Person:Thomas Meador (29)

Will Transcript

In the name of God, Amen. I, Thomas Meador of Essex County in the Parrish of South Farnham, being in perfect sence and memory, Praise the Almighty for the same, I do make and Ordain this my last Will and Testament, Revoking and Disanuling all other Wills heretofore written, in Manner and form as followeth, to wit:

First and Principally I commend my Soul unto the hand of Amightly God who gave it, hoping through...the Merrits and Death of my Lorn and Saviour Jesus Christ to have full and free Pardon of all my Sins and Wickednesses in General and to Inherit Everlasting Life through my Savior Christ, and my Body I commit to the Earth to be decently and Christainly buried, hoping at the Last Day of Judgment it shall be reunited to my soul to a happy Ressurection, as for my worldly estate which it has pleased Almighty God to Bless me with, I give as followeth:

Item. I give unto my son John Medor a peace of land in Essex County and Parrish aforesaid, being the land on which I live, bounded as followeth...Beginning at my Cool Spring and running to a Great White Oak standing on my Spring Hill, thence across my corn field to the head of a Branch called the Poplar Spring Branch, thence Down the Branch to the Great Branch to the Main Pocoson & down the main Pocoson to the mouth of Cool Spring branch & so up the said Branch to the beginning...to him & his heirs Lawfully begotten of his Body forever.

Item. I give unto my son Thomas Meador Eighty Acres of land more of less beginning at a corner oak between Nicholas Faulconor and myself, thence to the Corner of the Ditch, thence down the Ditch so to the head of the Branch, thence Down the Branch the Great Branch, so up the said Branch to Harbett Waggoner's line, thence along the said line to a corner White Oak, thence along Waggoner's line to the mouty (of) Clements Spring Branch, so up the said Branch to the Main Road, so along the said Road o the Blody Oak, thence North East to a corner Hiccory by Nicolas Faulconer's fence, so to the Beginning, to him & his Male heirs Lawfully begotten of his Body forever, & for want of such heirs to Rubin Meador and his Male Heirs Lawfully begotten his Body forever.

Item. I give to my son Rubin Meador all the remainder part of my land belong to the Burying Place lying between the lands I gave to my sons John Meador & Thomas Meador, to him and his Male heirs Lawfully begotten his Body forever, and for want of heirs then to my son Thomas Meador and his Male heirs Lawfully begotten of his Body forever.

Item. I give to my son Ruben Meador my old hunting gun which was made by Peter Byram & Three good cows & calves & Desire they may not be appraised, being left him instead of money Land to him & his heirs forever.

Item. I give to my Daughter Elizabeth Allen, wife of Benjamin Allen, the same feather Bed I lent her at the Day of Marriage to her and her heirs forever.

Item. I give to my daughter Rachel Armstrong, wife of Ambrose Armstrong, the same Feather Bed I lent her at the Day of Marriage to her and her heirs forever.

Item. I give to my daughter Sarah Meador one Feather Bed with all the furniture & c. to her and her heirs forever.

Item. I give to my daughter Frances Bell one feather Bed with all the furniture & c. to her and her heirs forever.

Item. I give to Sasannah Medor forty five shillings current money to be put to her use During her life, to be paid yearly by my Executors hereafter named.

Item. I desire that all the Remainder part of my estate of what kind soever being Real & Personal and lying & being in what Place soever by Equially Divided amongst my Nine Children, viz: John Meador, Thomas Meador, Ambrose Meador, Ruben Meador, Sarah Medor and Easter Medor, Elizabeth Allen. Rachel Armstrong & Frances Bell, to them and their heirs forever.

Item. I do constitute & Appoiint my two sons Thomas Meador & Reuben Medor full, whole & sole Executors of this my Last Will and Testament, Revoking all other will or wills heretofore by me made, & Acknowledge this my Will & no other.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand and fixt my Seal this 31st. day of July Anno Domi, 1758.

(Signed) Thomas Meador (SS)

Signed, Sealed and Delivered in presence of

Waters Dunn

William Meador, Jr.

Robert Coleman

At a court held for Essec County at Tappahannock the 19th Day of September 1758 this Last Will and Testament of Thomas Meador dec'd. was this Day Presented in court by the Ex. herein named, who made oath thereto acc. to law, and was proved by the oaths of the Witnesses hereto, and on the notion of the Execs. admitted to Record and so Recorded.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Meador, Victor P. (Victor Paul), and Bernal M. Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America: as found in the records of Isle of Wight, Lancaster, (old) Rappahannock, Richmond, Essex and Caroline Counties, Virginia. (Independence, Missouri: V.P. Meador, 1983).

   Elizabeth White Meador died before the end of 1694. On 10 December 1695, John Meador, anticipating a second marriage, made a deed of gift dividing the bulk of his land among his children: Richard, Thomas, John Jr., and Hope, Rachel, Elizabeth and Esther.
   
   Memorandum of the verbal will of John Meador Jr. who deceased May 14, 1720 at his own dwelling house in the county of Essex
   to my daughter Susannah Meador all of my whole estate, but if my daughter Susannah Meador dye before she comes of age or marries, then I will that sd. estate be equally divided between William Bourne and Thomas Meador & John Armstrong & William Jordan.
   William Bourne and Thomas Meador be my executors and that they take care of my sd. daughter.
   Witnesses: Jno. Allen, Rchd. R. Gregory, Ann A Bradbury
   Recorded 18 May 1720
   
   [Note: William Bourne, John Armstrong and William Jordan are his brothers-in-law]

2. ↑ Land Grants - John and Thomas Meador, June Bork, 18 Feb 2001, in RootsWeb Archiver
   accessed 18 Aug 2014.

   1694 Dec 10 - Essex Co, VA - Deeds & Wills (1692-5), p.332
   Know all men by these presents that I, John Meador Senior widower, in ye
   county of Essex in ye Parish of South Farnham, for ye love I bear to my
   children that I had by my wife Elizabeth [White] Meador deceased, I doe
   hereby give them such parsell of land that I shall set downe severall by
   themselves. . . . .
   my son Richard Meador and my son John Meador . . . .
   my son Thomas Meador . . . .
   to my son Hope Meador. . . .
   my daughter Rachell Meador. . . .
   my daughter Elizabeth Meader. . . . & my daughter Esther Meader. . . .
   The land given unto my sons and daughters never to be sold nor disposed of but to ramaine from heir to heir as long as there can be one of
   ye Meaders found alive, . . . .
   Witness my hand and seale this tenth day of
   December, 1694.. /s/ John Meader (Seale)..
   Wit: Mary (X) Gorbell, Joseph (F) Calloway

3. ↑ Meador, Victor P. (Victor Paul), and Bernal M. Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America: as found in the records of Isle of Wight, Lancaster, (old) Rappahannock, Richmond, Essex and Caroline Counties, Virginia. (Independence, Missouri: V.P. Meador, 1983)
   Vol. I.

   Will of John (3) Meador: I, John Meador of Essex County . . . . to my son Thomas Meador, one shilling.
   to my daughter Rachel Jordan, one shilling.
   to my daughter Elizabeth Armstrong, one shilling
   to my daughter Dinah Tribille, one shilling
   My five sons shall keep their own guns without appraising.
   To my daughter Mary Meador, one gold ring.
   To my son Jonas Meador a small piece of land joining upon Thomas Evinses land . . . .
   And the rest of my land I give to my other four sons, to be Equally Divided, with all my houses and orchards thereon belonging,
   and I do appoint my two sons Job Meador and Jason Meador my lawful Executors.
   I give to my son Joshua Meador one Chest not to be appraised,
   and the rest of my estate to be equally divided amongst my children
   and leave to my youngest Sons to be of age at seventeen and I do leave my son Jonas Meador to look after them three years.
   And that my will not to be in force till my decease.
   Dated 17 October 1721, John Meador Senier
   Witnesses: Samuel Waggoner, Francis F. Parris, Ann A. Bradbury
   Presented for probate Nov. 21, 1721 by Jonas Meador during the minority of the executor, with oaths by Samuel Waggoner, Francis Pierce, and Ann Bradbury.

4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6} Descendants of Thomas Meadows (Meador)
   p 29.

   In 1734 Thomas purchased 70 acres (part of his father's original 450 acre tract) from his nephew William
   in 1739 he purchased an addition 105 acres from Rachel Jordan and William Hutson (both resident in Caroline County). This was divided in half and one half was sold to William Allen
   1743, named by niece Susanna to oversee inheritance
   1751, named Executor to estate of Richard Armstrong, but refused