He resided on his land in St. George Parish District 12.
This
was the land that Edward Ker bequeathed to his son, John S. Ker in 1786
(Nottingham; p. 403). An abstract of the will of Edward Ker reads:
KER,
EDWARD - 17 May 1786 - 18 Oct. 1790 - To wife plantation where I live
containing 550 acres for life & then to my son George. To son
George plantation bought of Thomas H. Parker, containing 175 acres To
son John Sheppard 300 acres of the land bought of James Cox, the line
dividing him & his brother Hugh to be the branch running into the
head of Pungoteague. To son Hugh all the land bought of James Broughton
as contained in 3 deeds, being 109 acres, & all the surplus of 300
acres of the land bought of James Cox, supposed to be 98 acres, also
the land & plantation bought of Michael R. Tatham. To son Edward
all the land I now hold or may die possessed of in the County of
Northampton, & the lands in Accomack bought of John & Littleton
Harmon & Edmund Polson. To 3 daughters Jean Scarbrough, Catharine
Christian & Ann Revell the lands 1 hold in Gloucestor, containing
243 1/4 An. To daughter Elizabeth Ker £ 500 to be paid in 2 negro girls
& 1 negro boy & in stock & household furniture. To
daughter Isabel £ 500 to be paid in like manner. Remainder of my land to
be sold, & the proceeds, together with the residue of myestate to
be divided between my 4 sons George, John Shephard, Hugh & Edward.
Wife (no name) Exec. Sons George & John Shephard Exrs.
Codicil No. 1 - I revoke the 5th gift to my son Hugh, & in lieu
thereof give to the said Hugh all the land & plantation near the
Court House bought out of the estate of Severn Guttridge, with the lots
in the Court yard, also the lots held in joint tenancy with Catharine
Scott. In lieu of the lands bought of John & Littleton Harmon &
Edmund Polson, I give to my son Edward Ker the land & plantation
bought of Michael Rickets Tatham on the North side of Andua. To son
John Sheppard the remainder of the land purchased of John Cox, being
about 98 acres and 13 acres lying below the main road purchased of
James Broughton. Daughter Margaret to have her board with either of my
sons she may incline to live with, & should she choose to board
elsewhere I bequeath her £ 12 per annum while she remains single to be
paid by my 4 sons, £ 3 each. I desire that the representatives of my
deceased daughter Ann Revell should have an equal share with my
daughters Jean Scarburgh & Catherine Christian. The land purchased
of John & Littleton Harmon & of Edmund Poulson I bequest to my
4 sons - Dated 28 Sept. 1788 - Witt: Reavel Watson, George Pearson,
Rosy Harman. Will proved by John Wise, Jabez Pitt, Edmund Bayly, Jr.
Codicil proved by Revill Watson & Rosy Harman.
Whitelaw states:
1784
James Cox of Shelburne, Nova Scotia, sold the 400 acres to Edward Ker.
1790 Ker left to his son John Shepherd Ker. In 1806, he left to his
daughter Elizabeth Revell Corbin Ker. (Whitelaw; p. 722).
Sources:
Nottingham, Stratton.
Wills and Administrations of Accomack County, Virginia 1663-1800. Bowie MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 1990.
Walczyk,
Gail M. Accomack County Processioners Returns 1796 - 1816 for Accomack
and St. George's Parishes. Coram NY: Peter's Row, 2004.
Whitelaw, Ralph T.
Virginia's Eastern Shore A History of Northampton and Accomack
Counties. Gloucester MA: Peter Smith.