoining the lands of Thomas Allen and Stover 
and Spangler, for him, the said Wiley S. Roy, and his heirs and assigns 
to have forever.

	Sixthly, I give and bequeath unto my daughter Anna Roy, late 
Stinson, & her heirs, Wiley S. Roy included, two tracts of land: viz., 
the one is the tract that was conveyed to me by the said William Roy by 
deed, bearing date the 30th day of December, 1817, lying on the north 
side of the south river; the other tract lying on the opposite or east 
side of said river a small distance below said land and is the land 
whereon William Roy now lives and is included in the same deed of the 
hundred acres above mentioned, which land I bequeath to them in the 
following manner, to wit: William Roy, my son-in-law, is not capable of 
conducting his own affairs; therefore, he himself is entirely excluded 
from managing any part of my estate; I therefore wish, and it is my 
will, for my hereinafter named executor to manage the land in this 
clause in the following manner: that is, that Anna Roy and her children 
shall have the rent or profit thereof, except the place I now rent to 
Wiley S. Roy & Joseph D
ay for three years, but after that time the entire profit of both tracts 
shall be to the said Anna Roy and her children, and shall not be sold by 
them or any of them until her youngest child attains the age of twenty-
one, and not then without the consent of my daughter, Anna Roy, if she 
is then living.

	Seventhly, it is my will that the slaves and personal property not 
yet mentioned in this, my will and testament, be divided in the 
following manner: viz., my son, John Stinson, is to have the slaves 
Jenny, Liza, and George and Mariah, and the third part of my stock; and 
my son, James Stinson, is to have the slaves Anna, Jeremiah, and Dice, 
and after my wife's decease to have Harry and the remainder of the stock 
left; and my daughter Anna Roy is to have Lucy, but on the same terms as 
of the land mentioned in the sixth clause in this will, to her and her 
heirs; and I give and bequeath to my granddaughter, Polly Day, late Roy, 
a small Negro girl named Harriet, to her and her heirs forever.

	Eighthly, it is my will that if any of my heirs be dissatisfied 
with this, my last will and testament, so much as to bring any lawsuit 
of any sort or make any cost unnecessarily, all such cost arising shall 
be paid out of the property bequeathed to them in this, my last will and 
testament.

	Ninthly and lastly, I do hereby constitute and appoint my son, 
James Stinson, Jun., my sole executor of this, my last will and 
testament, and none other, to have everything herein mentioned performed 
according to the true meaning of this, my last will and testament, and 
according to law done this tenth day of January, A.D. One thousand eight 
hundred and twenty-five.

	N.B. If it should please God to call me off and any deed or 
conveyance left undone by me to any person of sale of land or any matter 
of that kind, I do hereby authorize and appoint my above named executor 
to sign any such deed or conveyance, whatever may be the same, as if I 
was to do it myself.

Signed, sealed, & delivered in the presence of us
or in the presence of each other...
									James Stinson 
{seal}                                                                                             
George Bowman
Gibson N. Roy
Robert Lockhart                                                                   
								(Proved:  8 November, 
1830)