James LeMaster Will

Item 1^st I give & bequeath to my wife Mary & my daughter Anne for their use & benefit during the natural life of my wife the farm on which I now reside supposed to contain about three hundred acres, or the rent and profits arising therefrom, also the live or use of my negro girl Alice & her increase (all to be under the superintendence of my Exec.) and also such part of my household & kitchen furniture and stock as my Exec. may consider necessary for their use & maintenance.

Item 2^nd At the death of my wife I give the said negro girl Alice & and all her increase to my daughter Anne to be hers and her children’s forever. I also give to my daughter Anne a horse to be worth fifty dollars, a good saddle & bridle & also a good feather bed, bed stead & bed cloths to be paid her as soon as it may suit the convenience of my Exec. to do so. But should my daughter die leaving no heir born of her body, it is my wish that the said negro girl Alice and all her increase descend to my don Abraham & his children.

Item 3^rd It is my will and desire at the death of my wife that my Exec. make sale of the tract of land as in such manner and on such time as hey may think best calculated to promote the interest of those concerned and the proceeds thereof, I give in the following manner (Viz.) To my daughter Anne one fourth, to my son Abraham on fourth, to Alexander the eldest son of my son James three eighths of the remaining half & to my son Hugh the balance of the proceeds of the sale of land after deducting therefrom and paying over to my son Abraham the amount of a debt now due from my son Hugh to my son Abraham.

Item 4^th I give to James, Harriett, Carman & Polly the four youngest children of my son James the sum of fifty dollars each to be raised out of any part of my estate not specially bequeathed, and to my son James the sum of fifteen dollars to be raised in the like manner.

Item 5^th It is my wish that all my personal property not specially bequeathed be sold by my Exec. so soon as convenient & after paying all my just debts & the bequests herein specified the balance of the money arising from the sales or from claims due me by any individuals in this state I give to my son Abraham and the five children of my son James, my son Abraham to have half thereof and the balance equally divided between the said children of my son James.

Item 6^th And whereas I have debts due me in the state of Virginia, it is my will & desire that whatever amount may be collected of the same shall be equally divided between all my children and in case of the death of either of them, their children (if any) to receive the proportion to which their ancestor would have been entitled had he or she been living.

And lastly I do hereby constitute & appoint my son Abraham Lemaster and my friends E. C. Drane & Barthw. Duprey Exec. of this last will and testament and vest them with the same powers that I would have my self were I living to sell & convey any of the within mentioned property either real or personal and to carry into effect all the provisions of this my last will and testament, and provided either of the within named Exec. should refuse to qualify, or in the case of the death the survivor or survivors with the same powers that they would possess were they all to qualify or all living and having sufficient confidence in the honesty & integrity of my said Exec.

I hereby request the Court to permit them to qualify without giving any security and to hereby revoke all wills heretofore made by me. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and signed in the presence of

Joseph Mclain        |       Henry County Court May Term 1831

Geo. W. Herndon |

Joseph P. Duprey |

An instrument of writing purporting to be the last will and testament of James Lemaster decd. Was this day produced into Court and proven by the oaths of Joseph Mclain and George Herndon subscribing witnesses thereto to be the act and deed of said James Lemaster whereupon it is ordered that the same be recorded.

Edwd Thomas, C