Will of John Ladd

WILL OF JOHN LADD

According to Warren Ladd in his book, "The Ladd Family," published in
1890, there were four Ladds who came separately to America in the 1600s,
from whom most of the Ladds living in the United States are descended. None
of these four were related except possibly the two Johns, in which event it is
possible to trace their ancestry to the 15th century through Nicholas Ladd of
Swingfield, Kent County, England, the father of John Ladd of New Jersey.
Nicholas Ladd was buried in the Quaker Burial ground at Hythe, England, in 1699
The four Ladds were: Daniel of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Joseph of
Portsmouth, Rhode Island; John of Burlington, New Jersey; and John of Charles
City County, Virginia.
The first Ladds came from France to England with William the Conquer
and settled at Deal, Kent County, where for their services to William they were
granted land after the decisive battle at Hastings in 1066.
As early as 1122 the name of "Boiwiche" appears in documents, also
spelled "Bowick" and "Bowyck," meaning "boy" or "young man" combined
with "wic" or dwelling place, and apparently refers to the surname or the
owners,
the Ladds. There is at the present time at Otting in Elham Parish, Hundred of
Loningsborough, Kent, England, an estate called "Boyke Manor." In the same
parish there is another estate or manor, originally called "Ladwude" in 1240,
named "Ladwood" or Ladswood", apparently to signify the property of the Ladds
of Boyke Manor.
There is no doubt but that the Ladd family originated in Kent, England.
The name is found spelled variously: De Lade, La Lade, Lad, Ladde, Ladd
and Lead.

John Ladd

We are interested here in the John Ladd of Charles City County,
Virginia, who arrived in Virginia on 7 October 1653 and whose passage was paid by
William Diltye of Charles City, County. On 15 October 1666, John Ladd, with another man, was appointed by the
court to settle a difference concerning the building of a church after a jury had failed to agree.
On 24 September 1667 he was granted a tract of land in Henrico County, Virginia, on the north side of Four Mile Creek. This is the land he willed to his son, Amos Ladd. In 1672 he sold 400 acres of land on the west side of Lynnhaven
River, which sale was confirmed by Bathsheba Ladd, his wife. He was granted 700 acres of land in Lynhaven Parish, Lower Norfolk County [now Princess Anne County], Virginia, on 25 May 1673, described as follows:

"To whom all these presents shall come: I, Sir William Berkley, Gent'l of Virg. give and grant unto John Ladd, seven hundred acres of land in the Prsh. of Linhaven, the County of Lower Norfolk, on the Linhaven River. Dimensions: SSW 40 poles, then WSW 102 poles, then NNW 40 poles, then WSW 480 poles, crossing the head of the river, then NNW 200 poles, then ENE 400 poles onto the deeper branch which is on the north side of the river unto the mouth of the lower dam creek, then up the creek the same and prl branch unto the first beginning line."

On 16 April 1674 John Ladd sold this tract of land, but no wife joined him to confirm the sale. John Ladd married Bathsheba Lovett, daughter of Lancaster and Ann Lovett. Since she confirmed the sale of land in 1672 and did not sign the deed of sale in 1674, it is assumed that she had died. We do not have the date of marriage or the date of her death, although she was living in March/ April 1673 at the time of her father's death. Subsequently, John Ladd married again. His will dated 10th of 6th month 1679 designates his wife, Mary, as executrix, and reads as follows:

"In the name of God, Amen. I John Ladd of the County of Henrico, being sick & weak of body but of sound & perfect memory praysed by God for it, & calling to minde the certainty of death & the uncertainty of the time & houre
thereof, doe make this my last will & testament in manner & forme following revoking & disannulling all former will or wills heretofore by me made either by word or writing, & this to be for & is my last will & testament & noe other,
& now as touching that small estate it hath pleased God to bestow upun me, I doe order, give and depose of the same in manner & forme following: Imprimis, I give unto my sonne Amos Ladd, that parcell of land of mine joining upon Cley-
tons being [per] estimation one hundred & fifty acres which is my part of the land which was taken up [per] Tho. Lygon, Solomon Knibb, John Woodfin Sen'r. & myself, one hundred twenty-five acres of sd land my minde & will is my sonne
should have, when at age, the other twenty-five acres I give to my daughter Elizabeth during her natural life, she beginning upon the west side of the land for her sd twentyfive acres, she to have the benefit of the whole dividend of
timber to build with upon her said land. " Item I give & bequeath unto Elizabeth Ladd a parcel of hoggs which are on
the other side of the creek being six old ones & two shootes as allsoe my horse ball, & one iron pot, three spoons & one dish, which pott and dish her mother thinks fit, which said things my minde and will is should be delivered
to her within one month after my decease, as allsoe I give unto my said daughter thirty pounds of feathers & one blanket, & is allsoe to be delivered to her with the rest.

"Item I give and bequeath unto my loving wife, Mary Ladd the plantion I now live on during her natural life, & after decease to the child she now goes with if a sonne, but if not, then to Sarah Ladd & Mary... to be equally divided
between them. Allsoe I give devise & bequeath unto my sead wife one feather bed with rugg & blandett & paire of sheetes & curtaines & vallins.

" Item I give & bequeath unto sonne Amos one feather bed with rugg & blankett
& paire of sheetes, the bedd being ticking, as allsoe my great chests & six pewter plates & six spoons & two gunns, one fowling piece & one musket, & all my carpenters tooles, except one adze, allsoe one large iron pott about
8 gallons, & one brass skillett frame about two gallons, one pewter dish & saucer, & my mare & colt she now hath, with all her increase which shall here-after ensue, as allsoe one heifer called Cherrye, & one steere called Hart about
three years old.

"Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Sarah Ladd one cow called Damsell, one browne yearling cow calf as allsoe a feather bedd not full one blankett & one old rugg, & one iron pott, & one pewter dish, & pewter plate.

"Item I give & bequeath unto my daughter Racell Ladd two yearling cow calfes,
one pewter dish & plate & three young sowes & one brasse skillett.

"Item I give unto my daughter Elizabeth one cow called Browninge.

"Item I give unto the child my wife now goes with one long gunn, two steeres, one two years old, & the other one. Item I give unto my sonne Amos Ladd one oxe chain & hooks & staples for three yoakes.

"Item I give unto my daughter Eliz. one small couch, & to my daughter Sarah one large chest, & one sowe.

"Item I give & bequeath unto my sonne Amos one young sowe, the rest & residue of my estate except one young horse running in Curles, Item, I give & bequeath unto my loving wife Mary , whom I make my whole & sole executrix
of this my last will & testament desiring her truly to performe the same, as I hope she will. In witness whereof I have set my hand & seal this 10th of 6th, month 1679.

"My minde & will is that my sonne Amos should tarry with my wife while seventeeb yeares of age & then he to have the benefit of his owne labor & my daughters she to have oversight & tuition of them while eighteen or marryed.

John Ladd (red wax)

"This within written was owned (per)
John Ladd to be his last will & testament in the presents of
John Pleasants
Benjamin Travers
Robert Clark
Thomas W. Wooles, his mark
Will Porter
John E. Gunter, his mark
Jane Pleasants
Matas S. Newbough
per Hugh Davis Dep: cler. her mark

"This will above written was brought in Court by the hands of Mr. John
Pleasants, one of the witnesses to the same, who being a Quaker--refused to swear there-
to, but did only affirme that it was ye last will & testament of the said
John Ladd.

"Test. H. Davis Dep: cler & recorded this second day of August 1680."

Some of the Ladd children were undoubtedly the children of Bathsheba Ladd, and it is only known for sure that Mary Ladd was the mother of William Ladd who was born either just before or just after his father's death.

From the will we observe that Amos Ladd was not yet 17 in 1679; and Elizabeth, Sarah and Racell were not yet 18. By stating that "my sonne Amos tarry with my wife," and not his mother, it appears that Mary Ladd is not Amos's
mother. However, Elizabeth was probably Mary's child since she is to be given a pot and dish "her mother" selects. The identity of the Mary mentioned in the third paragraph is not given.

SUBMITTED BY: Noble Wayne (John) Gilbreath
July 15, 1998