William Lewis VENABLE

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  General Notes:

WILLIAM LEWIS VENABLE of "Haymarket," Prince Edward Co., Va. (son of Nathaniel Venable of "Slate Hill" and Elizabeth Woodson Venable, his wife) was born at "Slate Hill," Prince Edward Co., Va., May 30, 1780; d. before Aug. 17, 1824, at "Haymarket," Prince Edward Co., Va. A.B. Hampden-Sidney College, 1800; "trustee and an active trustee" of Hampden-Sidney College from May 6, 1807, to his resignation, April 25, 1823. "He was a lieutenant in Capt. Samuel V. Allen's company of cavalry, 1st Reg. (Holcomb's) Virginia Militia in War of 1812." "He saw service in the so-called Battle of Craney Island, near Norfolk, Va., where the British, Admiral Warren, in June, 1813, attempted an attack on a battery placed on the island for the defense of the approach to Norfolk and Portsmouth. The attack ended in a fiasco, the British losing some thirty or forty men, mostly by desertion and capture." He married, in Kentucky, near Springfield, about 1808, Frances Watkins Nantz (b. about 1793 in Springfield, Kentucky, a daughter of Lieut. Frederick Nantz of the Revolutionary Army, and Martha Hughes Watkins, his wife). He and his wife met when her uncle, Gen. Matthew Walton, on his way from Kentucky to U. S. Senate, brought her to Virginia to complete her education. William Lewis Venable was owner of extensive lands in both Virginia and Kentucky, a planter and merchant. His home was his plantation, "Haymarket," near Farmville, Va. The house in which he and his wife lived has long ago been burned and the only traces of it are a few straggling boxwood bushes and the uncared for burying ground, all overgrown with honeysuckle, in the midst of a cultivated field of tobacco.

Will of William Lewis Venable of "Haymarket" Prince Edward Co., Va.

I, William L. Venable, of the County of Prince Edward, do hereby make my last will and testament in manner and form following, that is to say; I desire that my Executors hereafter named should pay all my just debts that remain unpaid at my death, out of the debts that are due me and my crop of tobacco, if there should be one on hand made but unsold at my death.

I give my wife, Frances W. Venable, all the negroes that I received by her of Gen'l. Matthew Walton as her marriage portion, to-wit: Anthony, Rachael and her children, now in the State of Kentucky, also a negro boy named George who fell to her by the will of her grandfather, likewise John and Ned Pleasants, my half of the Farmsville Warehouse, my carriage and my whole stock of horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, all my household and kitchen furniture and plantation utensils, carts, wagons, &c. together with the crop of grain and forage of every kind that may be on hand at my death, to her and her heirs forever.

Also I give my wife Frances W. Venable during her widowhood or life, if she should not marry, the plantation on which I live including all the land on the north side of the road leading from the Union Mills to Farmsville, which are supposed to be three hundred and sixty acres or thereabouts, also the following negroes, Lucy, Nancy and her children, Betty, Stephen's wife, old Stephen, Frank Green, Anderson, Henry, Ben, Jerry, Billy, Adam, Glasgow and Lucy's two youngest children, Sally and Eliza.

I give to my daughter Frances M. Venable when she is of age or married one undivided half of a tract of land in the State of Kentucky and County of Ohio, known by the name of Crow's Pond tract and containing three thousand acres, also the following negroes, Jack, Frank, Gate and children, Sam, Anne, Phillis, Fanny, James and Abraham, to her and her heirs forever, also the increase that may take place among the said negroes, after date of this will.

I give to my son Thomas F. Venable one fourth part of the Union Mills, also all the land I have on the south side of the road, leading from the said Mills to Dr. Goodridge Wilson's, supposed to be three hundred acres, when he arrives to the age of twenty three years. Also the following negroes, Coachman Dick, John Brown and Lucy's sons, Dick and Peter, and Betty's two daughters, Betsy and Rhoda, and their increase, to him and his heirs forever.

I give my son, Nath'l. A. Venable, all the land I have at Prince Edward Courthouse, called the Courthouse tract, and all unsold lots in the plan of the town of Hampden, at the age of twenty-three years, also the following negroes, John Barrie, Dick, son of Betty, Tom, Daniel and Dosha and their increase, to him and his heirs forever.

I give to my daughter, Martha W. Venable, when she is of age or marries, one undivided half of a tract of land in the State of Kentucky and County of Ohio, containing three thousand acres called the Crow's Pond tract, also the following negroes, guinea Sam, Martha and her children Lucy, Mary, Louisa, Millie and Bob, son of Lucy, to her and her heirs forever.

I give to my son, William Goodridge Venable, my Haymarket tract of land, it being all the land left to my wife during her life or widow-hood, at her death or marriage, supposed to contain about three hundred and sixty acres, also the following negroes, Little Stephen, Moses, Jesse, Lidia, Edward and Shadrack their increase, to him and his heirs forever.

All the negroes which I have given to my wife during her life or widowhood with their increase, it is my will that she shall at any time, or in any way, she shall judge best, either by will or otherwise give them to my children. It is my wish that she should distribute this property among my children as she pleases.

In every case where the increase of negroes is mentioned I wish it understood to be the increase after the date of this will.

The balance that may remain after payment of my debts from the funds mentioned in the first clause of this will, together with my stock in trade, I desire my executors to put at interest, the interest to be drawn annually for the support of my family if necessary, the principal to be divided equally among my children in the following manner;-when one becomes of age or marries, they shall be entitled to receive their proportion of the money and so on till all have received.

If any of my negroes should become vicious or troublesome, I desire my executors to sell them, the proceeds to go to the child to whom said negro has been given by will, or my wife as the case may be. I desire my executors to sell all the lots in the town of Hamden that remain unsold, except the store-house lot, provided there should be a demand for them and they think it to the interest of my son, Nath'l. A. Venable, to sell: the money arising from the sale to be put to interest, and the interest to go to the support and education of my children, but the principal to remain entire, to be paid to my son N. A. Venable when he comes of age.

Should my sons, Thomas F. Venable or Nath'l. A. Venable not live until they are twenty-one years old, and die without heir, I give their portion of my real estate to my son William. The balance of my estate I give to my wife.

I appoint Frances W. Venable, N. E. Venable [of "Longwood,"] Henry E. Watkins and Wm. H. Venable executors of this last will.

I appoint N. E. Venable guardian of my children. In witness of the above will I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal this twentieth day of Feb. One thousand eighteen hundred and twenty-four.
Wm. L. Venable. (Seal)

William married Francis Watkins NANTZ, daughter of Frederick NANTZ and Martha Hughes WATKINS, in 1808 in Springfield, KY. (Francis Watkins NANTZ was born in 1793 in Springfield, KY and died in 1862.)