Wills of George Huffman (1763-1856)

In the Name of God Amen!

I George Hoffman of Augusta County, State of Virginia, being at this time in perfect bodily Health as well as a sound & of a deposing mind, memory & understanding, thanks be to almighty God! But at the same time, considering the certainty of death & the uncertainty of the time and hour, thereof, and particularly on account of old age and therefore desiring to settle my worldly (sic) affairs & thereby being the better prepared to leave this world, when it shall please God to call me hence, do therefore make & publish this my last Will & Testament, in manner & form following, that is to say;

First & principally, I commit my Soul into the hands of almighty God, and my body to the earth, to be decently buried at the discretion of my Executors herein, after named. And after my debts & funeral charges are paid, I devise and bequeath in manner as follows: And first, as my son John Hoffman & my son Jacob Hoffman each of them have already received their full share, so the(y) are not entitled to draw any more, neither of the real or moveable state of my property. As to my Son George, he has likewise nearly received to what he is entitled to, except that my Son Abraham shall pay out to the said, my son George, One Hundred and Fifty Dollar, one year after my departure. And further, I devise and bequeath to my Son Abraham, the place or tract of land where I now live on, and likewise my Son said Abraham lives on containing about 400 acre, except that my Daughter Salley, wife of Nimrod Showalter shall have one hundred acre of said tract of 400 Acre, the remaining 300 hundred Acre I bequeath to my Son Abraham and for his heirs for ever with the condition that he has to support me out of the same in every respect, during my lifetime besides paying out to his brother George One hundred & fifty Dollar one year after the date of my death. And further be it well understood that I bequeath to my Daughter Salley, wife of N. Showalter, the above mentioned, one hundred acre with the condition, that she shall not dispose of the same, or sell it during her lifetime, but, if the Lord should please to take her from the present state of earthy life before her Husband, said N. Showalter, then he shall be the sole Heir to the said one hundred acre of Land. And further said Nimrod Showalter, and his wife Salley my Daughter, shall have all the moveables of my Estate, of which I will make public Sale, sometime the next coming Spring, and paying the money of said Sale, out to them myself, if I live otherwise, it shall be paid out to them by my Executors - And further, as to my Daughters, namely Polly, wife of John Ruebush; Catharina, wife of Jacob Showalter; Magdalena, wife of Silas Skelton; & Elisabeth, wife of Nimrod Blackwell, and the children of my Daughter Susanna, namely Catharina Ruebush, John Ruebush, George Ruebush & Salley Ruebush, I bequeath to them the money due to me in notes or Bonds from the Sale of my place, which amounts to this date to Sixteen hundred Dollars with the following condition, that each of them named, shall be equally in shares, and the Bonds which I hold and have against them the calculation of Interests on them shall be counted until this date, being the 1sr day of March 1842 - besides the Book Accounts, which I have against them, shall be counted likewise, so that there shares, as each of them are equal. The said five, above named, shall be made equal, to each of them Five hundred Dollars, comes due, from the oldest to the youngest. Sa-lley the youngest shall have two hundred Dollars, and said Salley besides, shall have and I herewith bequeath to her out of my Estate, one Cow, one Bed & Bedstead, a spinning Wheel & a Bureau. The surplus of the said Sixteen hundred Dollars, shall be equally divided among the said five of my above named children. And lastly it is my Will that my two Sons George and Abraham Hoffman shall be, and I do herewith constitute them to be the executors of this my last Will and Testament, wherefore I have unto signed my name and fixed my Seal, the first day of March in the year of our Lord 1842.

Georg Hoffman

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2nd will recorded 1868 I, George Huffman, sen(io)r, of the County of Augusta and State of Virginia, do hereby certify and solemnly declare that the disposition that I have made of my property, both real and personal, to my legal heirs or children has been made by myself according to my will, and wish, without being persuaded by any person or persons. It is a matter of painfulness and regret that I am compelled in my days of infirmity and old age to contradict some false reports as concerning what I have given to my son Abraham Huffman. What I have given to my son I gave to him without being persuaded to do so by him or any other persons whatsoever. I gave to my son Abraham the plantation on which he now resides and made him a title for the same and that my son Abraham did not ask, coax, persuade, or threaten me with any thing so as to force me to give him the property, but I gave it to him willingly because I believed he deserved it. There is another report on my son Abraham in circulation that he should have cheated the heirs out of three or four thousand dollars which I say is utterly false for he never cheated the heirs out of one dollar. Another report that I gave my son George a bond on my son Jacob the amount of which was near three hundred dollars (as well as my memory serves me) and that if Jacob did not pay George that I was to take back said bond which is not so. I never promised to take bond back again. Another report is that I came to Augusta County clear of debt, and that therefore there must have been some smuggling of my money. This report is also false for the money that I had over and above paying for the lands in Augusta County I took part to pay my debts in Rockingham and and Augusta Counties and the balance I gave to make them equal except my son Abraham who did not get one dollar of that surplus money. The above is (a) summary of the false reports in circulation against my (son) Abraham, and I sincerely hope that what I have now solemnly written will forever set these matters at rest and that they bring not down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Given under my hand this 10the day of August 1855

Fred K. Speier George Huffman, sen(io)r John Orebaugh George A. Orebaugh

In Augusta County Court March 23rd 1868 This last will and testament of George Huffman, decd. was presented in Court and proved by the oaths of John Orebaugh and George A. Orebaugh, two of the subscribing witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded