Will of James Neville (1752)

Date: 7 Mar 1752 [unknown]
Location: St Anne Parish, County of Albemarle, Colony of Virginia
Surname/tag: Neville

Will of James Neville'

March 7, 1752.
Will of James Neville of Albemarle County, Virginia.
In the name of God, Amen, I, James Neville of the Parish of St. Ann & County of Albemarle, being of perfect sense and memory, do make and ordain this to be my last will and testament in manner following: Imprimis. My will and desire is that my just debts be fully paid and satisfied.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my son, James Neville, six negroes, to wit: Cezar, Terry, Pompy, Coo, Bess, and Philis. I also give him the land he now dwells on, beginning on the path that goes from my dwelling house to the Tye River, beginning at Twisting Chestnut Tree a little this side of the Rolling Road and running to the South Ford, then down the upper side of the said fork to a muddy place where a spring comes out, and thence a straight course to strike the Secretary's Road at Chandler's Branch, and up the said branch to the mountain. He is to have all my land now surveyed and patented above this line now marked, the above land and negroes to him and his heirs forever. Because I have more land to survey above that which I don't intend he shall have, that is I mean James Neville, I also give him four cows and calves and three sows and pigs, to him and his heirs forever.

I give and bequeath unto my son, Cornelius Thomas, the son of Lucy Neville, two hundred and twenty pounds to buy negroes and a feather bed or ten pounds to buy one. Also, I give him two hundred pounds more to buy land to settle the negroes on. In all, I have left him four hundred and thirty pounds current money of Virginia, to him & his heirs forever. I also give him four cows & calves, & three sows & pigs, to him & his heirs forever.

Item. I give and bequeath to my daughter, Bethemiah Allen, the wife of John Allen, two hundred pounds current money of Virginia, deducting the price of one negroe girl she has got, to her and her heirs forever.

I give unto my daughter, Johanna Brown, seventy pounds current money of Virginia, to her & her heirs forever.
Item. I give and bequeath unto John Brown, the son of Johanna Brown, one hundred pounds current money of Virginia, to him and his heirs forever when he attains to the age of twenty-one years.
Item. I give and bequeath unto Johanna Brown's eldest daughter thirty pounds current money of Virginia, to her & her heirs forever; she is to have it when she attains to the age of twenty-one or marries.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter, Hannah Matthews, forty shillings sterling, to her and her heirs forever, & the reason I give her no more is because she & her husband have endeavored to disobey me in everything they could, so that my will and desire is she should have no more of my estate.

Item. I give and bequeath to my daughter, Mary Douglas, forty shillings sterling, to her & her heirs forever, because she has ninty-five pounds already which was her portion.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter, Martha Neville, two hundred pounds current money of Virginia, to her and her heirs forever, when she attains to the age of twenty-one years or marries; but my will & desire is that she shall have interest for the money from my death till paid.

I give and bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth Neville, three hundred pounds current money of Virginia and one thousand acres of land, to her and her heirs forever, to be laid off in proportion to the goodness of the tract, because I would have it as near as could the bad and good together.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter, Judith Neville, three hundred pounds current money of Virginia and one thousand acres of land, to her and her heirs forever; the land is to be laid off as aforesaid.

Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter, Sally Neville, four hundred pounds current money of Virginia and one thousand acres of land [page torn] and her heirs forever; the land to be laid off as aforesaid.

My will and desire is that the money devised to my three daughters, to wit: Elizabeth Neville, Judith Neville, and Sally Neville, to be laid out, and negroes settled on the land destined for them, and the money arising after charges is paid may be laid up for them, for I desire that they may be maintained out of the estate. Item. My will and desire is that if either of my three daughters, Elizabeth Neville, Judith Neville, or Sally Neville, should die before they attain to the age of twenty-one years or be married, the estate by me devised to them is to be equally divided to them or her then living.

My will and desire is that my wife, Lucy Neville, live on any of my plantations and to have as much land as she can tend as long as she lives single, let it be on whose lot it will. I also lend her two feather beds, four cows and calves, three sows & pigs, and four good able negroes. I also lend her one hundred pounds current money of Virginia to buy what things she wants; but my will and desire is that she shall return at her death or if she marries everything then to the estate, and so returned to be equally divided among her children mentioned in this my will.
Item. My will and desire is that, after my legacies are paid off that I left to my wife and children, what remains, which I expect will be considerable, all the rest & residue of my estate, both real and personal, may be equally divided between my wife and her children mentioned in my will and my son James Neville, to them and their heirs forever.

My will and desire is that my estate be inventoried and appraised. I constitute and appoint my well beloved friends, George Carrington and Abraham Childers, executors of this my last will & testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me made, ratifying and confirming this & no other to be my last will & testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this [page torn] day of March, one thousand seven hundred & fifty-two.
James Neville (seal)
Signed, published, & delivered to be the last will and testament of James Neville.
Witnesses: John McGowrk, John Henderson, Richard Field, John Griffin, Howell Lewis.
At a court held for Albemarle County the ninth day of November MDCCLII [i.e., 1752]. [page torn] This last will and testament of James Neville, deceased, was presented in court and proved by the oaths of Richard Field, one of the witnesses thereto, and ordered to be recorded; and on the motion of George Carrington, Gent., and Abraham Childers, the executors therein named, who made oath according to law, certificate is granted them for obtaining a probate thereof in due form, giving security on which they, with John Harvey & John Cobbs, Gent., their security, entered into & acknowledged their bond in eight thousand pounds for the due and faithful performance of the said will. Teste: John Nicholas, Clk.

Albemarle County, VA, Wills, Book 2, p. 1