Will of Charles Rackliffe

In the name of God Amen I Charles Rackliffe of Somerset County being in good helte of body and of sound and perfect mind and memory praise be to almighty God for make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following that is to say First and principally I commend my soule unto the hands of go Almighty God hoping through merrits and oath passion of savior Jesus Christ to have full and free pardon and forgivingness of all my sins and to inherit Everlasting life and my body committed to the earth to be decently buried at the discretion of my Exec. Hereafter named and it revoking the disposition of all such temporall Estate as it hath pleased almighty God to be blesses upon me, I give and bequeath dispose thereof as followeth__ First I will that my debts and funerall charges shall be first pd. And discharged___ Item I give and bequeath eldest son Charles my Plantation where I now dwell with seven hundred acres of land belonging to it beginning at the line pt. Divider my ld's the water land and mine the Souths most line of my land and from thence to go as far as point Creeks to runith up the south side of sd. Creeke hill it comes to the extent____ Item I give unto my sone Elias Rackliffe five hundred acres of land running from pith of the point to the extent of the same land___ Item I give unto my sons Nathaniell Rackliffe of Wm. that tract of land lieing upon the north side of the St. Martins River equally to be divided betwixt them, and Nathaniell to have the plantation now sealed___ Item I give unto my son Elias one gray horse called Rainbow___ Item I give unto my sons Nathaniell and Wm. foure cow and calfs to each of them Item I give and bequeath unto my son Charles Rackliffe one bedsted and furniture belonging Item I give and bequeath unto my son Elias one bed and furniture belonging Item I give unto son Nathaniell one bed and furniture belonging Item I give unto my son Wm. one bed and furniture belonging Item I give unto my beloved wife the choice of all beds and the furniture that I have and my sone Charles next and next best Item I give unto my well beloved wife my great pott and the rest of the pott lids - Divided amongst my children as she thinks fitting___ Item I give and bequeath unto my loveing wife eight cows and calfs and four horses the largest that I have at my Plantation as marying[??] Item I give unto my son Elias three cows and calfs Item I give Charles six cows and calfs and four slaves at manture[??] Item I give unto my son J/no three cows and calfs Item I give unto my Daughter Mary three cows and calfs Item I give unto my Daughter Mary bed and furniture It is my will and pleasure that my sons Elias, Nathaniell, Wm., and Jn/o, shall be at age at the years of Eighteen, and my Daughters Mary and at seventeen or the day of marriage___ Item it is my will and pleasure that my sone J/no shall have six thousand pounds of tobacco to be pd. Equally out of the rest of their brothers Estates which I have now given them to buy him a piece of land ____ Item I give unto my son Jn/o four yearling heifers __ Item I give unto my Daughter Mary foure heifers yearlings___ Item I give unto my sons Charles and Elias my Horse Mull and my loving wife to have a share as long as she lives not to be moved___ Item I give unto my sone Charles one horse called Black Button___ Item I give unto my sone Jn/o one gray mare with her yearling ___ Item I give unto my Daughter Mary one Black mare ___ Item I give and bequeath unto my loving wife tow Negroes one called Jack the other called Moll for seven years afterward the sd. Negores to be turned to my son Charles Item I give unto Elias Rackliffe one Negro woman called Mary__ Item I give unto my son Jn/o one negro child called by the name of Danise Item I give unto my wife Elizabeth one great chest and trunk Item I give unto my son Charles a smalle chest Item I give unto my wife Elizabeth a paire of and Irons___ I give unto my son Charles a great table Item I give unto my Charles the great cubbord____ Item I give unto my wife the small cubbord___ Item I give unto my son Charles the copper Kettle Item I give unto my son Elias my troopers saddle____ Item I give unto my sons Nathanielle and Wm. each of them a hackney saddle Item I give my sheep and there sd. of my goods and chattles equally to be betwixt my wife and chilldren aforesaid It is my will and that my wife and my sone Charles shall be my whole and sole executors after my decease as witness my hand and seale this the fourth day of Sept. one thousand six hundred ninety five six ___ and under the foregoing will was there to written { Charles Rackcliffe Seale The make [I] of Jn/o Jackson sealed Jn/o Wale Sealed Jn/o Bodman Seale Memorandum that this will was proved by the oathes of Jn/o Jackson Jn/o Wale and Jn/o Boden all whom swore upon the holy Evangelist that they saw the testator Capt. Charles Rackliffe signe soule and Deliver the said will and heard him declare that same to be his last Will and Testament May the 20th 1696 sworne before my as also Exec. Elizabeth and Charles Rackliffe Exec. Them granted to testamentary lett and coppie will, witness my hand ___ Sam. Hopkins Dep Comm