The Children of Presley Neale-4 and Margaret Sanford Neale
ANNE NEALE-5, who married HENRY WISHEART, was apparently deceased by 1777. She left three surviving daughters, including CHARLOTTE WISHEART, who married AARON SIMPSON. Her two other daughters married his brothers. The will of ANNE’s brother, Shapleigh Neale-5, confirms that she is his sibling, and therefore the daughter of PRESLEY NEALE-4.
Shapleigh Neale-5, born about 1741 [?], died 1777. His will, written in June, 1777, mentions his wife, Mary, but no children. He left her eight negroes and their increase. He left one-fourth part of one slave [which was to be sold] to be divided between Margaret [Peggy] Wisheart, Jean Wisheart, and CHARLOTTE WISHEART, daughters of his sister, ANNE NEALE-5 WISHEART.
The Will of Shapleigh Neale, published in Fairfax County, Virginia, June 8, 1777, starts off in “standard form.” [Copy in author’s possession.] Then goes on to bequest to “my beloved wife Mary Neale” eight Negroes: “Hannah, George, Rachel, Milly, Minty, Sames, Easter, and Robin” in fee simple, and one Negro named Jean during her natural life [i.e. life estate in this one slave] at the death of Mary Neale, the slave, Jean, was to be divided between “my bro. Daniel Neale and Richard Neal and my sister Jemima Gunnell.” He left a slave named Jack “to be sold by my executors and divided between my bro Daniel Neale, Richard Neal and Jemima Gunnell, and one-forth part to be divided between Mr. Wisheart’s three daughters Margaret Wisheart, Jean Wishart, Charlotte Wisheart.”
Daniel Neale-5, the oldest child, according to Colonial Families, page 397, was a Revolutionary soldier and died in Kentucky where he had moved in 1790. He died in 1804.
Elizabeth Neale-5, married John Spence and was mentioned in her mother’s will for a bequest. Her husband, John Spence, gave her Negroes named Great Will, Little Will, and Caesar, and “a full one-third of all my moveable estate, and if she have no issue by me to returen to my heirs.” It was dated August 26, 1760. She named her brother, Daniel Neale-5, as guardian of her children, Ann Spence, and Ursula Spence. She probably died before 1765. [Colonial Ancestors, pg. 396.]
Richard Neale-5, of Westmoreland, born about 1743, died about 1816. He was active in the affairs of church and state and served in the Revolution. He married, first, Frances Underwood, and second, Mary Nelson Smith, the widow of Lewis Smith.
Jemima Neale-5, was mentioned in her brother Shapleigh’s will as Jemima Gunnell.
PRESLEY NEALE-4 died about 1749 in Fairfax. MARGARET SANFORD, [Stanford, Staford, Sandford] NEALE died about 1753. ANNE NEALE-5 was probably little more than a child at the time of her father’s death, and may have not been mature at the time of her mother’s death. PRESLEY NEALE’s will, through the courtesy of Erick Montgomery, is as follows: [The copy is poor and the writing tiny, so several words and phrases are not readable. Others may be deciphered with careful attention paid to the context.]
Will if Margaret Sanford Neale
In the Name of God Amen. I Margaret Neale of the county of Westmoreland & parish of Cople being very sick weak in body but perfect mind and memory thanks to God almighty for the same do make this my last will and testament in manner and form following hereby revoking and making void all former wills and testaments by me made of [imprimes I commit my soul into the hands of my blessed saviour and redemer Jesus Christ hoping through his merits to obtain everlasting life and salvation and my body to the earth from whence it came to be decently buried according to the discrettion of my executor of my will hereafter named Item I give and bequeath unto my loving son Shapleigh Neale one negro fellow named Isaac, the said negro I purchased of Mr. William Black to him my said son Shapleigh Neale and his heirs forever. Item I give and bequaeath unto my loving daugher Jemima Neale one mulatto girl named Jean Honest to her my said daughter Jemima Neale and her heirs forever. Item I give and bequeath unto my loving son Richard Neale one mulatto boy named Jno Honest to him my son Reichard Neale and his heirs forever. I give to my daughter Elizabeth Spence my gold ring to my said daughter Elizabeth forever. Item I do constitute and appoint my loving son Daniel Neal and John Spence Jr. My executors of this my last will and testament. In testimony that this is my last will and testament I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seale this eleventh day of October in the year of our lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty three. Her Mark. Margaret Neale Signed and delivered in the presence of us Tho Spence, Danl Neale Jr. Ann Neale.
[Westmoreland County Deeds & Wills, #12, pg 235.]
For some unknown reason, ANNE-5 was not mentioned in her mother’s will for a bequest, but was apparently the “Anne Neale” who was a witness. ANNE, however, had been mentioned in her father’s will only a few years before her mother’s.
MARGARET’s will, which included the bequeathing of several slaves to her children, indicates to us that she had owned these slaves outright in her own name. She may have acquired these slaves, which were also mentioned in her husband’s will, either as a fee simple portion of her husband’s estate, or she had previously inherited them from her own family. She mentioned that she had bought the slave, Isaac, which she may have done after her husband died. We are not able to read some of the names of some of the slaves that PRESLEY NEALE-4 mentioned in his will. In any case, she obviously had more than a life estate in these slaves “received” from her husband.