Different methodology

Change of plans.
Well on April Fool's Day is a good day to look at how I'm disorganized.
I've been posting about people's lives on their birthdays.  It's giving at least 365 opportunities for an ancestor to be posted here.  Some I know something about, some I know only that they had a child who I knew more about.  And some ancestors (the further back I go) don't get posted at all, because I only know the year they were born, or not even that.

SO, new change is to go through the various families as far back as I can.  That means some will be short posts still, and some will be longer.  But it will have some sense of continuity.

The Conn and the Norman families have been most recent, and I have some notes that are just burning the bytes in the memory of my hard drive.  (mixed metaphor probably).

So today I want to look at Polly Conn's grandfather, who just got added to the tree.

What?  How can a new person appear on a tree generations later?  Well, it's because he had the same name as his son, Polly's father.  And all along I had only known of one Isaac Norman.

But her grandfather and father (both Isaac Norman) are mentioned in her great grandfather's will, so now I know they both existed, and can add the one that was missing.

Here's the text of Joseph Norman's will.  He lived from 1708 to 16 Feb 1784, all in Culpeper County, VA.  I'll write more about his family tomorrow.  Just getting over the shock of having a new grandfather in there!

The will  of Joseph Norman is as follows:

I, Joseph Norman of Culpeper County being in perfect sense mind and memory do make this my last will in manner and form following:

Item: I leave the land I now live on to my two sons Thomas and John Norman. Thomas to have one hundred and nineteen acres and John one hundred. If they cannot agree in dividing the land when John comes of age of twenty years they are to leave it to two men to divide it for them.

Item: I leave to my son William Norman, a Negro woman named Gude and no other part of my Estate.

Item: I leave to my grandson Isaac Norman one hundred acres of land lying on the south side of Hickman's Mountain and no other part of my Estate.

Item: I leave to my son Isaac Norman's wife Sarah Norman, twenty schillings sterling.

Item: I leave to my daughter Mary Dillard, £5.

Item: I leave to my wife Sarah Norman after paying all my just debts and legatees all the rest of my Estate to maintain the children that is now living with her during her widowhood and if she should marry or die then it is my desire it should be equally divided between my sons Thomas, John and my daughters Winifred Bywaters, Peggy Calvert, Sally, Fanny, Mimey and Kisiah Norman and it is my desire for her not to be interrupted on the plantation as long as she ... live a widow...

And I appoint my wife Sarah Norman and Thomas Norman my Executors of this my last will.

JOSEPH NORMAN (L.S.)

Test

John Triplett

Thomas Norman

her mark

Fanny X Norman

The will was dated November 20, 1783 and proven February 16, 1784.

Copy of the will of Joseph Norman, Culpeper County, VA, Recorded in Culpeper County Circuit Court, Will Book C, Page 117.