  Specimens of Deeds and Wills Emancipating Slaves (Concluded) SPECIMENS OF DEEDS AND WILLS, 1833-1860 The deeds and wills during the period from 1833 to the Civil War made increasingly large provisions for the removal and colonization of the freedmen. It may be also noted that arraignments of slavery became very rare during that period. The same influences which almost hushed the voice of anti-slavery orators in Virginia, were effective in banishing from the deeds and wills of emancipators expressions which might give aid and comfort to the men who were daily denouncing the civilization and morality of the state. Though these arraignments might almost stop the discussion of slavery in Virginia, yet they could not destroy the sentiment in favor of emancipation. The liberation of slaves continued without diminution down to the outbreak of the Civil War. It may be also noted that these instances of emancipation go far to disprove the charge that the Virginia friends of negro colonization were inspired simply by a desire to remove the free negroes from the state in order to make more sure the tenure by which they held their slaves. John Randolph of Roanoke, General Blackburn, Bishop Meade, William Henry Fitzhugh and George Washington Parke Custis were all leaders in the colonization movement, and all of them emancipated their slaves. Extract from the will of Samuel Blackburn of Bath County, dated the 30th of October, 1834: "That all the slaves of which I may die seized and By a codicil the testator provided that with respect to any slaves who might refuse to accept their freedom upon condition that they be transported to Liberia, his executors should not sell them separately but in families and by private sale to considerate masters. Extract from the will of Carter H. Edlow of Prince George County, dated the 20th of March, 1838, and admitted to probate the 13th of August, 1844: "I desire that my estate shall be kept together and cultivated to the best advantage until a sufficient sum can be raised to pay my debts, should there be any deficiency in the amount of money on hand and debts due me, and to raise a sufficient sum to pay for the transportation of my slaves to any free state or colony which they may prefer and give to each slave fifty dollars on their departure.... It is not my wish to force them away without their consent; in the event of any of them preferring to remain in slavery they must take the disposition hereinafter directed." Extract from deed of William Meade, of Clarke County, dated the 29th of April, 1843: "Know all men by these presents that I, William Meade, of the County of Clarke and State of Virginia, with a view of preparing a certain female mulatto slave, named Lucy, for the enjoyment of the freedom hereinafter bestowed upon her, have ... bound the said female, Lucy, now about seventeen years of age, to a certain J. W. Stockton, residing in the State of Pennsylvania, until the said Lucy arrives at the age of twenty-one years, &c. ... do give and grant unto the said Lucy her freedom forever and do hereby manumit her from my service, forever, &c." Extract from the will of Thacker V. Webb, of Orange County, admitted to probate August 28th, 1843: "I will and direct that at and after my death, my slaves, James, Joseph, Kendall, Judy and all the remainder of them both old and young (not enumerated and specified by their respective names) and all the future increase of all the females be, and they are hereby fully and entirely liberated, and forever emancipated and set free from the involuntary service of all and every person or persons whatsoever; and that no operation of any law whatsoever shall be allowed, or in any wise prevent the said slaves from receiving and enjoying their full, entire and complete freedom and emancipation, I will and direct that my executor or administrator hereinafter named, shall procure a home for the slaves, or persons above liberated, in some non-slaveholding Extract from will of Albert Early, of Madison County, dated the 25th of May, 1839, admitted to probate 25th day of November, 1847: "I give and bequeath unto my above named executors all the negro slaves that I now own or may own ... I do most solemnly and seriously request and exhort them to do with my said negro slaves as I now prescribe, that it is my wish that they ... should be liberated so that they may enjoy all the liberties and blessings of a free and independent people, and not approving the custom of liberating slaves to remain in the United States, I would recommend to my said executors to select for their residence some section of country which ... may supply them, the above named negro slaves, with all the comforts and necessaries that may render their lives as agreeable and easy as possible." The will further authorizes the executors to sell so much of the lands and other property of the testator as may be necessary to pay his debts and then to apply so much of the proceeds as the above named "executors may think proper for the removal and settlement of my above named negro slaves." The will concludes: "That it is owing to no malignity of feelings towards my relations that I have thus disposed of my negro slaves, but because I think they own enough of them without Extract from the will of John Warwick, of Amherst County, admitted to probate March 20th, 1848: "I, John Warwick, of the County of Amherst, ... do make, publish and declare this my last true will and testament.... "First: The future condition of my slaves has long been a subject of anxious concern with me, and it is my deliberate intention, wish, and desire that the whole of them be manumitted and set free as soon after my demise as the growing crops shall be safe and the annual hires terminated, not later than the end of the year of my death, to be removed, or so many of them as I do not manumit and send to a free state during my life, with the exception hereinafter named, and settled in one or more of the free states of this Union under the care and direction of my executors, hereinafter appointed. Indiana is my choice. "Second: To carry out the above bequest ... next to the payment of any debts I may owe, my funeral expenses, and the charges of administration of my estate, I hereby declare that it is my wish and intention that my slaves shall on being emancipated have the whole of my estate now in being, or hereafter to be acquired, ... for the purpose of creating a suitable fund in the hands of my executors for their comfortable clothing, outfit, travelling expenses and settlement in their new homes". Extract from the will of Frances Eppes of Henrico County, admitted to probate February 7th, 1848. "It is my will and desire that after all my just debts are paid, all the property of every description of which I may die seized, or the proceeds arising therefrom as may seem best to my executors hereinafter named, be divided among the said slaves so emancipated in such manner as the executors may deem fair and proper." Extract from the will of Sampson Sanders, of Cabell County, admitted to probate July 9th, 1849: "It is my will and desire that all my slaves of every age and sex be free at the time of my death from all involuntary servitude.... "I hereby direct my executors ... to collect so much of my estate as may be necessary to buy land for my said slaves in the State of Indiana or some one of the free states of the United States of America as may be necessary for their comfortable support ... assigning each head of a family their proper proportion of land ... binding the heads of families and other young men for the comfortable support of the old and decrepit or weakly slaves during their natural lives. I hereby give and bequeath to my said slaves $15,000.00 to be paid out of my estate by my executors aforesaid." "My will is that my executors hereinafter named send my negroes that I now have to Liberia—give each of the men,—three in number—fifty dollars each and Verindy and all her children, one hundred dollars, to take with them, besides getting them out, and bacon enough to last them six months after they get to Liberia." Extract from the will of William D. Jennings, of Henrico County, admitted to probate August 1st, 1853: "I hereby manumit, emancipate and set free all the rest and residue of my slaves, viz.:" (Here follow the names of the slaves, thirty-four in number) "and request that they shall be sent to and settled in Africa, in some good location, to be approved by my executor, after conference with the agent of the American Colonization Society, at Washington City." The will further provides that after paying the debts of the estate the balance shall be applied: "To the expenses of removal to, and settling in Africa, of all the slaves hereby emancipated. After defraying the expenses of their said removal to Africa, it is my will and desire that the whole surplus of my estate then remaining (after paying debts and legacies) shall be divided among my said emancipated slaves as follows, viz.:—" (Here follow the names of the slaves). Extract from the will of Traverse D. Herndon, of Fauquier County, dated the 2nd of December, 1854, and admitted to probate 25th of December, 1854: Extract from the will of Arthur B. Davies, of Amherst County, admitted to probate March 21st, 1853: "It is my will and desire that all my slaves, fifteen in number and named as follows,—" (Here follow their names) "together with their future increase, shall be liberated and become invested with their freedom at my death, and for the purpose of removing them to some free state if that be lawful, or to Liberia if that shall become necessary, it is my will and desire that the debt now due to me by Charles S. Brown be collected and be used as a fund to effect that object. It is my further wish that in case any of my said slaves shall of their own free will and accord prefer remaining in slavery rather than accepting freedom under the provisions of this clause, then it is my desire that they shall be permitted to choose masters amongst any of my legatees hereinafter mentioned, and thereafter to become their slaves for life—the parents in such case to choose also for such of their infant children as may not be capable of making their own election." Extract from the will of Philip Lightfoot, of Culpeper County, admitted to probate May 21st, 1855: "I hereby emancipate and set free all the slaves I may possess or be entitled to at the time of my decease, who "My old and infirm negroes (if any) are to be supported in a suitable manner by my estate." Extract from the will of William Smith, of Orange County, admitted to probate September 28th, 1857: "It is my will and desire that my house servant, Maria, my man, Paul, and my woman, Celia, be allowed to choose their masters or mistresses or either, and when they have made such selection, I hereby give and bequeath them to such person or persons as they may respectively select, provided the person or persons, so selected by them, will take them as their property, but if they cannot be thus disposed of, then my executors are to select suitable places for them where they will be well clothed and taken care of upon the most reasonable and best terms they can, paying out of my estate such sums of money as may be necessary for this purpose." Extract from the will of George Washington Parke Custis, of Fairfax County, admitted to probate December 7th, 1857: "And upon the legacies of my four granddaughters "I do constitute and appoint as my executors, Lieut.-Col. Robert Edward Lee, Robert Lee Randolph, of 'Eastern View', Right Rev. Bishop Meade and George Washington Peter." Extract from deed of Eliza W. Cocke, of Smithfield, dated January 5th, 1857: "Know all men by these presents that I, Eliza W. Cocke, of the Town of Smithfield, in the County of Isle of Wight, in the State of Virginia, from motives of benevolence have manumitted and set free from slavery, &c." Extract from the will of Louisa Muschett, of Prince William County, dated 19th March, 1856, and admitted to probate on the 12th February, 1858: "I will and desire all my servants to be hired out for three years, and at the end of that time, to be free, each grown servant to have fifty dollars, and each child to have twenty-five dollars." Extract from the will of Robert Tinsley, of Amherst County, dated March 12, 1859, and admitted to probate January 20, 1862: "If the slaves cannot be settled in Ohio, or some other free state of this Union, I wish them properly equipped and sent to Liberia at the expense of my estate." No attempt has been made to present extracts from all the great number of deeds and wills which are to be found of record in the various clerks' offices throughout Virginia but the foregoing have been selected as fairly representative, both with respect to the time of their execution, the different sections of the state in which they are to be found, and the social position of the emancipators. They are also illustrative of the great number of emancipations and of the difficulties and expenses incurred by Virginia slaveholders in effectuating that result.
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