Family:John Mitchell and Mary Boyd (2)

1771 Augusta VA will of John Mitchell:

In the name of God Amen the fourteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one Thousand seven hundred and Seventy one I John Mitchell of the County of Augusta and Colony of Virginia Farmer being very sick and weak in Body but of Perfect mind and memory thanks be given unto God therefore calling to mind the Mortallity of my body and knowing Appointed for all men once to die do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament that is to say principally & first of all I give and recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God that gave it and my Body I recommend to the earth to be buried in decent Christian Burial at the discrection of my Executors nothing doubting but at the General as Resurrection I shall receive the same by the eighty power of God and as touching such Worldly estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life I give demise & dispose of the same in the following manner & form Imprimis I give and Bequeath to Elizabeth my beloved Wife her maintenance of and from the product of my Plantation during her life time and also all my cows and Sheep & also a Bay Mare likewise the whole of an Estate that I heirs & from my Mother by a Verbal Will and all and household Furniture whom also constitute make & and Executor of this my last Will & Testament

Item I give to my third son John Mitchell one hundred and Sixty Six acres of land to be divided and taken of the Lower end of my Plantation and also the one third of the Meadow - - Ground which is now cleared and that to be one side of the Branch that Runs through the Meadow & also the fourth of the pound of the Orchard for Six years

Item to James Mitchell my fourth son whom sale that certain my Executor of Mining Last Will and Testament the Remaining part of my land and a house a Gragellarce & Boy Colts and the Horse and Mare that are Generally Wrought on the Plantation and also all the Iron pools of or belonging to the Plantation and a Wagon

Item to Elizabeth my Youngest daughter I give a June Mare and Bay Mare & three Year old Colt and a seal Seal and Twentire them to all the rest of my Children and first to Thomas my Eldest son the sum of Six Shillings to Elenor Wilson my Eldest daughter Six Shillings to Robert my Second son six Shillings to Mary Right my second daughter six Shillings and I do hereby utterly disallow former Testaments revoke and disallow all and every other Wills Legacies and bequests and Executors by me in any ways before named willed and bequeathed Ratifying & Confirming this and no other to be my Last Will & Testament In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand seal the day & year above Written Signed Sealed by the said John Mitchell as his last Will and Testament.

John Mitchell ℗

In the Presence of us the Subscriber John Tates, Andrew Moore, Thomas

'At a Court held for Augusta County August the 20th 1771

This last Will and Testament of John Mitchell Deed was Proved by the Oaths of Andrew Moore & Thomas Wilson two of the Witnesses thereto and ordered to be Recorded

John Mitchell's will names his 3rd and 4th born sons first in the will leaving them land then his youngest daughter Elizabeth to whom he leaves a colt & mare. Only then does he address his four oldest children leaving them 6 shillings each. This suggests, but does not prove, that John, James and Elizabeth were children from his wife Elizabeth named in the will, and that Thomas , Robert, Elenor and Mary were children of a previous wife who had already received an inheritance.