In the name of God, Amen. I, Thomas Reade Rootes, being of sound mind and memory, thanks be to God for the same, do make this my last will and testament in manner and form following.
I give and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Mary P. Rootes, my whole estate both real and personal, in trust for the purpose of paying my legal debts, always reserving her own claims first. I give my said wife all my household and kitchen furniture, the most of which was her own. I also give her all my plate and any furniture I have purchased since my marriages, all of which will not amount in value to what I have sold of hers when I removed from Richmond.
I authorize my said wife to sell all and any part of my estate as she may think proper, first my western lands, then my land in Henrico, then my estate in Hanover called Gould Hill, and some lots in Hanover Town. After the payment of legal debts, I give to my wife one half profits of my whole estate during her natural life, and the other half to be divided among my children Martha J. Jackson, Sarah R. Cobb, J.S. Rootes and Serena Rootes; and upon the death of my wife direct my whole estate to be divided among my said children in the same proportion...
...having given my late son Thos. R. Rootes [III], a very good property in Fredericksburg besides negroes and money, all of which he by bad management wasted and destroyed, and I have besides had to pay large sums of money for him, and am still bound to pay more, amounting in the whole to a much larger amount than I can give any other of my children...
...and whereas his widow now holds furniture and other property to a considerable amount belonging to me, and what is still more painful to me his said widow, since the death of my said son, has had a deed recorded for the Gould Hill land, and a bill of sale for the negroes thereon, which were executed in the year 1813, and which she knows were surrendered to me in the year 1815, and since surreptitiously obtained from my desk, recorded for the purpose of doing me an injury by claiming property for her children to which she knows her husband had renounced all claim.
I therefore give to the children of my said son the furniture etc in the possession of their mother, and upon their coming of age, one hundred pounds each upon their severally renouncing all claim to the Gould Hill estate & the negroes thereon, and upon no other terms whatever. And should they set up, or either of them set up or any other person for them set up a claim for the estate or negroes named in those deeds, or any other claim whatever except under this will, they and each of them shall forfeit the sum herein given them, or any other part of my estate whatever.
I leave my wife executrix to this my last will, and direct she shall give no security and upon her death I appoint my sons-in-law, John Cobb and Dr. Jackson my executors upon the same terms, as witness my hand and seal this 25th day of July 1822.
Thomas Reade Rootes [seal]
At a court of xxxx session continued and held for Gloucester County at the Courthouse on the 3rd day of March 1824 this will was produced in Court and the Court being subscribed were in the proper handwriting of the Testator, it was thereupon ordered to be recorded.
Arthur L. Davies, clerk of Court
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