The Will of Richard Kirby
dated 30 August 1781
...being indisposed in body but in perfect mind and memory
My beloved wife Sarah Kirby to remain on the plantation whereon I now live without interruption & be allowed a comfortable maintainance during woidowhood & in case she remove from said place I lend to her 100 acres during her natural life it lying & being in aforesaid county on Burches Creek, the upper tract I have there, also a feather bed & furniture, it being the said bed left her by her grandfather, also one good horse & saddle & bridle, a good cow & calf, a good sow & pigs, 2 ews & lambs, a trrunk & personality.
To my three sons Joseph, Richard & William Kirby my low grounds on Dan by equal division, Viz. Joseph to have the upper end adjoining Lawson's line & Richard to have the lower end adjoining Boyd's line & William to have the middle part -- Joseph to have the part adjoining Bird's line, etc.
To my two sons Richard & William Kirby my tract on Burches Creek in Halifax by equal division Richard the upper half & William the lower on the creek.
To son Joseph my smiths tools. To son Richard my copper kettle.
To son William my large iron pot.
The rest of my personal estate to be equally divided between my three sons Joseph, Richard & William Kirby. If either of said sons die before they come of age 21 years the surviving brothers to divide the land & other bequeathed items.
Executors: my son Joseph Kirby & my brother Henry B. Kirby
Richard Kearby
Witnesses: Theo. Carter, Thomas Harrison, Thomas Lipscomb, William Boyd, William Mayes.
Will Proved: 21 February 1782. Presented by Joseph Kerby & Henry Baker Kerby Exr. & proved by 3 witnesses.
Security: Mead Anderson & John Anderson
Go to my page on Richard Kirby. Also please see my will page for more wills.
For the sake of clarity I have inserted paragraphs at logical breaks in the text and put names in bold. This will was abstracted from the Halifax County, Virginia will books by Marian Dodson Chiarito. Many thanks!