Will of Henry Clark, Decd
Henry County VA Will Book 3, Pages 200-201
I, Henry Clark, of the County of Henry, & the State of Virginia, being of perfect mind & memory, but knowing tht it is appointed to all men once to die believing as I do that the number of days allotted me on earth is nearly accomplished and feeling a desire to make a disposition of my worldly estate during life, do make & ordain this my last will & Testament in the words & form following. Viz
1. My desire is that immediately after my decease, my Extr herein after named sell to the highest bidder my tract of land in the county of Henry aforesaid on Daniels creek & so much of my perishable property (including slaves) as shall amount to one thousand dollars over and above what shall pay my just debts & these thousand dollars so raised I wish equally divided among my nine first children, viz, Jonathan, Elizabeth, James, Nancy, Frances, Jacob, Ruth, Joseph & Samuel without any regard to what I already have respectively given them. My two servants, Squire and Peter, I wish valued by three discreet persons to be chosen by my Extr & the said negroes to have the liberty of choosing which of all my children they prefer to serve, & the master or masters so chosen by my said two servants shall pay to the Executorship of my estate the amount of said valuation within twelve months after they shall come in possession of my said servants, but should it so happen that the master or masters thus selected by my said two servants cannot or shall refuse to pay to my estate the amount of their valuation then they may be sold on a credit of twelve months as the other property above & the moneys thence arising constituting a part of the thousand dollars above bequeathed, divided among my older children above named. My old servant, Jack, I wish neither valued or sold but to have the liberty himself of choosing which of all my children he will preffer to serve & his master so chosen by him shall enjoy him as an extra legacy of my estate and shall treat him humanely so long as he, the said negro, may live.
2nly my will & desire is that the land & tenement whereon I now live be enjoyed and possessed by my present wife, Cassandra Clark, during her natural life together with all personal property except what was bequeathed above, & at her death my will is that the said premises be sold & all of the sales thereof & out of the sales of any other of my personal estate that she may die possessed of, one thousand dollars to be divided among my eight last children, viz, Sally, William, Nathaniel, Pervania, Gideon, Assinette (sp?), Susanna & David without regard to anything that I have given them heretofore, & then if anything remain of my estate after paying them this thousand dollars here last bequeathed, I wish such residue equally divided among all my seventeen children or their heirs.
3rdly my wish is that my children infants now with me be supported comfortably out of the lands or proceeds thereof above bequeathed to my wife Cassandra Clark until they shall arrive at the age of twenty one years respectively, and if at any time my said wife Cassandra shall refuse to give my siad infant children a support as I have done my Extr may rent or lease two thirds of my said lands bequeathed to her during her life for the purpose of raising & maintaining my said infants til they arive at the age of twenty one years.
4thly I do hereby appoint my two sons, Jacob Clark, William H. Clark and Tarleton King sole executors of this my last will & Testament hereby revoking all other wills and bequests whatsoever heretofore made by me ratifying & confirming this & no other to be my last. In testamony whereof I do hereunto set my hand & affix my seal this 25th day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty eight.
Signed in the presence of W. Hereford, John I. Fontain, Noah (his x mark) Salmon,
(signed) Henry Clark. (seal)
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