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.

Lee County, Virginia, "Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983," "Will Book, Vol. 3,
1800-1832,"  will of Willoughby Randolph, signed 16 February 1822, unpaged, cover;
database, image 73, ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 March 2018).

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.

Lee County, Virginia, "Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1652-1983," "Will Book, Vol. 3,
1800-1832," will of Willoughby Randolph, signed 16 February 1822, unpaged, first page;
database,  image 74, ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 March 2018).

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.