Will of William Handley, 1840 - Monroe Co. WV (Submitter note: The following is an accurate transcription of the Will that William Handley wrote or had someone write for him on June 22, 1840, in Monroe County, Virginia (now W.VA). Any misspelled or uncapitalized words are written here as they were originally written on the Will) In the name of God amane I William Handley of the County of Monroe & State of Virginia Being in perfect Sound mind & disposing Memory for which I thank God Colling to mind the uncertainty of Humane life & being desireous to dispose of all Such wordly Estate as it Hath plesed god to bless me with I Gave & Bequath the Same in the manner following that is to say ----- lst I Will that all my Just Debts be paid by my Exetor & ----- 2nd I Will my Wife Margarat All the property laid up for Consumption of Every kind for the use of the family Full posession of my plantation that I now live on during hir Naturel life & be mistress of the family that is at home & that She has one mare Named kate & a hors -named fox & too yong horses & one yong Filley for the youse of the farm & my-son Zenes is to use them on the farm & she is to have four Cows with there Calves if the have any one two yearold & one yearliel heffers with their increas for the youse of the family So that She may have a beef when she wants one in the fall of the year all the Sheep all the hogs & polry the youse of the smith tules for the youse of the farm all the farming tools & horsgeres the Waggan & all her fixings for the youse of the farm all to be used by Zenes & all the household & kitchen furniture with the loome & hir harniss for the use of the family the grindstone & the wheetfan in the barn all the above named property is to be My wifes during hir life & not to be disposed of & if Zenes should Mary after my dath his mother Must gave him a cow of the old Stock or of the increes & Zenes is not to keep twomuch Stock on the place to Eate his mothers Stock out & If it should be that Lewey Should mary She must have the Same divide of Cattle & Sheep that I gave to Ruthy Sindy & Betsepolley When they maried & beding also & if my Son Jabez should mary after My dath his mother must gave him a Cow as She is to Zenes or an aquivelent to a Cow & if at any time my wife should find She has toomuch Stock on hand She must let the Exetor Sell what she has to Spare & divide the money with Ruthey Sindy Lewey & Betsepolley all the property named or not named must Stay on the place Except Sold by my Exetor as I have described & divided & after my Wifes dath there must be an apreisment of all the property that may be on the place of old Stock & increes Except Such as I may hereafter Will to Zenes & Such apreised must be Evenly divided at the preasment Between Ruthy Sindy Lewey & Betsepolley but Betsepolley being So fare off my Exetor must Sell hir part & Cend hir or hir heirs the money & Zenes must pay all the taxes of the land and other property my wife must have no troble with it atale he must provid Salt Steel & Irion for the use of Stok & farm with Such help as his mother Can Resonably afford to him -- & 3rd I Will My Daughter Polly Gill a peacible undisturbed Home during hir naturiel life at the fork Lick where She now lives & that my Exetor pay her one dollar Soon after my dath -- & 4th I Will my Soninlaw Jacob Barger part of that tract of land he now lives on to begin nere Where him John Gill & myself Made a Corner on the line of the grant only he must begin in the Middle of the hallow on the line a little more to the East & Run down the hallow & Cross the branch So as to Strike a Cornertree we made Soon after we Crossed the branch & keep the line till the place we struck the Grant line on the oppesit Side of the grant to have all the land to the West of that line including all his improvement being 205 acres More or less to be his and his heirs forever ----- & 5th I Will my Son John Handley $100.00 one hundred dollars to be paid by my Exetor ------ & 6th I Will my Son Samuel Handley all the proceeds of the Sale money of the land that he Sold to his Brother Zenes & he has got it all with any thing Els that I have don for him ----- & 7th I Will my Soninlaw William Arnat a tract of land on Wheel Run & Matts branch Waters of Bradsshaws Run of 120 acres to be his & his heirs for Ever & I also Will him the said William Arnat a tract of 83 acres of land that I hold on Griffiths Creek on the North Side of Greenbrier River to be his & his heirs for Ever Except I Should Sell one or both of them in my lifetime ----- & 8th I Will my Son Logan Handley all the proceeds of the Sale Money of that tract of land that he Sold to Jefferson T Mann & he has got it all & all that I have don for him heretofore ------ & 9th I Will my daughter Lindy Wikle one dollar to be paid by my Exetor & also Will hir all that I have don for hir heretofore ------ & 10th I Will my Daughter Lewey & my soninlaw Jessey Arnat All the Ballence of that tract of land that Jacob Barger & John Gill lives on that is all the land below Jacob Bargers line to be Equly divided between them only I Reserve my daughter Polly Gill A pecible & undisturbed home on Said land at the fork lick where She now lives------ & 11th I Will my son Henderson Handley 166 acres & 70 poles of land that I hold in Fyatt County on the Waters of Bever Creek between Samuel Packs & Henry Hulls lying on Both sides of the great Road to be his and his heirs forever Except I Should Sell it in my lifetime ------ & 12th I Will my son Constentine Handley that tract of land that I hold in the State of Ohio Larrance County a Querter Section where he now lives at the Forks of Bofalow Waters of Syimms Creek to be his and his heirs forever & all that I have done for him heretofore -- & 13th I Will my son Jabez Handley a $300.00 Bond that his Brother Zenes gave his Brother Samuel Handley when he bought his land from him & when Samuel moved out to the Ohio he wanted the money and I paid him out of the money of the proceeds of the Sale of Gresey Ridge land that Is if he mends his Course if he don't he is not to get it & if my Exetor Can have an opurtunity to lay out that money for land In the West of Conggrass & Jabes will Except of it & take poseshion of it and live on it for 20 years then his title will be good if he Shill pay the taxes of the Same if he dont do So his title wont be good & will Revert back to my other Sons all or if the Exetor finds it to be best that he thinks he will make a good youse of the money he may in that Case Gave him the money & take his Recept if he Cant get Congress land the Money must alwayes be lying Reddy till he Seese a good oppertunity to Lay it out I have don a great dale for Jabes in paying debts for him & have gave him Sevirel other things & I will it all to him & if he Complyes all this is to be his & his heirs for Ever ------ & 14th I Will My Son Zenes Handley all the home place that I now live on down to the Land he owns that is all the land that I hold joyning at this time but not to be in full poseshion till his mothers dath provided he pays all the taxes that may become due on the land & all the property that is on the Place & provides well for his mother & Lewey & at his mothers dath he is to have the big plow & one pare of hors gears & all the property laid up for consumption & all the grain in the ground shal be for their Seport & that one half of the grane Raised on the place shal by my Wifes & at hir Controle & if She has any to Spare She can Sell it with all the Spare butter & get hir nesesireys ------ & 15th I Will that the Black gerel Shall Stay at home & help to take Care of my wife and Lewey While the both live & if my wife Should die first the gerel must take Care of Lewey during hir life & after Leweys dath the Black gerel must be divided in price between Ruthy Sindy & Betsepolley & if She Should have any Children they must be taken away by Ruthy Sindy & or Betsepolley at 2 years old & a fair diveson of the gerel with hir increes must be between Ruthy Sindy & Betsepolley & not to be Sold out of the family atale we dont Know whoses hands they might foul into & be parted the Black Boy Mager must Stay at home till my wifes dath and then he must be divided at a fair preisment between Ruthy Sindy & Betsepolley & he is not to go out of the family but if these geirles Shouldnot want to keep the boy they may all agree & Sell him to any of their Brothers Say to Henderson Zenes or John I Wont have him to go toStrangers ------ & 16th I Will as I have a Set of Silver table Spoons & I want after my wifes dath that Ruthy Sindy & Betsepolley Shall have two a Peace of those Spoons that they may Remimber ther old father ------ & 17th I Will that a fair Construction be maid of this my last will and testiment & that no part of it be Straind----- & 18th I Will & Constitute & apoint my Soninlaw William Arnot my Exetor of this my last Will & testiment & that he Shall do the Exetorship without giving Security but Shall give his own Bond & act upon oth ------ & 19th I Will my Surveyors Instrements to my Son Jabez Handley that if he Reformes & mends his Course if he dont he shant have them & in that case I will them to my Son Zenes Handley & I dont Want them to go out of the family & they must not be lent out atale if Jabez gets maried & Settles himself he had beter have the Survaying instrements if any Cattle Stock is on hand if it can be Copt till fall Come a yere it would be best & the Exetor will Sell it privately & add that money to the money on hand to help pay the Cash Wild & get Salt and funriel Expense & if Zenes Should sell any more of'the land he got of Samuel the $300.00 must be paid in hard money the land is bound for the money & I Bind this home place for the Seport of Lewey------ Given under my hand and Seal this 22nd day of June ~1840 William Handley Seal Test William Shanklin Robert D. Shanklin James M. Shanklin At Monroe September Court 1840 This last will & Testament of William Handly decd was proven in Court by ___________ Shanklin & ____________ Shanklin two of the Subscribing witnesses thereto and is Ordered to be recorded -- A Copy Teste Jno. Hutchison Jr. CMC Submitted by by Beverly Denig Jones **************************************************************** USGENWEB 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. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. ****************************************************************