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Know all men by these present that I Nathaniel Varnedoe of Liberty County and State of Georgia in view of uncertainty of life and wishing to settle my temporal affairs to my own satisfaction and for the benefit of my heirs being of sane mind do make this my last will and testament whereof I appoint my sons Sam’l [Samuel] M. Varnedoe, Nathaniel J. Varnedoe, Leander Varnedoe, Rufus A. Varnedoe, Wm. [William] W. Winn and Wm. [William] Q. Baker Executors and my beloved wife Hannah M. Varnedoe Executrix and wherein I do will and bequeath as follows viz.
Item 1st. That all my just debts be paid.
Item 2nd. I will and bequeath to my beloved wife Hannah M. Varnedoe one eleventh part of my personal estate to have and to hold during the term of her natural life, but at her decease the said property is to revert to and be equally divided among my children or their representatives.
Item 3rd. I will and bequeath to Samuel M. Varnedoe, Wm. Q. Baker and Wm. W. Winn in trust for the benefit and use of Nathaniel J. Varnedoe and his children one eleventh part of my personal estate, together with the tract of land on which the said Nathaniel J. now lives, bounded on the north by the lands of ??Mrs.? Earle and Wm. Jones on the east by lands of the est. of M. L. Jones on the south by lands of Dr. Joseph LeConte and on the west by lands of Leand[er] Varnedoe and Wm. Jones upon the condition that said trustees in case the other heirs do not receive real estate to the value of twenty five hundred dollares pay enough from the personal estate entrusted to them for the use of the said Nathaniel J. and his children to make the whole amount of property received by each equal and upon the further condition that said property personal and real shall be worked and managed by the said Nathaniel J. but not in any way subject or liable to or for the contracts or debts of the said Nathaniel J. Varnedoe.
Item 4. [I] will and bequeath to each of my children viz Sam’l M Leander Matilda Claudia, Rufus A, Ann Caroline and Mary E. Varnedoe one eleventh part of my personal estate in fee simple.
Item 5th. I will and bequeath to the children of my deceased daughter Sarah J. Baker one eleventh part of my personal estate in fee simple.
Item 6th. I will and bequeath to my wife Hannah M. Varnedoe and to my children viz Louisa Winn, Matilda, Claudia, Rufus, Ann Caroline and Mary E. Varnedoe and to the children of Sarah J. Baker deceased, the balance of my real estate upon the condition that the part drawn by my wife Hannah M. shall be her property for and during the term of her natural life and at her decease to return and be divided equally among my legal heirs and upon the further condition that thee children of Sarah J. Baker shall only be entitled to the portion that would have fallen to their mother the said Sarah J. had she been living. And upon the still further condition that the tract of land on which is my winter residence known as Liberty Hall as well as my summer residence in Jonesville shall remain undivided as a homestead for my wife and unmarried children so long as they occupy them in their unmarried state but as each marries or cease to occupy his or her right to the homestead as such shall cease, and the land become subject to division as indicated in former part of this item so soon as the last shall marry or cease to occupy it as a homestead.
Item 7th. I will and bequeath to my daughter Louisa Winn one eleventh part of my personal estate in fee simple.
Item 8th. I will and bequeath to Sam’l M. Varnedoe Wm. Q. Baker and Wm. W. Winn in trust for the use of Nathaniel J. Varnedoe the buggie and sorrel mare now used by the said Nathaniel J. not subject to the contracts of debts of said Nathaniel J. Varnedoe.
Item 9th. Should I die before the crop of eighteen hundred and fifty five is sold I will and bequeath to my true and faithful servant driver Plenty one hundred dollars in money.
The foregoing is my last will and testament which I expect and believe my executors will have faithfully executed in testimony of which I hereunto set my hand and seal on this twenty ninth day of January in the year of our Lord Eighteen hundred and fifty six.
[Signed] N. Varnedoe
Presence of:
Sam’l Way
S.S. Barnard
R.F. Jones
Recorded this 5th April 1856
W.P. Girardeau O.L.C.
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Probated by Randall F. Jones before W.P. Girardeau, Ordinary of Liberty County, on 3 March 1856.
Accompanied by oath of S.M. Varnedoe to fulfill the duties of executor, dated 3 March 1856.
To find the original will: “Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-993T-XTYK?cc=1999178&wc=9SB7-6T5%3A267679901%2C268014801 : 20 May 2014), Liberty > Miscellaneous probate records 1850-1863 vol C and L > image 152 of 703; county probate courthouses, Georgia.