Will of President Madison

I, James Madison of Orange County do make this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all wills by me heretofore made.

I devise to my dear wife during her life the tract of land the tract of land whereon I live, as now held by me, except as herein otherwise devised; and if she shall pay the same of nine thousand dollars within three years after my death, to be distributed as hereinafter directed, then I devise the same land to her in fee simple. If my wife shall not pay the said sum of money within the period before mentioned, then and in that care it is my will, and I hereby direct that at her death the said land be sold for cash, or on credit as may be deemed most for the interest of those entitled to the proceeds thereof. If my wife shall pay the said sum of money with the time before specified as aforesaid so as to become entitled to the fee simple in the said land , then I bequeath the said sum of money to be equally divided among all my nephews and nieces which shall at that time be living, and in case of them being dead, leaving issue at that time living, then such issue shall take the place of its or their deceased parent.

It is further my will, that in case my wife not pay the sum of money within the time before named, and it shall therefore be necessary to sell the said land at her death as before directed, then after deducting the twentieth part of the purchase money of the said land. which deducted part I hereby empower my wife to dispose of by her will, I bequeath the residue of the purchase money and in the case of her dying without having disposed of such deducted part by her will, I bequeath the whole of the purchase money of the said land to my nephews and nieces of the issues of such as may be dead, in the manner before directed in regard to the money to be paid by her in case she shall pay the same. I devise my grist mill with he land attached thereto, to my wife during her life, and I hereby direct the same to be sold at her death and the purchase money to be divided as before directed in regard to the proceeds of the tract whereon I live.

I devise to my niece, Nelly C. Willis and her heirs the lot of land lying in Orange County, purchased of Boswell Thornton, on which is a limestone quarry, and also in interest in a tract of land lying in Louisa County reputed to contain two hundred acres, and not for from the said limestone quarry. I devise my hose and lot, or lots, in the City of Washington, to my beloved wife and her heirs. I give and bequeath my ownership in the negroes and people of color held by me to by dear wife, but it is my desire that none of them should be sold without his or her consent, or in case of their misbehavior, except that infant children may be sold with their parents who consent for them to be sold with him or her, and who consent to be sold.

I give all my personal estate of every description, ornamental, as well as useful, except as hereinafter otherwise given, to my dear wife, and I also give to her all my manuscript papers, having entire confidence in her discreet and proper use of them, but subject to the qualification in succeeding clause. Considering the peculiarity and magnitude of the occasion which produced the convention at Philadelphia in 1787, the characters who composed it, the Constitution which resulted from their deliberation, its effects during a trial of so many years on the prosperity of the people living under it, at the interest it has inspired among the friends of free government, it is not an unreasonable inference that a careful and extended report of the proceedings and discussions of that body, which were with closed doors, by a member who was constant in his attendance, will be particularly gratifying to the people of the United States and to all who take an interest in the progress of political science and the cause of true liberty, it is my desire that the report as made by me should be published under her authority and direction, as the publication may yield a considerable amount beyond the necessary expenses thereof; I give the net proceeds thereof to my wife, charged with the following legacies to be paid of that fund only -- first I give to Ralph Randolph Gurley, secretary of the American colonization Society and to his executors and administrators the sum of two thousand dollars, in trust nevertheless, that shall appropriate the same to the use and purposes of the said Society, whether the same be incorporated by law or not.

I give fifteen hundred dollars to the University of Virginia, one thousand dollars to the College at Nassau Hall at Princeton, New Jersey, and one thousand dollars to the College at Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and it is my will that if the said fund should not be sufficient to pay the whole of the three legacies, that they abate in proportion. I further direct that there be paid out of the same fund to the guardian of my three sons of my deceased nephew, Robert L. Madison, the sum of three thousand dollars to be applied to their education in such proportions as their guardian may think right. I also give out of the same fund to my nephew Ambrose Madison two thousand dollars to be applied by him to the education of his sons in such proportions as he may thing right, and I give out of the same fund the sum of five hundred dollars to each of the daughters of my deceased niece, Nelly Baldwin, and if the said fund shall not be sufficient to pay the whole of the legacies for the education of my great nephews as aforesaid and the said legacies to my great nieces, they they are to abate in proportion.

I give to the University of Virginia all that portion of my library of which it has not copies of the same editions, and which may be thought by the Board of Visitors not unworthy of a place in its library, reserving to my wife the right first to select such particular books and pamphlets as she shall choose, not exceeding three hundred volumes.

In consideration of the particular and valuable aids received from my brother-in-law, John C. Payne, and the affection which I bear him, I devise to him and his heirs two hundred and forty acres of land on which he lives, including the improvements on same, on which he has bestowed considerable expense, to be laid off adjoining the lands of Reuben and James Newman in a convenient form for a farm so as to include woodland, and by the said Mr. Newmans.

I bequeath to my stepson John Payne Todd the case of medals presented me by my friend George W. Erving and the walking staff made from a timber of the frigate Constitution and presented me by Commodore Elliot, her present commander. I desired the gold mounted walking staff, bequeathed to me by my late friend Thomas Jefferson, be delivered to Thomas J. Randolph, as well in testimony of the esteem I have for him as the knowledge of the place he held in the affections of his grand-father.

To remove every doubt of what is meant by the terms tract of land whereon I live I here declare it to comprehend all land owned by me and not herein otherwise devised away.

I appoint my dear wife to be sole executrix of this my will and desired that she may not be required to give security for the execution thereof and that my estate be not appraised.

In testimony hereof I have this fifteen day of April one thousand eight hundred and thirty five, signed, sealed, published and declared this to be my last will and testament.

James Madison [Seal.]

We have signed in presence
of the testator and of each other.

Robert Taylor
Reuben Newman, Sr.
Reuben Newman, Jr.
Sims Brockman.

I, James Madison do annex this codicil to my last will as above and to be taken as part thereof. It is my will that the nine thousand dollars to be paid by my wife and distrubed among my nephews and nieces may be paid into the Bank of Virginia or into the Circuit Superior Court of Chancery for Orange, within three years after my death. I direct that the proceeds from the sale fo my grist mill and the land annexed sold at the death of my wife, shall be paid to Ralph Randolph Gurley, secretary of the American Colonization Society, and to his executors and administrators in truse and for the purposes of the said society. whether the same be incorporated by law or not.

This codicil is written wholly by, and and signed by my own hand this nineteenth day of April 1835

James Madison