WILL OF THOMAS MERIWETHER (M135),
Gentleman, of
In the name of God amen! I Thomas Meriwether of the parish of South Farnham in the county of Essex, Gentleman being weak and sick in body, but of sound and disposing mind and memory, do make this my last will and testament in manner following:
I desire my body may be buried in decent manner at the discretion of my executrix hereinafter named trusting through the merits of my blessed Saviour Christ for the salvation of my soul, and for the disposal of my worldly estate, I give, devise & bequeath the same as followeth.
First. I give and devise to my dear and loving Mother Mrs. Mary Welch the slaves following named Tom, Billy, Bando, Bob, Mundingo, Jenny, Dick, Crankey, Black Dinney, Betty, Crankey & Gowen children of the sd. Crankey & black Dinney, Betty, Simon son of Billy Jack, all which slaves now are or lately were belonging to plantation lieing below Piscataway Creek in the sd. County of Essex and also Tony now an apprentice to John Munt, Carpenter & Guy now an apprentice to Thomas Dozier, Cooper, being in number seventeen to my said Mother & her heirs forever. Likewise I do give & devise to my said dear Mother Mary Welch the reversion & reversions, remainder & remainders & all the right title & interest I now have or can claim of in or to all and every the slaves now in the possession of my sd. mother as her dower in the slaves of my late father Francis Meriwether Gent decd. to her & her heirs forever. Likewise I give & devise the use of the following slaves by names, Guy, Maria Robin, Jeffrey, Flora, Billy & Lucky, children of Guy & Maria Sheppard, Esse & Lotia & Sue children of Esso & of Milly child of Sue being twelve in number to my sister Jane Skelton for & during her natural life & from & after her decease I give & devise the sd. twelve slaves or such of them as shall be then living with their increase to the heirs of the body of my sd. sister Jane, lawfully begotten or to be begotten. Likewise I give and devise to my negro boy named Mingo & my negro Dinah, sister of Mingo & and one mourning ring of gold to my cosen Eilizabeth Dangerfield to her and her heirs forever. Likewise, I do give & devise all the rest of my slaves not hereby before given & disposed of to my two sisters Mary Bellfield & Lucy Smith, to them & their heirs forever equally to be divided between them.
But for as much
as the sum of one hundred & fifty pounds of lawfull money of Virginia or
thereabouts is due & owing to my sd. sister Lucy Smith from my estate for
her proportionable part of the value of two parts of the slaves descended to
me from my said father, now this devise of the moiety of the rest of my said
slaves to my said sister Lucy Smith is upon this condition that her husband
Francis Smith do release my executrix & discharge my estate from that
demand & in case he shall refuse so to do, then the devise to my said
sister Lucy Smith shall be void, & in such case I do give and devise the
sd. moeity of the slaves given to my sister Lucy
Smith unto my sister Mary Bellfield & her heirs forever upon condition that
her husband Thomas Wright Bellfield do pay & discharge my estate from that
demand. Likewise I give and bequeath to my brother in law the sd. Thomas Wright
Bellfield the sum of fifty pounds sterling & the further sum of forty
pounds sterling to be layd out in buying a four wheeled chaise and harness for
four horses. I also give the said Thomas Wright Bellfield the gelding I bought
of one Morton & the sadle with the furniture lately sent for to
In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand & seal the tenth day of January in the year one thousand seven hundred and thirty.
Thomas Meriwether. (Locus) (Sigilli )
Signed, sealed, published & declared by the sd. Thomas Meriwether as & for his last will & testament in presence of, John Clayton. G. Eskridge. Thos. Claiborne. Edward Hudges.
At a Court
continued & held for
John Clayton Esqr. made oath that he did see Thomas Meriwether sign, seal publish and declare the within writing to be his last will & testament & that he the sd. Thomas was in perfect sense & memory at the time of doing thereof.
Test. W. Beverley Cl.
At a Court
held for
The within last will & testament of Thomas Meriwether deceased was proved by the oath of Mrs. Mary Welch the executrix therein named & also by the oath of George Eskridge one of the, witnesses thereto which was then ordered to be recorded.
Test. W. Beverley. Cl.
A Copy, Test,
Harrison Southworth,
Will Book 5, p 30.
Copied From: Wiliam Ridgely
(St. Louis: Nixon_Jones Printing Co., 1899, Reprint by the Meriwether Society, 1995), pp. 50 – 52.
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