Last will and testament of Richard Randolph, 1742 February 6

The last will and testament of Richard Randolph of Curles Neck Plantation in Henrico County, Virginia.

Page 1

I Rich^d. Randolph of Curles in the County of
Henrico, Being in good health & of Sound & perfect
Sence & Memory, do make ordain & Constitute this
My last Will & Testament in Manner & form ~

Following.
In the First place I Give my Dutifull Wife Jane
During her Natural Life my land & plantation
known by the Name of Curles; I allso give my Said
Wife during her Natural Life the Use of Sixteen
Negroes, Such as she Shall Chuse out of my Slaves
belonging to & residing on my said Plantation
of Curles, Tradesmen Excepted, to wit, Bowzer
Pope, Jack, Mark, Joe Cooper & Emanuel.
I allso give my said wife all my Houshold Goods
& Plate belonging to my Said house at Curles, to
be disposed of among my Children in Such Manner
as she Shall think fit, I allso Give my said Wife
My Coach & Six horses to be chose by her out of
My horses belonging to my Said Plantation.
I allso desire & Direct that my Said Wife Shall be Supplied
From my other Plantations with provisions Sufficient
To Support her Self & Family During her Natural Life
Rich^d Randolph

Page 2

I Give to my Daughter Mary Five hundred
pounds Sterling, & two Negro Girls, Sue &
Agge, the Daughter of Betty.

I Give my Daughter Jane Five hundred pounds
Sterling & two Negro Girls, (to Wit) Effe & Betty
I Give my Daughter Elizabeth Five hundred ~
Pounds Sterling & two Negro Girls (to Wit) Iris
& Fanny. My Will is that my Estate Shall be
charged with the payment of the Several legacys
amounting in the Whole to Fifteen hundred pounds
Given as aforesaid to my three Daughters, & that
their several Legacys Shall be paid them as they
come of Age or are Married. & if any of the Said
Negro Girls given to my Daughters shall die before
My Said Daughters are of Age, or Shall be at Liberty
To make up Such loss by chusing another Negro ~
Girl out of my Negroes belonging to my Plantation
of Curles in the room of Such Negro Girls as shall
Die as aforesaid.
Rich^d Randolph

Page 3

If is should happen that Either of my Said Daughters
Should die before the come of Age or are Married
I then Give the Five hundred pounds Sterling which
by this Will is given to Such Daughter as Shall decease
To be Equally Divided between the two as Shall Survive
To be paid in the Same Manner & at the Same time as
Such Deceased Daughter wou'd have had a right to have
receiv'd it, if She had lived, & In case two of my Said
Daughters Shall happen to Die, before they come of
Lawful Age, or are Married, then I give to my ~
Surviving Daughter One Thousand pounds Sterling
To be paid as is before Directed, Making Void the ~
Legacy of Five hundred pounds Sterling before given
To Such Surviving Daughter.

I Give my son Richard after the Death of My ~
Wife all my Land at Curles to Hold to him & his
heirs for Ever. I allso Give my Son Richard all
My Lands on the North Side of James River to
Hold to him & his heirs for Ever.

I Give my Son Bret all my Land at Warwick in Henrico
County, & all my Land at Mountain Creek in Amelia
County, all which Tracts of Land to hold to him and
his heirs for Ever.         Rich^d Randolph

Page 4

I Give my Son Ryland all my Land at Bush ~
River Containing about Four Thousand Acres ~
It being the Land whereon Stephen Collins & John
Harding are Overseers, I allso Give my Son Ryland
one tract of Land Situate in Brunswick County ~
Containing Ten thousand Acres on Both sides Stanton
& Little roanoak Rivers, Both which Tracts of
Land to Hold to my Said Son Ryland & amp; his heirs
For ever.

I Give my Son John all my land at the Fork
of Appomatox River Situate on both Sides the
Said River, in Goochland & Amelia County’s
containing about Six thousand Acres. I allso
Give my Said Son John all my Land at Falling
Creek whereon I have a Mill, Both which Tracts
of Land to hold to my son John & his heirs for [Ever]
I Give My Son Richard one tract of Land Situate
on Both Sides Stanton River in Brunswick County
containing about five hundred Acres, to hold to him
My Said Son Richard & his heirs for Ever.
                Rich^d Randolph

Page 5

I Give all my Slaves which are not before dispos'd
of. To be Eqally Divided among my Four Sons
Rich^d., Bret, Ryland, & John, which Division
I hereby Impower my Executors hereafter Nam’d
To make, when Money Sufficient for the payment
of my Debts & Legacys, Shall be rais’d & not before.
Unless my Sons as they Come to the Age of Twenty
one, will Give bond & Security to pay their ~
Several proportions of the Money which Shall
be Wanting for that purpose. & if Either of my
Sons Shall Die before they come to the Age of
Twenty one years, My Will is that my Slaves
be Equally Divided by my Executors among
[Such] of my Sons as Shall Survive.
I Give the Slaves which I have Given my Wife
The Use of During her Life to be Equally divided
among my Four Sons, Richard Brett Ryland
& John, after the Death of my Said Wife, In the
Same Manner with regard to Survivorship, if any
of my Sons Shall Die under the Age of Twenty one
            Rich^d Randolph
1000
565
435

Page 6

I Give my Wife all my Stock of cattle Sheep &
Hoggs, & all Mairs & Colts which are upon ~
My Plantation known by the Name of Curles.
I Give to Each of my Sons Richard Bret Ryland
& John all my Stocks of Cattle, Sheep, Hoggs, horses
Mairs & Colts which ^shall be upon the Several Tracts
of Land, I have Given them, at the Time they ~
are by this Will to ^take possession of the of the Said Lands.
My Will is that my Estate be kept together till
Money Sufficient is rais’d to pay My Debts & Legacy
& if it shall happen that my Estate raises More
Money than is Sufficient for that purpose, & to defray
The Charge of Maintaining & Educating my children
Then I direct that my Executors shall have power to
lay out such money in purchasing Negroes to keep
up the Number of Negroes I shall leave at the ~
Time of my Death on My Several plantations
& if it shall happen that my Estate raises more
Money than is Sufficient to purchase Negroes as
afore Said, then I give Such money to be Equally
Divided among my three Daughters, Mary Jane
& Elizabeth.
                    Rich^d Randolph

Page 7

I do hereby Impower my Execu^ts.to Convey unto
John Laurence five hundred Acres of land to be
laid off in Such Manner as they Shall think fit so
as to take in the plantation wheron he lives, on
Condition he complys with his Agrement with
Me, For paying Twenty five pounds Current ~
Money of Virg^a. by Next April.

I allso Impower My Executors to Convey by good
& Sufficient Deeds in Fee simple to Christopher
Irvin three Thousand two hundred Acres of land
on Otter River in Brunswick County as Soon
as he pays Ninety pounds Current money, &
Not before.

Whereas I have an Order of Council now in the Survey or
of Brunswicks lands for Sixty thousand Acres of ~
Land which is not yet Survey’d, I do Impower my
Executors to Survey the same in such Manner as
They shall think fit & to Sell it on the best Terms
They can, or to divide it among my Children
in Such Manner as they shall think fit. ~
Rich^d Randolph

Page 8

Upon the Contingency of the Death of any of my Sons before the Age of Twenty one
years I dispose of my lands in the following Manner that is to say.
If it should Happen that my Son Richard ~
Dies before he comes to the Age of Twenty one. ~
Then I Give my Son Bret & his heirs for Ever all
The land I have by this Will Given my Said Son
Richard. & I allso Give my Said Son Brett &
his heirs for Ever, all my land at Falling Creek
wheron I have A Mill, which I have before Given
My son John. on Condition that my Son Richard
Dies before he comes[?] to the Age of Twenty years
aforesaid, which is all the land I intend he Shall
Take by Virtue of this Will Notwithstanding my
Gift to my Said Son Bret of My land at Warwick
Fighting Creek, & Mountain Creek.

If it Shou’d happen that my Son Richard Dies as
aforesaid before he comes to the Age of Twenty one
Then I Give my son Ryland & his heirs for Ever
all my Land at Warwick, Fighting Creek
Mountain Creek, which by this Will I have ~
before Given my Son Bret Together with the land
I have before Given him at Roanoak which is
all the Land I intend by this will to give him
My Said Son Ryland. Rich^d Randolph

Page 9

If it shall happen that my Son Richard Dies
as aforesaid before he comes to the Age of Twenty
one, Then I Give my Son John & his heirs for
Ever all my Land at Bush River which I have
by this Will before Given to my Son Ryland
which is all the land together with the land I
have before Given him at the Fork of Appomatox
is all the land I intended by this Will to give him
My said Son John.

If it Should Happen that my Son Brett Dies ~
before he comes to the Age of Twenty one, then
I Give my Son Ryland & his heirs for Ever all
My Land at Warwick.

If it Shou'd happen that my Son Brett dies before
he comes to the Age of Twenty one as aforesaid then
I Give my Son John & his heirs for Ever all my
Land at Fighting Creek.

If it Should happen that my Son Ryland Dies before
he comes to the Age of Twenty one Then I Give my
Son Brett & his heirs for Ever all my Land at
Roanoak which I have by this Will Given my
Said Son Ryland.

                        Rich^d Randolph

Page 10

If it Shou'd happen that my Son Ryland Dies
Before he comes to the Age of Twenty One. I Give
My Son John & his heirs for Ever all my land
at Bush River which I have by this Will ~
before Given my Said Son Ryland.

If it should happen that my Son John Dies ~
before he comes to the Age of Twenty one Then
I Give my Son Brett all my land at the Fork
of Appomatox River to hold to him my Said Son
Bret & his heirs for Ever.

If it Should Happen that my Son John Dies as
aforesaid before he comes to the Age of Twenty
one, then I Give my Son Ryland & his heirs for
Ever all my Land at falling Creek which I have
by this Will before Given my Said Son John.
If it Should Happen that my Said Son John Dies
Before he comes to the Age of Twenty one as afores^d.
Then I Give my Son Richard & his heirs for Ever
all my land at Mountain Creek which I have
by this Will Given to my Son Brett.
                       Rich^d Randolph

Page 11

If it should happen that any two of my four
Sons, Richard, Brett, Ryland, & John Shall
Die before they come to the Age of Twenty one ~
Then I Divide my land in the Following Manner
I Give to my Eldest Survining Son all my land
on the North Side James River, & all my land
at Roanoke, in Brunswick County & all my
Land at Mountain Creek in Amelia County all
which land to hold to Such Eldest Surviving
Son & his heirs for Ever.

I Give to My Youngest Survining Son all
The Rest of my Land to hold to him & his
heirs for Ever.

I do hereby constitue & appoint my Wife Jane
my Son Richard & my Friend & relations [illegible]
[crossed out, illegible] M^r.
Peter Randolph ^{& Mr. Richard Bland} Guardians to my Children
& Executors of this my last Will & Testament
& I do hereby ^direct my Estate Shall not be apprais’d
or any Security demanded of my Said Execu^ts ~
&nbps;               Rich^d Randolph

Page 12

Entirely relying on the Friendship & Kindness
of my Said Executors, whom I desire to consult
The capassity’s of my Sons & if they are not capable
of receiving Such an Education as will Quallifie
them for Some profession, or Gential Business
that they will bind them to [illegible]
as they are most Inclin'd to, that they may not
be Useless Members to their Country, or perhaps
become Burthensome to it by taking such courses
as are Generally the Companions of Idleness.
I do hereby Declare this to be my last Will and
Testament consisting of Twelve Pages wrote
with my own hand & Sign’d at the bottom of every
Page. In Witnesses whereof I have hereunto Set my
Hand & Seal this Sixth day of [illegible]
Publish’d & Declared to be the last 1742
Will & Testament of Rich^d. Randolph
In presence of.

Page 13

My last request to my Children is that they will
Not only Love one another but that they will take ~
Partucular Care ^to avoid all Disputes which may
Arise in Construing the Will, I if I have mad any
Mistakes, (which I think I have taken care to avoid)
Then will Endeavour to understand my Meaning by
[illegible]ting the Most Equitable & Just construction upon
it; & if any Controversy Shall arise among them
That can’t be Settled among themselves in a Friendly
Brotherly Manner, I desire they will refer Such
controversy to my Friends & Relations M^r ~
Beverly Randolph, Peter Randolph & the Rev^d.
William Stith, & I Further Desire that my Said
children will perform all such Decrees as they ~
Shall from time to time Make for the better per[illegible]
understanding [torn away] Meaning of this my last Will
&amp: not go upon Every Trifleing Dispute which may
[torn, illegible] to the True Method of
[torn, illegible] [illegible]ding their Great learning
[torn, illegible] Rich^d Randolph

Page 14

Memorandom

In the 8^th. Page I bloted out one whole line & part of two
More, in the 9<supth. Page bloted out three unecessary Words, &
in the Eleventh Page the Name of Mr. Beverley Randolph
of Turky Island bloted Out, & M^r. Ric^d. Bland Interlin’d. being
Unwilling to give my Relation Beverley Randolph any ~
Troubl[e] [torn, illegible] affairs that I am p[ers]suaded he wou'd think troublesome
to him, because I believe him to be the [torn, illegible] have in
This World, for which I heartily forgive him, & hope when he
is Capable of reflection he will forgive me Some hastely Expressions
which are all the offences he can Justly make to my Conduct
with respect to him, being from the time of his Birth to this
Time on all Occasions ready & Willing to do him any ~
Service in my Power.
                              Rich^d Randolph

Page 15

The Last Will &
Testament of Rich^d
Randolph

Ink on paper