Will of Edward Blakemore, written 1 December 1771, recorded 17 March 1777; Lancaster County, Virginia will book 20:108-109.
In the Name of God Amen I Edward Blackmore of the Parish of Christ Church and County of Lancaster being in perfect mind & sense & memory do make and ordain this to be my last Will & Testament in manner following first and Principally I bequeath my Soul to God who gave it me secondly my Body to the Earth to be buried at the Discretion of my Exor hereafter named thirdly as to what worldly Estate it hath pleased God to bless me with I give & dispose of as followeth. Vizt First it is my Will & Desire that all my Estate real & personal shall be kept together by my Exor hereafter named in Order to support & maintain my Wife & Children untill my Children arrive to the Age of twenty one years of marries. Item. My Desire is that when any of Children arrive to this Age of twenty one Years or marries that then they shall receive one sixth Part of all my Negroes which I have now in Possession & also one sixth Part of those Negroes which are now in Possession of my Mother, which shall descend to me at her Death out of which they shall allow their Mother if she be living to take her Choice of one of the Negroes out of each Part which she is to have the use of during her Life & at her Death to return to the Child out of whose Part that Negro was taken
Item It is my Desire that if any of my Children shall die before they are possessed with their Part of my Estate that the Part of such Child so dying shall be equally divided among my surviving Children
Item. If my Wife should dispose of the Land of which I am now possess so that it do not descend to my Son Edward at her Death then it is my Desire that my said Son Edward shall have double as much of my Negroes & all other of my Estate as any of my other Children
Item. If any of my Children should be married before my Death it is my Desire that they should have their Part of my Estate as soon as it can conveniently be allotted them after my Death.
Item. It is my Desire that all my Stocks Household Goods & all the Remains of my Estate not before mentioned be equally divided among my Wife and Children at the Times above directed for the Division of my Negroes allowing to my Son in Case he should not get the Land two Shares thereof.
Item. If any of my Children shall marry before my Death it is my Desire that such Child so marrying shall be obliged to take into their Part such Articles as I shall give them in my Life Time & at the Prizes that I shall note them as by a Memorandum which I intend to leave against such Child
Lastly I appoint my loving Wife Jimimie & my true Friends Henry Towels Extrix & Exors of this my last Will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereto set my Hand and Seal this twenty first Day of December 1771
Signd Sealed & acknowledged
In the Presence of Edward Blackmore [seal]
Richard Whitehall Henry Towles
Rawl Chinn John Chowning
Rawleigh Stott
At a Court held for Lancaster County on the 17th Day of April 1777
This last Will & Testament of Edward Blackmore desd was presented & being proved in Court by the Oaths of Henry Towles & John Chowning Wittnesses thereto now admitted to Record
Test Thomas B. Griffin Cl. L. Cur.
Transcribed by Barbara Shroyer 19 October 2008.