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Bellview farm

A Clarke County farm that B. F. Humston's 1902 will gave his daughter, Mamie R. Sprint, for life, with remainder to her children. It appears as "Bellview Place" in his 1904 inventory and as "Bellview, 300 acres" in a 1935 tax list. Its exact boundaries and modern parcel have not been established.

No coordinates or district boundaries have been assigned, so this place is not placed on a map.

What the sources support

In a will dated April 30, 1902, B. F. Humston gave "my daughter Mamie R. Sprint" the farm in Clarke County "known as the Bellview farm," which the will says was conveyed to him by Marshall McCormick, trustee, and adjoined the lands of Mrs. Julia A. Anderson and others, to hold "for and during the term of her natural life" with its rents, issues and profits; at her death it was to pass to her children and the descendants of any of them then dead.

✓ Supported by a source
See the source and its limits
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

In a will dated April 30, 1902, B. F. Humston gave "my daughter Mamie R. Sprint" the farm in Clarke County "known as the Bellview farm," which the will says was conveyed to him by Marshall McCormick, trustee, and adjoined the lands of Mrs. Julia A. Anderson and others, to hold "for and during the term of her natural life" with its rents, issues and profits; at her death it was to pass to her children and the descendants of any of them then dead.

What the source supports

The terms of Humston's will for the Bellview farm, as the will book records them.

Uncertainty

The will's own terms. It gives no acreage, bounds or location, and does not name Mamie's children or set out their shares. Its account of how Humston acquired the farm is not checked against a deed, which has not been found. The date is the will's execution: it was admitted to record in 1904, and neither date is a conveyance date.

Source

Contemporary document

Evidence role: supports. The devise of the Bellview farm to Mamie R. Sprint.

Clarke County, Virginia, Will Book 2B, pages 332 to 334: will of B. F. Humston, dated April 30, 1902, and its admission to record, October 17, 1904

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Clarke County, Virginia · 1904-10-17 (filing)

Locator: Page 333, the sixth clause of the will, the devise

Relevant passage
I give and devise to my daughter Mamie R. Sprint the farm in Clarke County Va known as the Bellview farm, and conveyed to me by Marshall McCormick, Trustee, adjoining the lands of Mrs Julia A. Anderson and others.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: humston-estate-will-book-2b-1904. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary document

Evidence role: supports. The life interest and the remainder to her children.

Clarke County, Virginia, Will Book 2B, pages 332 to 334: will of B. F. Humston, dated April 30, 1902, and its admission to record, October 17, 1904

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Clarke County, Virginia · 1904-10-17 (filing)

Locator: Page 333, the sixth clause of the will, the life interest and remainder

Relevant passage
To have and to hold the same for and during the term of her natural life with the right in her to collect the rents, issues and profits thereof for and during her life, but at her death her interest in said farm under this devise shall cease and be at an end, and said farm or tract of land shall pass to and become vested in her children and the descendants of such of her said children as may at the time of her death be dead.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: humston-estate-will-book-2b-1904. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary document

Evidence role: supports. The date the will was signed.

Clarke County, Virginia, Will Book 2B, pages 332 to 334: will of B. F. Humston, dated April 30, 1902, and its admission to record, October 17, 1904

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Clarke County, Virginia · 1904-10-17 (filing)

Locator: Page 333, the execution line of the will

Relevant passage
30 day April 1902

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: humston-estate-will-book-2b-1904. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-09-24. How this project checks its sources

The inventory and appraisement of B. F. Humston's personal estate, dated October 31, 1904, lists under "Bellview Place" 534 bushels of wheat at $1.12, $598.08; hay, $58.50; 16 bushels of clover seed at $6.00, $96.00; and 100 barrels of corn at $1.90, $190.00.

✓ Supported by a source
See the source and its limits
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

The inventory and appraisement of B. F. Humston's personal estate, dated October 31, 1904, lists under "Bellview Place" 534 bushels of wheat at $1.12, $598.08; hay, $58.50; 16 bushels of clover seed at $6.00, $96.00; and 100 barrels of corn at $1.90, $190.00.

What the source supports

That Humston's appraisers listed crops under the heading "Bellview Place" in 1904.

Uncertainty

An appraisal of personal property. Crops listed under a place name are not a title record and give no acreage or bounds. Only these lines are transcribed.

Source

Contemporary document

Evidence role: supports. The lines under "Bellview Place".

Clarke County, Virginia, Will Book 2B, page 338: inventory and appraisement of the personal estate of B. F. Humston, October 1904

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Clarke County, Virginia · 1904-10-31 (creation)

Locator: Page 338, the lines under "Bellview Place"

Relevant passage
Bellview Place Wheat 534 bu $1.12 $598.08 Hay 58.50 Clover seed 16 bu $6.00 96.00 Corn 100 bbls 1.90 190.00

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: humston-estate-will-book-2b-1904. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary document

Evidence role: supports. The date of the appraisal.

Clarke County, Virginia, Will Book 2B, page 338: inventory and appraisement of the personal estate of B. F. Humston, October 1904

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Clarke County, Virginia · 1904-10-31 (creation)

Locator: Page 338, the date of the appraisal

Relevant passage
31st day of Oct 1904

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: humston-estate-will-book-2b-1904. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-09-24. How this project checks its sources

The Clarke Courier's list of land delinquent for 1933 taxes, in its issue of November 7, 1935, carried "Sprint, Mamie, Bellview, 300 acres .... $98.75."

✓ Supported by a source
See the source and its limits
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

The Clarke Courier's list of land delinquent for 1933 taxes, in its issue of November 7, 1935, carried "Sprint, Mamie, Bellview, 300 acres .... $98.75."

What the source supports

That land listed as Mamie Sprint's Bellview, 300 acres, was delinquent for 1933 taxes.

Uncertainty

A delinquent-tax list, not a title record. The acreage is as listed; the 1936 advertisement gives 306. The Library of Congress dates the issue November 7, 1935, while the page's running head reads October 31, 1935.

Source

Contemporary report

Evidence role: supports. The entry in the list.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 7 November 1935, page 3: list of land delinquent for 1933 taxes

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1935-11-07 (publication)

Locator: Page 3, delinquent land list, Greenway District

Relevant passage
Sprint, Mamie, Bellview, 300 acres .... $98.75

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: clarke-courier-1935-11-07-delinquent-land. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-09-24. How this project checks its sources

An advertisement in the Clarke Courier of October 1, 1936 announced that special commissioners, under a decree entered on July 15, 1936 in the chancery cause of Lucy Sprint Crim vs. J. Ashby Sprint et als, pending in the Circuit Court of Frederick County, would sell at auction on October 23, 1936 a tract of 306 acres, more or less, "about one-half mile West of Boyce," with a dwelling house, tenant house and large bank barn and about 25 acres in bearing orchard, reciting that it was the land devised under B. F. Humston's will to Mamie R. Sprint for life with remainder to her children.

✓ Supported by a source
See the source and its limits
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

An advertisement in the Clarke Courier of October 1, 1936 announced that special commissioners, under a decree entered on July 15, 1936 in the chancery cause of Lucy Sprint Crim vs. J. Ashby Sprint et als, pending in the Circuit Court of Frederick County, would sell at auction on October 23, 1936 a tract of 306 acres, more or less, "about one-half mile West of Boyce," with a dwelling house, tenant house and large bank barn and about 25 acres in bearing orchard, reciting that it was the land devised under B. F. Humston's will to Mamie R. Sprint for life with remainder to her children.

What the source supports

That the farm was advertised for sale in 1936 under a Frederick County decree in a suit brought by Lucy Sprint Crim.

Uncertainty

An advertised sale, not a completed one. Its statement of the devise recites Humston's will and is not separate confirmation of it. The case caption does not name every defendant and is not a schedule of shares. The acreage and distance are as advertised; other notices give 300 acres and one mile.

Source

Contemporary report

Evidence role: supports. The decree and the case.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1 October 1936, page 8: "Commissioners' Sale of Sprint Farm"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-10-01 (publication)

Locator: Page 8, commissioners' advertisement, the decree

Relevant passage
by virtue of a decree entered on the 15th day of July, 1936, in the chancery cause of Lucy Sprint Crim vs. J. Ashby Sprint et als

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary report

Evidence role: supports. The court.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1 October 1936, page 8: "Commissioners' Sale of Sprint Farm"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-10-01 (publication)

Locator: Page 8, same advertisement, the court and the place of sale

Relevant passage
which cause is pending in the Circuit Court of Frederick County, Va., will offer for sale at public auction in front of the County Court House at Berryville, Va., on

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary report

Evidence role: supports. The date set for the sale.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1 October 1936, page 8: "Commissioners' Sale of Sprint Farm"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-10-01 (publication)

Locator: Page 8, same advertisement, the sale date

Relevant passage
Friday, Oct. 23rd, 1936

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary report

Evidence role: supports. The acreage.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1 October 1936, page 8: "Commissioners' Sale of Sprint Farm"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-10-01 (publication)

Locator: Page 8, same advertisement, the acreage

Relevant passage
three hundred and six (306) acres, more or less

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary report

Evidence role: supports. The location, the buildings and the orchard.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1 October 1936, page 8: "Commissioners' Sale of Sprint Farm"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-10-01 (publication)

Locator: Page 8, same advertisement, the location and improvements

Relevant passage
about one-half mile West of Boyce, improved by a dwelling house, tenant house, large bank barn and other out buildings, about twenty-five (25) acres of said land is in bearing orchard

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Contemporary report

Evidence role: contextualizes. The advertisement's recital of the will.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 1 October 1936, page 8: "Commissioners' Sale of Sprint Farm"

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-10-01 (publication)

Locator: Page 8, same advertisement, the recital of the will

Relevant passage
devised to Mamie R. Sprint for life with remainder to her children.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-09-24. How this project checks its sources

The Clarke Courier of December 3, 1936 reported that the 300-acre tract, "said to be one of the finest farms in the county," had been offered for sale "last Tuesday" but continued "because the bid of $9,500 was too low," and that the sale of the Sprint Farm in Greenway District had been continued until Monday, December 14, when it would be offered a second time in front of the courthouse in Berryville.

✓ Supported by a source
See the source and its limits
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account exists

The Clarke Courier of December 3, 1936 reported that the 300-acre tract, "said to be one of the finest farms in the county," had been offered for sale "last Tuesday" but continued "because the bid of $9,500 was too low," and that the sale of the Sprint Farm in Greenway District had been continued until Monday, December 14, when it would be offered a second time in front of the courthouse in Berryville.

What the source supports

That the Courier reported a $9,500 bid for the farm rejected as too low, and a second offering set for December 14, 1936.

Uncertainty

A report of a rejected bid and a postponed offering; it records no sale. No report of the second offering's result was found in the held Courier for December 1936 to March 1937; the Winchester papers and the court file were not searched.

Source

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. The rejected bid.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 3 December 1936, page 1: report that the sale of the Sprint farm was continued to December 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-12-03 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, report of the rejected bid

Relevant passage
The 300-acre tract of land, said to be one of the finest farms in the county, was offered for sale last Tuesday, but was continued because the bid of $9,500 was too low.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

Reporting

Evidence role: supports. The second offering.

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va., 3 December 1936, page 1: report that the sale of the Sprint farm was continued to December 14

Clarke Courier, Berryville, Va. · 1936-12-03 (publication)

Locator: Page 1, same report, the second offering

Relevant passage
The sale of the Sprint Farm in Greenway District has been continued until Monday, December 14 at which time it will be offered a second time in front of the Court House in Berryville.

Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.

Open source

Source family: sprint-farm-sale-and-estate-1936-1937. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.

AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5.5) · 2026-09-24. How this project checks its sources

Also indexed as: Bellview; Bellview Place.

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Related stories

Working Clarke✓ Supported

Bellview and the Sprints

In 1877 a turnpike company called its stockholders to meet at John Sprint's Hotel in Millwood, and by 1882 J. W. Sprint & Son was advertising phosphates at Boyce. A will B. F. Humston signed in 1902 provided the Bellview farm to his daughter, Mamie R. Sprint, for life; it was admitted to record in 1904. Her son J. Ashby Sprint acquired orchard property, exported apples and leased land under a packing house at White Post. The records trace Mamie's family and Ashby's trade, while leaving the hotel's John Sprint and the firm's partners incompletely identified.

What the evidence says Humston's recorded will gives Mamie R. Sprint the Bellview farm for life. Courier notices place a Sprint packing house at Boyce and a leased packing-house site at White Post, but none names who ran the Boyce house, and the 1936 sale was advertised, not shown to be completed.

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