The Will of
John White
August 1787
Orange County, Virginia
In the Name of God Amen. I John White of the Parish of St. Thomas in the County of Orange being of present mind & sound memory and calling to mind the uncertainty of human Life do make & Ordain this my Last Will & Testament in Manner and form following. 1st I commit my soul into the hands of God, trusting in his mercy and in the merits of any Redeemer for the remissions of all my sins and my body I commit to the Earth to be buried at the discretion of my Executors hereafter mentioned and per for my temporal estate I bequeath and dispose of in the manner following,
Impremis I lend unto beloved wife Ann White four negroes named James Dick Doll & Esther during her life and then they and their increase (?) to be equally divided between my children hereafter named and also the plantation whereon I now live during her life and I further lend unto my wife so much of my household furniture, stock and tools which she may think necessary to make a Crop and corn & fodder to support them.
Impremis I give unto my son Thomas White the plantation whereon I now live after the death of my wife also the Lease I hold of Mr. William Stanard (?) which he is to be in possession of at my death to him and his forever.
Impremis My will and desire is that what estate I have now in possession of every kind, real and personal except what I have lent my wife Ann White and paying my Lawful debts should be equally divided between my Children that is to say my Son John White my son Conyers White my son Thomas White and the heirs of my Daughters Mary Shackleford dec'd, Theodosia Early, Frances Phillips, Ann Rhodes, Elizabeth Davis and Sarah Leathers and my will is that if either of my daughter Mary Shackleford's Children should die without heirs that their Part should be equally divided among the others. My Will and desire is that if my Children should not agree in dividing my estate that there shall be three men chose by them to divide the same equally and I do hereby constitute and appoint my sons Conyers White and Thomas White my Joint Executors of this my Last Will and Testament and I do hereby utterly revoke all other Wills heretofore by me made or any ways left declaring this and no other to be my Last Will and Testament.
In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand an seal this eight day of August one thousand seven hundred and Eighty Seven.
John White (Ld)
In Presents of
Thomas Fortson (?)
John White
Mary White (x her mark)
Transcriber's Note: I transcribed this from photos of the will posted on Ancestry dot com. No Will Book number or page numbers were specified. - SKB