Will of John Tatum
(Will Book B, page 92, Sussex Co.VA.)

August Court MDCCLXVI
IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN I John Tatum of Albemarle Parish in the County
of Surry being in good health and of a sound perfect & disposing mind &
memory thanks be to almighty God for the same and calling to mind the
uncertain Estate of this transitory life & that all flesh must yield
unto death whenever it shall please God to call do make and ordain this
my last Will & Testament first of all I recommend my soul into the 
hands of almighty God who gave it hopeing through the merits &
intercession of my only savior & redeemer Jesus Christ to obtain fully
free pardon of all my sins & to inherit everlasting life & as to my 
body I commit it to the earth from whence it came to be decently 
intered at the discretion of my Executor hereafter named and as to my
Temporal estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me withall, I
give devise & dispose of the same in manner & form following.
Imprimis my desire is that all my just debts & funeral expences be duly
paid & Discharged. Item I desire my loving wife Mary Tatum have the use
& benefit of my plantation during her natural life & also my daughter
Mary Young the use of the said plantation During her natural life after
her mothers decease. Item I give & devise unto my Grandson Frederick
Young & his heirs forever, my plantation above mentioned with all the
land & Improvements thereunto belonging being one hundred & thirteen
acres by computation be the same more or less to begin at the mouth of
a slash,or low ground between my plantation & Henry Tatum's on Joseph's
Swamp on the south side thereof & runing up the said slash to a corner
black oak by a road known by the name of Claibornes road thence along
the said road to Robert Tatum's line & along his line to Joseph Swamp
& bounded by the various water courses of the same to the place first
begun at.
Item I give & bequeath unto my Grandson Frederick Young my feather bed
& furniture & one cow & calf & a young mare.
Item all the rest and residue of my Estate I leave the use of to my
loving wife Mary Tatum during her natural life, & after her decease I
give & bequeath the same to my daughter Mary Young & her heirs forever.
Item my desire is my Estate be not appraised.
Item I leave my son in law Thomas Young to and appoint him to be sole
Executor of this my last Will & Testament hereby revoking & disannuling
all former Wills & Testaments by me made. IN WITNESS whereof I have
hereunto set my hand & affixed my seal this 29th day of January one
thousand seven hundred & fifty four.
John Tatum (Seal)

Signed Sealed published
and declared in presence of}
William Young
Edward Eppes
George Rieves

At a Court held for Sussex County the 21st day of August 1766.
The last Will & Testament of John Tatum dec'd. was presented into Court
by Thomas Young the executor therein named who made oath thereto as the
law directs & the same was proved by the oaths of Edward Eppes & George
Rieves two of the witnesses thereto & by the Court ordered to be 
Recorded. And on the motion of the said Executor Certificate is granted
him for obtaining a probate thereof in due form.
Teste A.Claiborne C.S.C.

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