Histories

I, Samuel Blackburn of the county of bath and Commonwealth of Virginia in anticipation of the lot common to humanity on this first day of June in the year of our Lord, 1830, do make and publish this my last will and testament entirely written by my own hand and sealed with my seal the day and year aforesaid.
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2nd. That all the slaves of which I may die seized and possessed without distinction of age or sex be and they are hereby declared free and forever emancipated from all claim to future services to me hy heirs and executors of any of them, and together with their increase to the latest posterity shall be and remain clear and forever discharged from all such claims as aforesaid and as noon as the necessary arrangements can be made by my Executors they shall be transported to the American colony in Liberia and the expense of transportation be charged upon my estate real and personal. It is however expressly and explicitly understood that if any of my slaves aforesaid refuse to accept this boon it will be the duty of my executors and they are hereby requested, so to do, to sell to the highest bidder in terms of the ale all who thus refuse and pause and persevere in the refusal as slaves for life. And here let me admonish and warn those people * forever from that state of slavery and degradation in which I found them and in which many of them have long served me. * how thy let slip this golden moment of emancipating themselves and their posterity.
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4th [[numerous bequests to wife and to nieces and nephews]]]...

... As the acceptance or rejection of the freedom now offered is to seal the fate of such of my unfortunate people who do reject it and that of their posterity in a state of most hopeless and degrading slavery for perhaps centuries to come, or to restore to their country the land of their fathers from which they have long been exiled such of them as may accept it enrolling then in the ranks or men and citizens from which they have long been expelled, my executors will excuse me when I entreat, they will see this great question fairly put and freely answered uninfluenced by promise or hope of reward or the dread of punishment, ad that the names of those who refuse to accept, should such be found, be registered which when certified by my executors to be correct will be entered of Record in Bath County with this last will and testament

I will to my wife Anne Blackburn, Scarborough and her descendants should she refuse to be transported to Liberia, my carriage and horses are also willed to her omitted in my original will.

Whereas I Samuel Blackburn of Bath County and State of Virginia in the year 1830 made my lat will and testament, in which said will I have emancipated and set free all my slaves at my death with a proviso that they should go to the colony of Liberia and that if they or any of them refused to go they are to be sold by my executors as slaves, and whereas I didn't express in what way they are to be sold to my satisfaction, I do therefore now certify make known and request that it is my earnest wish, desire and will that my executors or administrators do not sell them separately, but that they sell them in families and at private ale to such masters or mistresses on such terms as they may think most advantageous. In witness I have set my hand and seal this 30th day of October 1834.