England to Westmoreland Co., VA to Chowan Co., NC; Late Sixteen Hundreds to Late Seventeen Hundreds
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Westmoreland Co., VA: Chowan Co., NC:
JOHN WARD was born in England, and died 1691 in Westmoreland Co., VA. He married JOANNAH UNKNOWN.
Children of JOHN WARD and JOANNAH UNKNOWN are:
1. JAMES WARD, born about 1671 in Westmoreland Co., VA and died before 18 April 1745 Chowan Co., NC.
2. JOHN WARD.
3. WILLIAM WARD.
4. PHILLIP WARD.
5. DIANA WARD, married WILLIAM BUTLER.
Children of JAMES WARD and MARY STIBALL are:
1. RACHEL WARD, m. JOSEPH MINGE before 17 October 1722.
2. THOMAS WARD, died after 1772. Thomas married MARY UNKNOWN.
3. JAMES WARD, died about 1785 in Chowan Co., NC. James married MARY UNKNOWN.
Chowan Co., NC court house, built in 1767 and still in use:
Will of James Ward; Chowan Co., NC Wills 1694-1808; Volume 4, Page 81;
In the Name of God, Amen, the fifteenth day of November in the year of our Lord, 1744, I, James Ward, of Chowan County in the Province of North Carolina, Planter being in perfect health and of sound mind and memory, thanks be given unto God. Therefore, calling unto mind the mortality of my body and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make, and ordain this my last will and testament. That is to say principally and first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God, that gave it, and for my body I recommend it to earth to be buried in a Christian like and decent manner at the discretion of my executors nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the great power of God and as touching such worldly state whereiwth it hate delighted God to bless me in this life, I give, devise and dispose of the same in the following manner.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ward, in consideration of a bond to two negro fellows and one negro woman, namely Will, Coffee, and Hannah.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ward, the use and occupation of seven cain (sic) chairs and five leather chairs during her natural life.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ward, the use and occupation of one chest of drawers and one ovel (sic) table and one spanish chest and one small dressing table.
Item: I also give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ward, the use and occupation of my now dwelling house with the orchard and outhouses plantation as far as a branch known by the name of the Mint Branch and so the course of the Branch out to the head of the line during her natural life.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ward, all of the homespun linen that belongs to the house I now live in.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ward, one small bed and one brass hackle.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my grandson, Joseph Ming, son of Joseph Ming and Rachel his wife, one negro girl called Cloe, with her increase to him my said grandson and his heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my grandson, Thomas Ming, son of Joseph Ming and Rachel his wife, one negro girl called Juda with her increase to him the said Thomas Ming and his heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving son Thomas Ward one mulatto boy called Cesar and one negro wench called Kate, to him the said Thomas Ward and his heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my grandson, James Ward, son of Thomas Ward and Mary his wife, one negro boy named Jamey.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my granddaughter Annaritta Ward, Daughter of Thomas Ward and Mary his wife, one negro girl called Venus with her increase to her the said Annaritta Ward and her heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my granddaughter Mary Ward, daughter of Thomas Ward and Mary his wife, one negro girl called Hannah with her increase to her, said Mary Ward and her heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my granddaughter Penelope Ward, daughter of Thomas Ward and Mary his wife, one negro boy called Squash to her the said Penelope Ward and her heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my granddaughter, Rachel Ward, daughter of Thomas Ward and Mary his wife, one negro girl called Nancy with her increase to her the said Rachel Ward and her heirs forever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my grandson, James Ward, son of Thomas Ward and Mary his wife, all the plantation that I now live on after the deceas (sic) of my loving wife Mary Ward containing four hundred and twenty acres to him my said grandson, James Ward and his heirs of his body lawfully begotten or to be begotten and in case he my said grandson, James Ward, should die without isue (sic) then my will and pleasure is that the said plantation shall fall to the next heir in course of law.
Item: My will and desire is that if my son Thomas Ward should have another son, lawfully begotten, that he the said son shall have the lower plantation facing the river that is the plantation joining the plantation I now live on but in default of such heir issue I give and bequeath the said plantation to my grandson James Ward and the heir of his body lawfully begotten or to be begotten and for want of such issue to descend to the next heir in course of law and their heirs forever.
Item: My will and desire is that my son Thomas Ward should have a third son lawfully begotten that he shall have sixty acres of land where my said son Thomas Ward now liveth and fifty acres of land and my plantation joining my neighbor William Houghton joining on the swamp but on default of such issue, I give and bequeath the same unto my grandson James Ward now son of James(?) Ward and Mary his wife and the heirs of his body Lawfully begotten or to be begotten and for want of such issue to the next heir in course of law and their heirs forever.
Item: It is my will and desire that none of my aforesaid land shall be sold on any account whatever but to descend from heir to heir as long as any heir is to be found according to law.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my daughter Rachel Ming, wife of Joseph Ming one shilling starling (sic) and one gold ring.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving son, Thomas Ward, all any wearing apparel of every kind whatsoever.
Item: I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ward, one third part of all the remainder of my movable state after my debts and funeral charges be paid. It is my will and desire and request and I do constitute, make and ordain my loving wife Mary Ward and my son Thomas Ward, my executrix and executor of this my last will and testament and I do hereby utterly disallow and revoke all and every other forms and testaments, wills and legacies, and executors by me in any wise before this time______ed willed and bequeathed ratifying and confirming this and no other to be any last will and testament in witness whereof I have unto set my hand and seal the day and year above written.
Signed James Ward (his mark)
Signed, Sealed, Published Pronounced and Declared by the said James Ward as his last will and testament in the presence of these subscribers:
Teste: David Butler
Thomas Ming (his mark)
North Carolina
Chowan County
At a court held for said county at the court house for the same on the 18th day of April Anno Domini 1745
Present His Majesty's Justices.....
These may certifie that Jacob Butler, Esq., one of the subscribing evidences to the within will appeared in open court and made oath on The Holy Evangelists that he was present and saw James Ward sign, seal, publish and declare that within to be and contain his last will and testament that the said James Ward was then and at that time of sound disposing memory and that he also see (sic) David Butler and Thomas Ming the other subscribing evidences sign their names hereto at the same time. Then also appeared Mary Ward and Thomas Ward, Executrix and Executor in open court and took the Executor's oath in due form of law ordered that the honorable Nathaniel Ice(?), Esq. Secretary of this province have notice thereof that letters testamentary issue thereon as the law decreeth.
Test. Edmund Hatch (?)
Both Qualified
Yeopim River: Scene from Chowan Co., NC:
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Original background graphics by Elaine Randall English
Copyright ã Elaine Randall English, 1999-2002
