Helen Yoakum Black letter states that both were born & married in Pennsylvania. 4 men (Michael Harness, Philip Powell Yoakum, Michael Stump, & Michael See) were sent out and they cut their road and traveled by pocket compass to Hardy County, Virginia on the South Branch of the Potomac, about 4 miles above what is now Moorefield, the county seat of Hardy County. It was a grant that Lord Fairfax had from the King of England. There had never been a white man there before. Michael and George See are listed on land records in the Tulpehocken region in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the 1730"s Rick Brown states he was born in Germany He is listed along with George See on land records in the Tulpehocken region in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the 1730's.
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=arick-senecal&id=I2674
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THE WILL OF MICHAEL (ERNST) HARNESS, SR.In the Name of God, Amen. I. Michael Ernest.of the South Branch, in the County of Hampshire, State,of Virginia, being in Good health at present, an[d] Consideringthe uncertenty of Humen Life and that it is Nessessary forall Persons while the[y] have the happeness to Enjoy their Sences& Memory perfect, to Set[t]le and Dispose of their affairs, inSuch manner, as may Prevend[t], any Dispute, or Lawsuitsafter their Death, amongst their Friends and Relation[s]. ITherefore to prevent the same as Much as Possible in myown Family And Dispose of my Estate in man[n]er FollowingFirst I Recom[m]ant[d] my Body after my Decise[decease] to the Earth fromwhence it Came, to be Buriet[d] in a Decent Man[n]er, and mySoul unto my He[a]venly Father, and it is my Disire that allmy Funeral Expence and other Lawfull Debts to be paidas sun[soon] as Convin[i]ent Can be Done after my Decise[Decease]//Item I Give and Devisse unto my beloved Wife Elizabeth,one Third pard[t] of my Pland[t]ation, Massuage or TenementOrdgard and all belonging do[to] it. Induring[and during] her Life, as alsoTwo Slaves, one Negro Man Named Manuel & one wenchNamed Rachel to Labour for hir[her] During hir[her] Life. And ifSaid wench Should Bear any Children, the one halfe ofthem to be my Wifes own for hir[her] and hir[her] Heirs for EverAnd after her Decise[decease], the above Named Manuel & Racheland the other Halfe Increas[e] of Said Negro[]s Childern to beReturned unto My Son, Jacob Harness, to be his own for himand his Heirs for Ever. And I give and Devisse also to mybeloved Wife the one Third of all my other Effects. Or Moveablesand also hir Thirds in the Mony Left by me to be hir own forEver.Item I give Tross[?entrust] and Devisse unto my Youngest sonJacob Harness my Plantation, DwellingHouse, BaronOrdgard and all utent[s]ials of Husbandry, & all the HouseholdFurniture (my Wifes part Exeppted), the Living Stock an[d]also my Shlaves, ex[c]ept one for Peter, (in Short he is tohave Every thing Left by me on the Plantation and he is Like=wise to have one Equal part of the Money Left by me, andthis is for the Good Cause, and Reason, that I have Furnishet[d]and Suployed{supplied]my Elder Sons with Land and other Necasariesbefore in Former Times, all to be his with out any Mollastationfor Ever.Item I Give and Bequeath to my Son John Harness, oneEquel Part of the Money Left by me, for him and hisHeirs for Ever and no more//Item I Give and Bequeath to my Son George Harness, oneEquel part in the money Left by me to be for hisShare for Ever and no more//Item I Give and Bequeath to my Son Leonart[d] Harness, onepart of the money Left by me to be for his Share for Everand no more//Item I Give and Bequeath to my Son Peter Harness, oneNegro Named Will. As[and] also one Part of the moneyLeft by me for his Share to be his own for him andhis Heirs for Ever.Item I give and Bequeath to my Gran Son Michael Hernessand his Sister, Elizabeth Robinson, one Equel Shareof the money Left by me, to be Dividet[d] amongstthem for their part and no more//Item I Give and Bequeath to my beloved DaughtersElizabeth Yoakem and Barbara Zee &Lickewise and: Dorothea Horn[b]eck & andMargaretha Trumbo Likewise Each one ofThem to have on[e] Equel Part, or share in themoney Left by me. To be Equelly Dividet[d] amongstall my Childern, above here Mentionet[d].And Lastly I do here by Nominate Opoint[appoint] my SonJohn Harness and my Sonen Samuel HornbeckWhole and Sole Executors of this my Last Will andTestamentAnd I Do Here by Revoke and Make Void all FormerWills, Declaring this to be my Last Will & Testamentand no other. In Wittness here of I have hereunto Set my hand Sign an[d] Seal This ______________ Day one Thousend Seven hundert and SeventyNineSigned Sealed, and PupplishetBy the Testator in presence hisOf us Michael ME ErnestAnthony Baker markJoseph PettyJacob yoakumAt a Court held for Hampshire County this 8th Day of March 1785This last Will & Testament of Michael [Ernsst lined out] Harness deced waspresented in Court by John Harness one of the Executors Therein n
amed provedby the Oaths of Joseph Petty & Jacob Yoakam Witnesses thereto and Orderedto be recorded, and on the Motion of the Said Executor who made Oathaccording to Law[,] Certificate is granted him for obtaining a Probatethereof in due Form giving Security whereupon he togetherwith Jacob Yoakam & Daniel Teverbaugh his Securities entered[into and acknowledged Bond in the penalty of Fivethousand pounds for his due and faithful Administrationof the said decedants Estate & performance of his duties.]Test.And Wodrow Clerk]This last portion in brackets was missing from the original copy, but taken from the Will Book. The entire will was copied into Hampshire County, Virginia, Will Book 2 (1780-1794), pages 111-113, [the index reference is to page 112] from the original which was presented as shown above, and ordered to be recorded. The copyist altered spelling and changed capitalization in many, many places, but did not alter the names or meaning at any point. The original will has, written on the verso of the third page:Recorded / Will Bk 1-22In \ Page 18/There is another so-called Will Book copy of this will in a book of Hampshire County miscellaneous wills [but with no appraisals or sales], 1756 through 1860, but only for deceased with surnames A-J. This is all typed It is labeled Hampshire County Wills, Vol. 1, but it is not the volume 1 there should have been. On page 15 of that book, Michael Harnesss will was entered, but without some sections [eg., slaves], and with name spellings corrected[read, confused] and word order changed.
