Louisa County, Virginia, Will Book 1 (1745-1761), right-hand page of folio 27:

In the name of God Amen I John Poindexter be[ing] Sick & weak but of good
& perfect memory, thanks be to God, Do make [...] Last Will and Testament in
manner and form following, that is [...] I bequeath my Soul & Spirit into the
hands of Almighty God my L[...] father By whom of his meer & only Grace I trust
to be Saved a[...] into Eternal Rest, through the Death of my Saviour & Redeemer
[...] in Whose Precious Blood I Set the only hope of my Salvation [...] Body in
hopes of a joyfull Resurrection I commit to the Earth, to[...] with Such charges
as my Dear wife Shall think good & touching th[... dispos]-ition of my mortal
goods I dispose of the Same as followeth, first [...] Such Debts as I owe shall
be truly paid Item I Lend to my B[eloved] Wife Christian Poindexter One Desk,
One Large Looking Glass, O[ne...] Chair & Six Small [Ditto?], One Oval Table &
one Square [Ditto?], D[uring her] natural Life, after which I will that my Son
Thomas Poindexter sh[...] said Articles Item I Give & Bequeath to my Son Thomas
Poind[exter...] feather Bed & Furniture Item I Give & Bequeath to my So[n...]
Poindexter Two hundred Acres of Land of the upper part of four h[undred] Acres
of Land Sittuate Lying & being on golden mine Creek, to hi[m, his heirs] or
assigns for ever Item I Give & Bequeath to my son William [Poindexter] Two
Hundred Acres of Land, being the Lower part of the aforesaid T[ract, to him,]
his heirs or assigns for ever Item I Give & Bequeath to my T[wo sons] Richard
Poindexter and Joseph Poindexter Tract of four H[undred] Acres of Land Lying on
the north fork of James River & joyning [...] Mountain, to be equally divided
between them, to them & their h[eirs or] assigns for ever & in case either of
them should Die before the[...] the age of Twenty one years, then it is my
Desire that the Sur[...] inherit the whole Tract Item I Give & Bequeath to my
Son [...] One negro Boy named David to him his heirs or assigns for eve[r Item]
I Give & Bequeath to my Son William Poindexter One n[egro...] named Bender to
him his heirs or assigns for ever Item I [Give &] Bequeath to my Son Richard
Poindexter One negro Man [named...] to him his heirs or assigns for ever Item I
Give & Bequeath [to my...]

[left-hand page of folio 28]

[...] Poindexter two Negroes Viz, One negro Boy named [Marley?] & one negro
[...] named Polly to him his heirs or assigns for ever Item I Give & bequeath
[to m]y Daughter Ch[ris?] Poindexter One negro Girl named Kate & her increase
[to her,] her heirs or assigns for ever and in case my said Daughter Should
[die] Before Before she attaines to the age of Eighteen years or marrys, then
[it is] my Desire that the said Negro Kate & her Increase should be equally
[divi]ded amongst the Surviving Legatees Item I give & Bequeath to [my]
Daughter Sarah Poindexter Two negroes Viz. One negro Boy named [Mo]ses & one
negro Girl named Lucy & her increase to her her heirs or [assi]gns for ever, &
if my said Daughter Sarah Should Die before she [ma]rrys or attains to the age
of Eighteen years, then it is my Desire, that [the] said Negroes Moses & Lucy &
her increase should be equally divided [amo]ngst the Surviving Legatees Item I
Give & Bequeath to my [Da]ughter Frances Anderson Two negroes Viz. a negro Man
named [...]er & One negro Girl named Sue, to her, her heirs or assigns for ever
[Ite]m I give *to my Daughter Frances Anderson* Twenty pounds cur't money [to be]
raised out of my Estate, to her, her heirs or assigns for ever Item It is [my]
Will & desire that when the Land is Divided between my Sons Richard [and
Jos]eph, that my Son Richard should have his first Choice of the parcels.
[Ite]m It is my Will & Desire that my Executors Sell and Dispose of all my
[lan]ds on Contrary River Except one Hundred acres, whereon John Skarroh [now]
Lives, which I desire my Ex'rs will make him a good Right to Item [It] is my
Will & Desire that my Estate should be kept together undivided [unti]ll all my
just Debts are paid Item I Give & bequeath to my Loving Wife Christian
Poindexter Two negroes Viz. York & Lucy in order to enable her to Support
Maintain & School my three youngest Children Joseph Ann & Sarah Item I Give &
Bequeath to my five Last Children William Richard, Joseph, Ann & Sarah Each one
good feather Bed & furniture [It]em I give & Bequeath to my Two Sons John &
William all my [sto]ck of Cattle & Hogs at Golden mine, to be equally Divided
Betwixt them [I]tem I Give & Bequeath to my Two Sons Richard Poindexter and
Joseph Poindexter Six head of Meat Cattle, Two Sows & four Shoats of ab't a year
old Each Item I Give & Bequeath to my Two Daughters Ann and Sarah [E]ach Six
head of Meat Cattle & Two Sows & four Shoats of about a year old [t]o be paid
them when they marry or attain to the age of Eighteen years Item It is my Will
& Desire that if my Son Joseph Poindexter should Die before he marrys or Comes
of age that his personal Estate shall be Equally Divided amongst the Surviving
Legatees Item It is my Will & desire that if my Son William should Loose the
negro to him above Devised by any person Claiming a Right in the Same, that then
he should have the Vallue of the said negro made good to him out of my other
Estate. Item I Give and Bequeath to my Loving Wife Christian Poindexter all
[th]e Remaining part of my Estate both real and personal to her, her heirs or
[a]ssigns for ever Item It is my Will and desire that my Estate may [...]t be
appraised, but divided according to the express words of this my [L]ast Will and
Testament Item I make and Ordain my Loveing Wife Christian Poindexter my Son
Thomas Poindexter and Robert Anderson to be my Executors of this my Last Will
and testament and Do [w]holly revoke all former Wills and Testaments by me in
any wise [h]eretofore made & Delivered In Witness hereof I Set my hand and Seal
this [??] Day of [??] 175[3?].
Personal interlined before assign'd.
[J]ames Overton John Poindexter (Seal)
Griffith Dickason
Mary Overton
[A]t a Court held for Louisa County on Tuesday the xxii [D]ay of May MDCCLiii
[t]his Will was this Day Proved in open Court By the Oaths of [Ja]mes Overton
and Griffith Dickason Two of the Witnesses thereto [...] by the Court admitted
to Record and is Recorded.
Teste Jas. Littlepage Cl Cur

Last Will & Testament of John Poindexter
Signed _____ 1753; Proved 22 May 1753

[Note: Both the day and month of signing are illegible. The year the will was
signed appears to be 1753. The outer edges of the record book's pages have
broken off. In this transcription, portions of the original record which were
on the now missing edges of the pages are indicated with bracketed ellipsis
points, i.e., "[...]". When enough of a word or phrase remains to be fairly
sure of what letters are missing, the missing letters are placed in brackets.
In the bequest of furniture items to the wife, it appears the clerk wrote
"Ditto" rather than "chairs" and "table." Perhaps the original will had those
items in a column format, placing "Ditto" below the words "chairs" and "table,"
but that isn't how they appear in the record book.]