This may help some newcomers to the List. Audrey
I, WILLIAM CALDWELL-of the County of Botetourt and State of Virginia, being
weak of body but of sound mind and disposing memory, for which I thank God;
and, calling to mind the uncertainty of human life, and being desirous to
dispose of such worldly estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with, I
do hereby make my last Will and Testament in manner and form, to wit:
I give and bequeath my soul to God who gave it, and body to the earth bo
be buried in a decent and hristian manner.
I will and bequeath to my beloved wife Fanny all my household and
kitchen furniture during her natural life, and her to dispose of the same,
and the lower end of my plantation from a line below the house that the
widow RUBLE lives in across said plantation, also three hundred dollars in
money.
I give and bequeath to my daughter Margaret fifty dollars with what I
have gave her to be her full share.
I give and bequeath to my son John CALDWELL the sum of two dollars in
addition to what I gave him to be his full share.
I give and bequeath to the heirs of my son Archibald CALDWELL the sum of
two dollars together with what I gave my son to be their share.
I give and bequeath to the heirs of my son Davis CALDWELL the sum of two
dollars with I gave my son to be their full share.
I give and bequeath to my son Charles CALDWELL the sum of two dollars
with what I gave him heretofore to be their full share.
I give and bequeath to my son William CALDWELL the sum of twenty-five
dollars with what I gave him to be his full share after he pays up the
bonds I hold on him.
I give and bequeath to my son ABSALOM CALDWELL the sum of ten dollars in
addition to what I have gave him to be his full share.
I give and to my son Michael CALDWELL the sum of two dollars with what I
have gave him to be his full share.
I give and bequeath to my daughter SUSANNAH the sum of two dollars
together with my Negro boy I gave her to be her full share.
I give and bequeath to my daughter PRISCILLA the sum of two dollars
together with what I have gave her to be her full share.
I give and bequeath to my daughter JANE the sum of two dollars together
with what she has got to be her full share.
I give and bequeath to my daughter NANCY the sum of twenty dollars
together with what I have gave her to be her ful share, after her husband
John BAKER pays up a bond I hold on him.
I give and bequeath to my son Anderson CALDWELL the sum of fifty dollars
with what I have gave him to be his full share.
I give and berqueath to my son Joseph CALDWELL the sum of forty dollars
with what I have gave him to be his full share, and him to pay the bonds I
hold on him.
I give and bequeath to my son Otis CALDWELL the sum of one hundred
dollars together with what I have gave him to be his full share after he
pays up a bond I hold on him.
I give and bequeath to my son Jonathan CALDWELL the sum of fifty dollars
with what I have gave him to be his full share.
I give and bequeath to my daughter Sarah the sum of twent-five dollars
together with what I have gave her to be her full share.
I give and bequeath to my son Loyd CALDWELL the upper end of my home
plantation to the line before-mentioned to be his full share.
I give and bequeath to my daughter Fanny the sum of two hundred dollars
to be her full share.
I will that the plantation on which Samuel MANN resides, if not sold by
myself, to be sold by my executors after my decease and make a title for
the same.
I will and bequeath to Priscilla MANN the sum of fifty dollars.
I will that all my personal property and Negroes be disposed of as my
executors may think most proper, either sold or divided, which has not
before been willed.
I will that after my funeral expenses and all my just debts are paid,
the balance of my estate shall be equally divided between all my legal
heirs in this state at this time, except my sons JOHN and ABSALOM, they are
to have no more.
Lastly, I hereby constitute and appoint my sosn ABSALOM and OTIS
CALDWELL executors of this my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all
other former wills and testaments by me heretofore made.
As witness whereof I hereunto set my hand and seal this sexteenth day of
October in the year of Christ, on thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
Signed, sealed, and delivered for the last Will and Testament of the
above-named WILLIAM CALDWELL in the presence of us:
Robert FARRIER
his
Christopher SH_______? William X
CALDWELL (Seal)
Samuel LEFFEL
mark
At Botetourt, March Court, 1849:
This instrument of writing, purporting to be the Last Will and Testament
of WILLIAM CALDWELL, dec'd., was produced in Court, proved by the oaths of
ROBERT FARRIER and SAMUEL LEFFEL, two of the subscribing witnesses thereto,
and ordered to be recorded. A copy teste: Wm. ROBINSOL, D.C.
Recorded in Will Book G, p 585, Botetourt County Circuit Clerk's______.
Note: There are enough CALDWELLS on this will to populate the South. The
FARRIER name should be of interest to someone.
Audrey