SOUTHAMPTON COUNTY, VA - WILLS AND ESTATES - Robert Speed, 14 Sep 1790 --------------¤¤¤¤¤¤-------------- IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN, I Robert Speed of Southampton County and state of Virginia being sick and weak of body but of sound and disposing mind & memory, thanks be to almighty God for the same, & calling to mind the uncertainty of this life & knowing that it is appointed and for all men to die make and ordain this my last will & testament in manner and form following: Imprimis: I give and bequeath unto my son Edwin Speed the upper part of my half of my tract of land the dividing line to be run by my Executors herein after named & in case his part shall include all or so great a proportion of the woods so as not to leave rider timber & fire wood sufficient to maintain & support the other half given to my son George, then in that case, my said son George is to have free liberty to cut & take from off my son Edwin's land where it best can be spared timber sufficient for said purposes so long as both or either of them shall live and case my said son Edwin will not whenever he means settling seat? & life on the same but shall offer to sell & convey the said land to any person out of the family &? peremptorily leave it, than in that case the estate hereby given him is to cease the utterly void and shall take effect upon & devolve to my son Robert Speed under the like limitations & in case he shall act contrary to the proviso in like manner, then the same shall descens and my son George Speed, to either of my said sons whichever it shall remain upon and to his heirs forever. Item: I give and bequeath unto my son George Speed the lower & other half of my said land and its appurtenances and in case the part given him shall include all the cleared land on my tract & my son Edwin shall not at the time of my death have ground clared (cleared) upon the part given him sufficient for him as support on, then in that case, my son Edwin is to have free liberty & to be allowed as much of my son George's cleared land as will make out enough ground for him to tend until he can clear enough within himself and in case my said son George will not whenever he means settling seat & life on the same but shall offer to sell & convey the same to any person out of the family and peremtouly leave it, then in that case the estate hereby given him shall cease the utterly void & take effect upon & devolve to my son Robert Speed under the like limitations & in case he shall not contrary take proviso in the manner, then the same shall descend & pass to my son Edwin, to either of my said sons whichever it may remain upon to his heirs and assigns forever. Item: I leave unto my loving wife Ann Speed all the remainder of my estate of what nature or kind soever during her natural life or widowhood to be held & kept together & necessarily applied to the support & maintenance of my children within age at the time of my death, in case of marriage shoud my Executors or in any case shoud they discover that the estate given her is waisting, then in that case it shall & may be lawful & they are required to take immediately possession & make an equal division of the same amongst my wife & all my children, first reserving money sufficient in their opinions to school my son Robert Speed to the learning of the rules of practice and fellowship to them & their heirs respectively forever. But in case my said son Robert shall require his learning before either event, he is to have it then necessary. Lastly, I constitute and appoint my friends John Johnson & Josiah Vick my whole & sole Executors of this my Last Will & Testament revoking & disannuling all Will or Wills by me hiteherto made and allowing this and no other to be my Last Will & Testament. IN WITNESS whereof I have hereto set my hand & affixed my seal this fourteenth day of September 1790. Robert Speed (seal) Signed, sealed, published and declared in presence of us: Josiah Vick Hardy Doyal her Lucy X Redger mark Robert Speed (seal) At a Court held for the County of Southampton the 10th day of December 1790 This Will was proved by the oaths of Joseph Vick, Hardy Doyal & Lucy Redger, the witness thereto and ordered to be recorded. And At a Court held for the County of Southampton the 13th day of January 1791 On the motion of John Johnson, one of the Executors in this will named (where other refusing) who made oath according to law, Certificate is granted him for obtaining a Probat thereof in due form giving security whereupon &c. Source: Library of Virginia, Will Book 4, 1783-1797 Southampton Co, VA Reel 17, pages 456-458 Note: Paragraphing and some punctuation was added by transcriber for ease in reading. There are no paragraphs in the original. ___________________________________________________________________ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Von Mings Stachon vonstac@comcast.net ___________________________________________________________________