SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA - WILLS AND ESTATES - Joshua Gardner, 4 Feb 1793 --------------¤¤¤¤¤¤-------------- IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, I Joshua Gardner of Southampton County in Virginia being perfect in health and sound in mind & memory & calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all to die, do make & ordain this my last will and testament. Principally and first of all I recommend my soul into the hands of almighty God who gave it & my body to the earth to be intered decently at the discretion of my Executors & touching such worldly goods estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with, I give in the following manner: Item: I give unto my loving wife Ann Gardner six neg., to wit: Caesar, Peter, Sam, Pat, Hannah & Lucy during her natural life, to raise & school my children on and after her death the above named neg. to be equally divided amongst all my surviving children: Henry, John, James, Jesse, Ann, Betsy, Rhoda, Polly D. & Peggy Gardner to them & their heirs forever. Item: I give unto my son Henry Gardner the land with the appurtenances that I bought of Moses Darden, lying on Ceder Swamp, containing one hundred & seventeen acres & one hundred acres lying on the east side of Cypress Swamp, also one neg. boy name Arthur, to him & his heirs forever. Item: I give unto my son John Gardner the land I bought of Moses Darden lying on the Cypress Swamp as follows: one tract of land containing two hundred & sixty nine acres lying on both sides of the said swamp and one tract ajacent thereto lying on said swamp containing fifty three acres with the appurtenances, also my will and desire is to have a house built on the said tract of land twenty eight feet by sixteen with a partition through it one half plank floor & the other half dirt, one brick chimney at each end, to be built out of the estate left my wife, also one negro boy named Andrew, one bed & furniture, one chest, two black walnut chairs & two maple ditto, one dish, one basen, four pewter plates & three spoons & three earthen plates, one iron pot, one horse bridle & saddle, two cows and calves, three sows & piggs, five ewes & lambs, to him & his heirs forever. Item: I give unto my son James Gardner the plantation & land I now live on allowing my wife free priviledge on the same during her life, also one cyder still planted on the said land, one bed & furniture, one black walnut desk, six leather chairs, one dish, one basen, four pewter plates & three spoons & three earthen plates, one iron pot, one negro boy named Will, two cows & calves, three sows & piggs, five ewes & lambs to him & his heirs forever. Item: I give unto my son Jesse Gardner one tract of land I bought of Matthew Jones lying on the south side of Blackwater beginning at the mouth of the Cyder Swamp thence on the various courses of the said swamp to John McCabe's line thence down the said line to Blackwater thence down the same to the beginning, containing forty acres more or less, one negro man named Pompey; I desire at my death to be hired out untill the said child becomes of lawful age and the money arising therefrom to be appropriated to the use of the said child to school him &c and after he becomes of lawful age to take the said neg. man in possession forever. Also one neg. girl named Amy, one bed & furniture, one chest, two black walnut chairs, two maple ditto, one dish, one basen, four pewter plates, three spoons & three earthen plates, one iron pot, 1 horse bridle & saddle, 2 cows & calves, 3 sows & piggs, 5 ewes & lambs, to him & his heirs forever. And in case either of the brothers should die under age my desire is that his land shoud be equally divided amongst his other brothers then alive. Item: I give unto my daughter Ann Jones, one neg. girl nam'd Rose to her during her life and after her death to all her children then alive to them and their heirs forever. Item: I give unto my daughter Betsy Carr one negro girl named Patience to her & heirs forever. I give unto my daughter Rhoda Gardner one negro girl named Sciler, one bed and furniture, one woolen wheel, one chest, two black walnut chairs, two maple ditto, one dish, one basen, one iron pot, four pewter plates, three spoons & three earthen plates, one woman's saddle, two cows & calves, three sows & piggs, five ewes & lambs, to her & her heirs forever. Item: I give unto my daughter Polly Darden Gardner one negro girl named Milly & twelve pounds current money of Virginia, one bed & furniture, one woolen wheel, one chest, two black walnut chairs, two maple ditto, one dish, one basen, four pewter plates, three spoons & three earthen plates, one iron pot, one woman's saddle, two cows & calves, three sows & piggs, five ewes and lambs to her and her heirs forever. Item: I give unto my daughter Peggy Gardner one negro girl named China, one bed & furniture, one chest, two black walnut chairs, two maple ditto, one woolen wheel, one dish, one basen, four pewter plates, three spoons & three earthen plates, one iron pot, one woman's saddle, two cows & calves, three sows and piggs, five ewes and lambs, to her & heirs forever. And in case either of the daughters should die without a lawful issue, my will and desire is that her legacy should be equally divided amongst my children then alive. Item: I give to my loving wife Ann Gardner the use of my plantation & land whereon I now live and all the residue of my estate may be kept together with my wife untill my children severally comes of age to receive there (their) legacies as above mention'd and my desire is my estate may not be appraised but only an inventory return'd. I hereby nominate and appoint my wife Ann Gardner Executrix & my son Henry Gardner Executor to this my Last Will & Testament. IN WITNESS whereof I have set my hand & affix'd my seal this 4 day of February 1793. Joshua Gardner (seal) Sign'd, sealed & pronounc'd in the presence of: Jacob Darden Sr Jacob Darden Jr Jonathan Darden At a Court held for the County of Southampton the 12th day of December 1793 This Will was presented in court by Ann Gardner & Henry Gardner, the Executors therein named and prov'd by the oaths of Jacob Darden Sr & Jacob Darden Jr, witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded and on the motion of the said Executors who made oath according to law, Certificate is granted them for obtaining a Probate thereof in due form giving security whereupon &c. Sam Kello, Cl. Source: Library of Virginia, Will Book 4, 1783-1797 Southampton Co, VA Reel 17, pages 585-587 Note: Paragraphing and some punctuation was added by transcriber for ease in reading. There are no paragraphs in the original. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. 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