THE WILL OF COL. THOMAS BALLARD OF YORK, 1710

IN THE NAME OF GO, Amen: I, Thomas Ballard of the parish of _________ in the county of York, Gentlemen, being weak of body, but of Perfect mind & memory, thanks be to almighty God, do hereby Revoke all former wills & Testaments by me hitherto made, and make & ordain this my last will & Testament, in manner & form allowing my Just debts being first paid —

Imp’s I freely resign up my pretious Soul into the hands of my most gratius redemmer & mercifull Saviour, on whom always I trust for Justification & Salvation, and my body for Xian buriall according to the discretion of of (sic) my Executors hereafter named, in hope of a glorious Resurrection: and as for my worldly Estate which God hath lent me, I dispose of as followeth:

Imp’s, I give & devise the plantacon or tract of Land I now live on, – beginning its bounds on York River, runing up the North west side of the Creek that parts it from the Land late of one Walner to a Spring called Oxespring, and from thence North west to the great Road, down to the marked white oake near the Road that devides it from the Land of Colo: Diggs, so from thence along the line of the said Diggs down to a pasteur on the River Side, & so along by the said River to the Corner where it begun, – unto my son Matthew & to the heirs of his body Lawfully begotten; and in case my said son Matthew dye with issue, I give it to my son Thomas & to te heirs of his body lawfully begotten; and if my son Thomas dye without issue, then I give it to my son Robert & to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten; and if Robert dye without issue, I give it to my son John & the heirs of his body lawfully begotten; and if he leave no issue, then to remain to my son William & his heirs forever.

Item, I give & devise my tract of Land whereon one John Brookes now Lives, — beginning its bounds at th deviding line of one John Potter from the Land once of Major Robert Baldrey, & now mine, so down the main Road toward the said Colo: Diggs’ to the aformenconed white oake, so from thence up into the woods along the said Diggs’ line near South west, & so along my line bounding the land of Charles Collier untill it come to the land of Thomas Jefferson, and along the said Jefferson’s line to the main Road where it begun, – unto my son Thomas & to the heirs of his body; and if he, my son Thomas, dye without issue, then I give it to my son Robert & the heirs of his body; and if Robert dye without issue, then to my son John & the heirs of his body; and if John dye without issue, then to my son William & his heirs forever: and my will & meaning further is, if my tract of land above devised to my son Matthew shall descend or come to my son Thomas or his heirs, that the & from thenceforth the tract of Land herein-mentioned to be devised to my son Thomas shall be & remain unto my son William & te heirs of his body Lawfully begotten anything above s’d to the Contrary notwithstanding.