WILLS FAMILY HOME PAGE
William Wills, Sr.- Generation 2
William Wills, Sr. is the son of Justinian Wills, Sr.
The following text was written by Linda Knight Wilson. It is undated and was found in the Bedford County, Va. Museum in June of 1998. Portions were extracted from a larger document.
Some interesting, historical notations on LINDA KNIGHT WILSON
I am the oldest of 4 children (Linda, Doris, Deborah, Robert E. Knight).
My parents are Dorothy E. Collins and Floyd Y. Knight, Jr.
My mother's mother was Maggie Wills Collins; father: Robert E. Collins
Maggie's parents were William Malcolm Wills and Cornelia B. Loyd
William Malcolm's parents were Charles Admire Wills & Mary Jane Bradley Wills
Charles Admire Wills' parents were Charles P. Wills & Mary R. Daughtery Wills
Charles P. Wills' parents were William Wills & Frances Tylor.
It seems that my great, great, great, great grandfather paid the sum of 50 pounds on
January 13, 1791 to Beverly Randolph, Governor of Virginia, to marry Frances Tylor,
(daughter, step-daughter, or ward) of William Boatwright. Mr. Boatwright actually paid
half of the marriage bond as was the custom in VA at that time. Although it does not
indicate on the attached document, I would assume these people were British colonials.
Interestingly enough, William could not write when he married Frances in 1791, but could
sign his name quite clearly when he made his last will in 1830. William was a farmer and
owned 697 1/2 acres in the Bedford County area. I thought it interesting that neighbors'
boundaries to William's land were marked by chestnut trees.
-end-
The following text was prepared by Chester L. McWhorter, Sr. and found in the Bedford Museum, Bedford, Virginia in June 1998.
William Wills : MARRIED: January 13, 1791 to Frances Tylor, (daughter, stepdaughter or ward of WILLIAM BOATRIGHT), in Bedford, Virginia.
DIED: December 27, 1830 , Bedford, Virginia
CHILDREN OF WILLIAM WILLS & FRANCES (TYLOR) WILLS:
Jesse, William Jr., Charles P., Elijah, Justinian, Nancy, Elizabeth
William Wills and William Boatright paid the Governor of Virginia, Beverly Randolph the sum of 50 Pounds as marriage bond for William Wills and Frances Tylor. This was the custom in Virginia at the time of their marriage. The wedding was performed by James Mitchell.
Last Will and Testament of William Wills (see text below) was made January 17, 1830, with John Gibbs writing it and Ruin Guthrie and Henry Cooper signing as witnesses, William Wills could not write at the time of his marriage in 1791, but could sign his name clearly when he made his Last Will in 1830.
William Wills owned 697 1/2 acres of land, at the time of his death each of his heirs received 112.9 acres of land, except for his eldest son Jesse. Jesse's part of the inheritance was only 20 acres, he lived until 1873, to date no reason has been found as to why he did not share equally in the estate.
A survey made January 13, 1834, (THE MAP WAS OLD, FADED AND HARD TO READ), listed property on the spur of "Flattop Mountain", with water rights to "Gooseneck Creek" which ran through the property. Boundaries were marked by Chestnut trees, stones and other land-owners property. NAMES LISTED: GIBBS, GUTTY, CRENSHAW, DICKERSON, RODGERS, COOPER and others whose names were to faded to read. (See map below)
No records can be found as to where William Wills came from, or how he acquired the land. According to documents William had a brother (JUSTINIAN) and a sister (ELIZABETH), who were married in Bedford, Virginia, one in 1802, and the other in 1805. There were also Wills in the adjoining counties of Lunenburg, (ELIJAH & GEORGE, DATE 1766) and Nottoway, County, (WILLIAM & RACHEL, DATE 1820)
-End of text prepared by Mr. McWhorster-
Map of the land divided in William Wills' will dated January 13, 1834
Descendants of William Wills, Sr.
1 William Wills, Sr. Born: Unknown Died: December 27, 1830 in Bedford Co. Va. Age at
death: ?
. +Frances Tyler Born: Abt. 1775 Married: January 13, 1791 in Bedford Co.
Va. Marriage fact: William Boatright surety Father: Mother:
2 Jessie Wills Born: 1791 in Bedford Co. Va. Died: Abt. 1873 in Bedford
Co. Va. Age at death: 82 est.
2 [1] Charles P. Wills Born: August 27, 1799 in Bedford Co. Va. Died:
November 25, 1884 in Bedford Co. Va. Age at death: 85
... +Mary R. Daughterly Born: July 22, 1810 in Bedford Co. Va. Married:
November 02, 1825 in Bedford Co. Va. Father: Mr. James Daughterly
Mother: Ms. Judith Rhodes Died: August 08, 1880 in Bedford Co. Va. Age
at death: 70
*2nd Wife of [1] Charles P. Wills:
... +Julia Ann Parker Born: Unknown Married: December 22, 1881 Father:
Mother:
2 William Wills, Jr. Born: Abt. 1801 in Bedford Co. Va. Died: 1853 in
Bedford Co. Va. Age at death: 52 est.
... +Elizabeth Lively Born: Abt. 1810 Married: October 12, 1826 in Bedford
Co. Va. Father: Mother:
2 Elizabeth Wills Born: 1806 in Bedford Co. Va. Died: January 16, 1873
Age at death: 67 est.
... +James Pitt Wills Born: June 05, 1809 Married: May 22, 1832 in Bedford
Co. Va. Father: Mr. James Pitt Mother: Ms. Sara Wills Died: January 29,
1893 Age at death: 83
2 Justinian (or Jestenian) Wills Born: 1807 in Bedford Co. Va. Died: in
Bedford Co. Va.
... +Martha E. Born: Abt. 1815 Father: Mother:
2 Nancy Wills Born: 1809 in Bedford Co. Va. Died: January 16, 1873 in
Bedford Co. Va. Age at death: 64 est.
... +James Wells Father: Mother:
2 Elijah Wills Born: Unknown in Bedford Co. Va.
... +Zenith Bowles Married: October 28, 1826 in Bedford Co. Va. Father:
Mother:
Last Will of William Wills, copied as written Jan. 17, 1830
I, William Wills of Bedford County of Virginia
Do make & publish this my last will & testament in manner following to wit
1st item. My will is that all my just debts be paid on the way herein as specified.
2nd Item. I give & bequeath to my wife Frances Wills two hundred acres of my land where ever she chooses to take it around the house which I now occupy including said house & improvements giving her the privileges of taking it in such form & shape as she pleases provided she takes it all in one body and does not run into either of the improvements therein after given to my sons to have & to hold for her natural life. I also give to my wife all debts pay on demand which now due or which shall hereafter become due & owing to me. I also give to my wife all my personal property including plantation utentials horses cattle hogs sheep & stock of every kind and all my household & kitchen furnitures to have & to hold during her natural life excepting my two horse waggon & my big sorrel mare Colt On condition however that she will relinquish her right of dower on the rest of my estate.
3rd Item. I give to William Wills & Capt. Thomas Priest in trust for the benefit of my eldest son Jesse twenty acres of land being a part of the tract on which I now live including the Chestnut ridge field to have & to hold in trust to them & their heirs forever for the sole use & benefit of my son Jesse & his heirs.
4th Item. I give to my son William one hundred acres of my land including the dwelling house & improvements where he now lives to have & to hold to him & his heirs forever.
5th I give to my son Charles One hundred acres of my land including the improvements made by Ambrose Rucker last year to have & to hold to him & his heirs forever.
6th I give to my son Elijah One hundred Acres of my land including the dwelling house & improvements where he now lives to have & to hold to him & his heirs forever.
7th I give to my son Justinian after the death of my wife the tract of land & improvements herein before bequeathed as in the first Item to my said wife to have & to hold her natural life to him the said Justinian to have & to hold forever. That is to say I give & bequeath to my son Justinian at the death of his mother the tract of two hundred Acres named in the first item agreeably to the farm boundaries which shall be chosen by my wife to have & to hold to him & his heirs forever. I also give to my son Justinian my walnut table & my Cupboard at the death of my wife & I also give him at the death of my wife One feather bed & bedding. And I give to my son Justinian (to have immediate possession at my death) the two horse waggon & the sorrell mare colt which were excepted in my bequest of personal property in the first item. I also give to my son Justinian at the death of my wife all the tools & plantation utentials & all the horses Cattle Sheep hogs & stock of every kind that remain of those which I have herein before given to my wife during her life.
8th I give to my daughter Nancy and Elizabeth all the balance or residue of the tract of land on which I now live this the same as more or less to be equally divided between them (excepting what has been herein before given & bequeathed) to have & to hold to them & to their heirs forever.
9th I also give to my daughter Nancy at the death of my wife my blue table, blue chest, & loom with all its appertances and the choice of my feather beds & bedding.
10th I give to my daughter Elizabeth the second choice of my beds & bedding at the death of my wife.
11th It is my will that all my household & kitchen furnature that I left to my wife during her life, and which is not herein before named & bequeathed shall be equally divided between my daughter Nancy & Elizabeth at the death of my wife for them to have and to hold forever.
12th It is my will that if my sons William Charles Elijah & the other trustees for the benefit of Jesse Cannot agree on the boundaries of the several tracts of land herein bequeathed to them that Commissions be appointed by Bedford Co. Court to fix the boundaries so as to make each tract as nearly of the same value as possible without adding to or diminishing from the number of Acres of each tract as herein bequeathed & also therein having regard to Convenience of form of each tract.
13th It is my will that in consideration of Certain advantages which I have given my son Justinian & the bequest herein before named that he shall pay off all my debts which are now due or which may here after become due & owing & to enable my son Justinian the more easily to pay my said debts I give to him all the tobacco & other crops which were made by him on my plantation last year in which said crops I except in my bequest of personal property given to my wife in the first item of my will
14th I do hereby Nominate Constitute & appoint Ignatius Wills & Woodson Wills executors to this my last will & testament.
I hereby revoak all former wills made by me.
In testimony where of I have here unto set my hand & seal this 17th day of January 1830.
Signed Sealed & published in presence of
John Gibbs
his
Ruin X Guthrie
mark
Henry Cooper
William Wills seal
(note here concerns change of thirty acres to twenty acres in Item 3 inserted before will was signed)
Bedford County Court 27 Dec 1830. Last will & testament of William Wills dec'd approved by oath of John Gibbs, Ruin Guthrie & Henry Cooper witnesses, ordered recorded. Court held 28 March 1831 at motion of Justinian Wills letters of administration & will approved is granted him on said estate (the Executors named in said will refused to qualify) whereupon he made oath etc, security according to law.
l3 January 1834. Surveyed for the heirs and widow of Willaim Wills dec'd 697 3/4 acres of land Situate in Bedford County and the Spurr of the Flattop Mountain and on the water of Goose Creek. and in permance of the Will of said William Wills dec'd and by direction of the undersignors. (Signatures too faint to read)
We the under signers being all of lawful age, and appointed by the last will and testament of William Wills Dec'd, to divide the lands of the decedant, we have mutually agreed upon a division agreeable to said will and set fourth by the foregoing Survey and plat, and we do hereby mutually agree and bind ourselves and each of our heirs to abide by the said division as set fourth by the foregoing survey and plat and desire that the County Court of Bedford direct the same to go on record in the Clerks office of said Court, as witness our hands and seals this 23rd day of February 1834. (All members signed)
26 March 1835. Court was held in the Bedford Courthouse and the dividing of the land was ordered recorded. Testes R. C. Mitchell, C.B.C.
Charles Wills, 100 acres, Elijah & William 100 acres each, Frances, 199 3/4 acres, Jesse 20 acres, Elizabeth and Nancy shared 178 acres.