An 1822 Will Opens New Doors (Part 1)

When my Great Aunt Beulah first introduced me to genealogy twenty years ago, I was an eager student. While researching our Randolph family, I quickly discovered a tree which took our family back several generations. I excitedly showed her my work…and she explained that was NOT the right way to do genealogy. She taught me I couldn’t just accept unsourced information from other people’s trees. Instead, I needed to rely on actual documents.

I quickly “trimmed” those people from my tree, and I am thankful she taught me that lesson so early in my genealogy pursuit. However, I’ve also pretty much avoided researching my Randolph family.

A few days ago, though, I found an image of my 5x great grandfather’s 1822 Lee County, Virginia, will on Ancestry. It provided me with wonderful information including a child I did not have on my tree. The beautifully “misspelled” words, though spelling wasn’t standardized at that time, and seeing his wife’s name, “Franky,” really touched me. And, now I have many other records I need to pursue and people I need to research.

I’m going to share this three-page will, one page at a time, along with my transcription. I will put the names of any people and relationships who are mentioned in bold print.

If you are related to the Randolph family or anyone listed in this document, or if you have any corrections or information which might be useful to me, please contact me so we can talk! You can leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net.

In the name of god Aman I Willoughby Rando
-lph of the State of Virginia and County of Lee being
weak in body and sick and of disposing mind &
Memory and in perfect sences thanks be to god for
the same I do here in Make and ordain this to be
My last Will and testament ——————————–
I tom I give and bequeath unto my wife Franky
Randolph a childs part of all my moveable
Estat to her and her heirs for ever also all the
Corn pork and bacon and fat for this Insewing year
I tom I give and bequeath unto my son William Randolph
one hundred & ten acres of land being on the south
side of Wallings Ridge it being the land and plantation where
James Muncey & Jeremiah [C or B]en? now lives to him and his heirs
forever also one hundred acres of land settled by head
write in panted [painted?] Valey state of tenesee haukens County
to him and his [heirs inserted] forever
———————————
I tom I give and bequeath unto my son Thornton
Randolph the west End of the tract of land whare on
he now lives from Joseph Brooks line south of wallings
Ridge Comeing down the Road and branch lead to James
Burtons sink[?] of branch and leaveing out that spring of water
at the head of the low gap[?] going to Mulberry and when the
line comes down said branch untell it gets to a sugar Camt[?] hollow
to leave said Road to the west so as to take in the house and
lot with the little orchard and two springs by the house and
along the foot of the stoney hill in the paster to my line
and James Burtons to him and his heirs forever ——————-

Note: Hawkins County, Tennessee and Lee County, Virginia shared part of a border.