Tom raises some good points. Religion could have been a motivating factor in this will. Since he gave large sums of money to various society women, but not to any charitable causes directly, may indicate these women were part of a broader network and as Tom suggests, one possible activity was the underground railroad. What do these women all have in common with one another? If you can find a common thread, you may have an answer as to his motives. And by all means knowing his religious affiliation would be an important thing to learn. As well as of the various women. Also, was he a member of the American Colonization Society? I'd lean toward no on that answer, since he doesn't mention sending his freed slaves to Liberia, but he may had sympthathy with that organization. Last, what were his politics, if that is known?
Craig
On Sep 4, 2014, at 11:34 AM, Tom Hill for MMNA wrote:
> Rita Goldberg,
>
> I offer only a little light. Others who do people genealogy might
> provide more help if you mention the testator's name
>
> I have seen several references to Quakers in Cedar Creek, Waynoke or
> White Oak Swamp Monthly Meeting in Hanover, Charles City, or Henrico County
> or in Richmond City freeing their slaves in their wills. I recall reading
> of a famous Virginia lawsuit on such a provision in one of the STANLEY (or
> STANDLEY) or PLEASANTS wills. By late in the 18th Century [White Oak Swamp
> MM bought the first Richmond meetinghouse in 1797] and certainly by 1818,
> the Quakers' Virginia Yearly Meeting had made it a disciplinary offense to
> own slaves. That suggests the testator could not have been a Quaker in
> 1818, but he might have been previously or he might have been related to
> Quakers. As various southern States passed laws that required freed slaves
> to emigrate to a free state, the Quakers often helped them pay for the
> travel or even transported them to the North where they would not have been
> again enslaved.
>
> I have also seen various Quaker wills where female relatives with
> different names received bequests; however, the family relationship was
> generally spelled out. The final Quaker possibility is that the testator
> was an elder who had accepted responsibility for the care of a widow in his
> local meeting or another congregation in the broader monthly meeting, and he
> was establishing a fund to carry out that responsibility.
>
> Tom Hill
>
> Thomas C. Hill
> Charlottesville, VA 22901-6355 U.S.A.
> www.QuakerMeetings.com
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history On Behalf Of
> Rita Goldberg
> Sent: Wednesday, 03 September, 2014 5:45 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [VA-HIST] Help interpreting 18th century will
>
> This is a request for help understanding two aspects of a will that was
> filed in Richmond in 1818.
>
> 1. The gentleman in question frees several slaves and allows them to stay in
> the homes where they were living until these homes are sold as part of his
> estate. He also provides for a yearly amount ranging from $40-$150 to be
> paid to each of these individuals. In addition, he provides assistance if,
> because of the law, these freed slaves were not allowed to live in Virginia.
> My question is: Was it normal at the time for slave owners to free some or
> all of their slaves when they died? Are the provisions in the will normal or
> do they seem especially generous?
>
> 2. The gentleman leaves amounts ranging from $2000 to $8000 to a series of
> women, most of them married but some not. Since several of these woman were
> well known in Richmond society, it's hard to imagine that they had all been
> lovers of the gentleman and that he would speak of them so openly in his
> will. Does anything you know about Richmond society of the time provide a
> clue as to the significance of these generous clauses?
>
> I'd be very appreciative of any ideas that could help explain these two
> points in the 1818 will.
>
> Rita Goldberg
>
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