The following is edited from my father's book: A Branch Of The Sturgill Family, Volume I Decendants of Francis Sturgill Sr. & Rebecca Hash. Barring transcription errors, the wording is his - THS
Concerning the Will of Ambrose Madison
There is some controversy about some of the provisions of the will of Ambrose Madison which was probated in Spottsylvania Co. VA in 1732. I read the original will in the early 1940's when it was still in the Court House in Spottsylvania. The document was in poor condition then as it was faded and torn and some small parts were missing. It was no doubt in even worse condition when it was finally placed in the State Archives in Richmond as it was very fragile. At the time I read this will the only way to get an exact copy was to photgraph it and the county did not have the means to do this - this was before the day of Xerox machines.
As I read this will the bequest following that to his daughter Elender and her husband James Coleman read ---"Item, I give and bequeath unto --mes St----- 400 acres of land -------- adjoining his plantation at the great mountains" This item was on a line where the document had been folded and was very difficult to read. I used a magnifying glass to read this and had others then working in the court house to read it also. All of them agreed with my interpretation. Others have read this as a bequest of 200 acres to frances (who was his daughter) but the following line clearly reads that the land adjoined his plantation which leaves no doubt that the bequest was to a male. Others, who apparently did note the gender, read it as a bequest to James Madison, (his son) but further on the will clearly makes bequests to his daughter Frances and son James who was not then of age and would not have owned a plantation near the big mountains or anywhere else. However, son James apparently did have an interest in or pardnership in a tract of land in Orange Co. with John Cam---- (probably Campbell). I am firmly convinced that the will of Ambrose Madison gave James Stodgill 400 acres in Orange Co. This conclusion is supported by other records following.
Land records show that the Madison brothers, John Ambrose and Henry, at one time owned most if not all of the watershed of Swift Run creek, some of which was owned jointly. After the deaths of James and Ann, 1752 & 1763, their heirs disposed of 1190 acres of land along Swift Run creek and several of these deeds referred to the land as a part of a tract of 1200 acres. James had bought 400 acres in two tracts and was given 400 acres by the will of Ambrose Madison for a total of 800 acres. It is the opinion of this writer that John Madison of Augusta Co. had also given him 400 acres but no record of this has been found. However records do show that some of the land sold by the heirs of James and Ann had been owned by John Madison.
