Some documents are like a really great Christmas, they just have everything in them that you need.  This Deed of Conveyance ¹ defines quite nicely Wyatt Paul and Laura Donald Gillespie’s children, their children’s spouses and Wyatt and Laura’s death.

In Wyatt’s will he left the house at 108 Houston Street to his wife, and upon her death to his two single daughters, Minnie Maude and Eva Dold.

Wyatt died, testate, February 19, 1941 and his wife Laura, died, intestate, August 23, 1964. ² He states in his will, which is quoted in the Deed, that upon the death of his wife he leaves the property and house at 108 Houston Street to his two daughters Minnie M Gillespie and Eva D Gillespie. ³. Minnie died on Apr 1, 1958 ⁴ leaving Eva as the only heir for the property.

The deed then instructs that his property, other than the land and house, should be sold off upon the death of his wife and that $25 should be given to his daughter Louise Montgomery and the rest be divided between his three daughters Misses Eva D, Minnie M, and Helen and his four sons, Clinton, Ashby P, Fred and Gilbert. ⁵

The rest of the deed is the release from the remaining brothers and sisters, their respective spouses, and their residences in 1965, who are as follows:

• Ashby P Gillespie and his wife Margaret M of Newport News, Virginia,
• Clinton C Gillespie and his wife Ernestine of Portsmouth, Virginia,
• Fred D Gillespie and his wife Eleanor K of Rockbridge County, Virginia,
• Gilbert M Gillespie and his wife Ann Irene, of Graham County, North Carolina,
• Louise Montgomery (widow) of Shelby County, Tennessee, and
• Helen Gillespie Keezel and her husband John Calvin Keezel, of Rockbridge County, Virginia.⁶

So we’ve learned a bit about Wyatt and Laura and their family:

• They had at least eight children, and the eight listed were alive when Wyatt wrote his will,
• If there were other children, then they died without any living heirs,
• When Wyatt wrote his will, Louise was married and by 1965 she was a widow,
• Helen was married between the time her father wrote his will and her mother’s death she married John Calvin Keezel,
• Minnie died between the time her father wrote his will and 1965 (she died in 1958),
• Wyatt wrote a will; Laura did not,
• The deed for the property on which the 108 Houston Street House was built is recorded in Deed Book 102, page 467,
• Wyatt’s will is recorded in Will Book 54, page 517,
• In Wyatt’s will he specified that the “farm consisting of forty seven (47) acres, more or less, located at Poplar Hills one and one half miles southeast of Lexington, Va be sold at my death” and the proceeds be used to pay for his just debts and funeral expenses, the rest going to his wife,⁷
• That when Minnie died, she left her mother as her sole and only heir, and
• None of the property at 108 Houston Street had been sold at that time.⁸

So there are a few obvious things to do. Finding Wyatt’s will and more information about the property at Poplar Hills comes to mind.

And in one legal document we have learned and documented Wyatt’s family and some of their relationships.