Will of William Berry

In the name of God Amen I William Berry of richmond County in the Parish of Hanover being indisposed in body but of perfect memory blessed be Almighty God for the same, and calling top mind the uncertainty of this life, do make ordain and constitute this to be my last will and Testament, revoking and disannulling all former wills and this to be my true last Will in manner and from following.

First and principally , I reccomend my soul into the hands of the Almighty God, hoping through the merits of Jesus Christ my Savior to have a Joyful resurrection and full pardon and remission of all my sins, and my body I commit to the Earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named and as for that worldly goods it hath pleased God to bestow upon and bless me with, I shall dispose and leave them as followeth.

• I give and bequeath to my 2 sons Joseph and Enoch all the land I now stand possessed with in Essex County being 950 acres more or less to be equally divided between them allowing my eldest son Joseph to have the first choice and if my son Joseph shall see cause before his brother come to age to dispose or make sale of the whole or any part of the said land, there in his own or his brother's behalf, that then he shall doe as he sees meet and convenient, and if my sons Enoch and Joseph shall die with out heir then shall the said land return to the other brother, and if they shall both die without heirs, then it shall fall to my 2 daughters Margaret and Elizabeth to them and their heirs forever.
• I will give to my 2 sons Joseph and Enoch Berry my mill with that parcel of land adjacent to the millswamp, binding upon Andrew Harrison and James Key, to each an equal part to be at the dispose of my oldest son Joseph to see or make use of untill his brother comes to age.
• I give and bequeath to my son Enoch Berry the plantation I now live on with all the land joining thereto now in my possission being the third part of 500 acres to him and his heirs lawfully begotten of his body and for want of such heirs to fall to my son Joseph Berry and to his heirs lawfully begotten of his body.
• I give to m daughters Margaret Rogers and Elizabeth Strother a certain tract of land known and distinguished by the name of the forest land binding upon Henry Berry, Mr. Fitzhugh and William Pannell, divided between them by a path and marked trees, my daughter Margaret to have her part where she now lives and the other part to my daughter Elizabeth to her and her heirs lawfully begotten of her own body.
• I give to my son Enoch Berry 2 beds and furniture, 2 cows and calves and one thousand pounds of tobacco to be paid to him when he shall come to age.
• I give to my daughter Margaret 1 bed and furniture, one cow and calf and seal skin trunk
• I give to my daughter Elizabeth Strother one bed and furniture, a chest of drawers and a cow and calf.
• I give to my son Joseph Berry one bed and furniture, and all my carpenter's and coopers tools and broad-cloth linen and trimming for a suit of cothes, viz: coat vest and breeches.
• and it is my desire that all my other movable estate be equally divided between my 4 children.
• and lastly I do constitute ordain and appoint my son Joseph to be whole and sole executor of this my last will and Testament