In the name of God amen, I John Fitzhugh of Stafford County, Gent., being weak in body but of sound mind & memory (blessed be God) do this second day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & thirty-one make & publish this my last will & testament in manner following, that is to say. Imprimis. I will that my wife as long as she remains my widow, shall have & enjoy the plantation whereon I now live together with all ( ) tenements, profits, commodities, & appurtenances hereunto belonging with as much land thereunto adjoining as will make up the quantity of seven hundred acres. Item. My will is that my said wife shall have the use & ( ) of all the furniture, utensils, stocks of all kinds, & movables belonging to the said houses & plantations. Item. To my said wife, I devise the use of the following Negroes during her natural life (viz); mulatto Billy the son of old Sarah, Cesar, Will (Roses’ son), black Will old Sarah’s son, Jenny, Kate, Betty, Molly (Jenny’s daughter), Sabina, Hannibal, Harry, Hannah, Sabina’s children Sary at ( ) Quarters, Frank, Sary’s children mulatto Sary, Parker’s daughter Phyllis. My will and intention is that what I leave for use of my wife shall be in full satisfaction of all her dower right or title of dower interest claim or demand which she may have out of or against all my estate both real & personal. Item. My will is that the Negroes above named shall go to my son William at my wife’s decease. Item. To my son John I give & bequeath all my lands now in Prince William’s County to him & his heirs forever. Item. To my said son John I give the following Negroes (viz): Daphney & all her children born or to be born, Nanny & all her children born or to be born, Peter (Nanny’s husband), Liverpool, & Dorset. Whereas, Daniel McCarty, late of Westmoreland County, Gent., deceased, by his last will & testament did devise to his executors for the use of his daughter Winifred, now the wife of Mr. Robert Massey, five hundred pounds current money of Virginia to be by them laid out in land & Negroes & directed upon the said Winifred & the heirs of her body, as by the said will is directed & whereas I have for a valuable consideration to me paid, sold a tract of land called Black Castle, containing two hundred acres which was left me by my father & ( ) upon my son William to the said executors for the said uses & am desirous that the tract of land whereon I now live should be & remain as a security to the said Winifred in case my heirs should refuse to confirm the said sale. Therefore I give & bequeath the said tract of land whereon I now live containing sixteen hundred acres to my son William & his heirs forever only with this proviso that when he & his heirs shall come to be of age, they shall make good & sufficient conveyance or conveyances of the said land called Black Castle to the executors of the above said Daniel McCarty, deceased, for the use above mentioned. But if my said son William or his heirs when hereunto reasonably required by the said executors or his heirs shall refuse to make sure conveyance or conveyances or to confirm the title to the above named Robert Massey & his wife to the said tract of land called Black Castle, then I give the tract of land whereon I now live containing sixteen hundred acres to the executors of the above named Daniel McCarty & his heirs for the use above mentioned. All the rest of my lands & tenements & tenements whatever whereof I shall die in possession of, I give to my son William & his heirs forever. It is my will that if there should be any copper mines found upon my lands, notwithstanding any former bequests, my two sons shall have an equal share of the profits arising from the said copper mines. Item. I give to each of my daughters a fifth part of the value of my Negroes and personal estate not already mentioned in my will after my debts are paid, to be paid them within a year after they shall be married or when they arrive at the age of twenty-one years & whereas the payment of such a sum be a great encumbrance of the estate of my eldest son, my will is that my executors hereafter named shall cut down the wood upon my land at Astakuk that my said son may be better enabled to discharge the said encumbrance & that they may keep my Negroes now employed in cutting wood for the iron works upon my said land at Astakuk to cut down wood for the said iron works for the benefit of my said son William toward his discharge of the said encumbrance. Item. I now appoint Col. Henry Fitzhugh & Capt. Daniel McCarty guardians to all my children till they arrive at the age of twenty-one years & executors of this my last will & testament, in witness whereof I, the said John Fitzhugh have to this my last will & testament set my hand & seal the day & year above written. The words before of old Sarah was put at the testator’s request & others erased before signing. Signed Jn. Fitzhugh (seal) Signed, sealed, & delivered by the said John Fitzhugh for his last will and testament in the presence of us who were present at the signing & sealing thereof. Catesby Corkes, Laurence Porksey, John Warner At a court held for Stafford County the 11th day of April 1733. The written last will & testament of John Fitzhugh, Gent., deceased, was presented into court by Henry Fitzhugh, executor, who made oath thereto according to law & was further proved by the oaths of Catesby Corkes & John Warner, two of the witnesses thereto & admitted to record & on motion of the said Henry Fitzhugh, executor performing what is usual in such cases, certificate is granted him for obtaining a probate hereof in due form. Test: Tho. Claibourne, Clerk