property by this codicil, it must have been Thomas Ambler. One may only speculate for the reason.

Eight months later, the Chief Justice died in Philadelphia on 6 July 1835. Elizabeth and her children were left to live at "Mont Blanc" for the next eleven and a half years. Her only income coming from the tenant leases on various tracts of the property.

In 1842, the court had a survey made for the heirs of Captain John Marshall, deceased. The property was divided into five lots totaling two thousand three hundred seventy-five and one-half acres. Lot #1 (379 plus acres) was assigned to Mary Willis Marshall; Lot #2 (403 acres, more or less) to James Edward Marshall; Lot #3 (696 acres) to Ashton Alexander Marshall; Lot #4 (403 acres) to Elizabeth Alexander Marshall; and Lot #5 (394 acres) to John Marshall. The wood-land on Cobbler Mountain was divided between #3 and #4, giving #3 109.1 rood and 20 poles, and #4, 100 acres.

On 11 January 1847, when Elizabeth Alexander Marshall died at "Mont Blanc" at the age of forty-four, John was twenty-six, Ashton twenty-three, James Edward seventeen, and Mary Willis twelve years old. In 1849, following their mother's death, John had the court divide her dower share of the "Mont Blanc" property among the four children, requiring yet another survey and allocation of the lands. On this occasion, part #1 contained 127-plus acres, part #2, 142-plus acres, part #3, 73 acres, and part #4, 78-plus acres. There was another 100 dower acres on the Cobbler Mountain. The total value to be allocated was $8,116.40, and with elaborate accounting, the heirs were made equal. In the end, Mary Willis had two parcels, totaling near 380 acres; James Edward, 546 acres; Ashton had 101 acres and John had 398 acres. In 1852, shortly before 

Mont Blanc

her marriage to Fielding Lewis Douthat on 21 September, Mary Willis sold her house tract to her brother, Ashton who promptly transferred it to their brother, James Edward, perhaps to settle debts. Mary Willis moved with her new husband to Weyanoke, Charles City County, on the James River.

In November of 1855, Fielding and Mary Willis Marshall Douthat sold 450 acres to her brother, Ashton, for $12,000.00. In December of 1860, Ashton sold his one-fourth "right and interest" on the "Mont Blanc" estate allotted to him in the final division, to his brother, James Edward, apparently as collateral for his debts. On 2 September 1856, Ashton deeded to James Edward 450 acres of the "Mont Blanc" property for $13,500.00, the same 450 acres conveyed to him by Fielding and Mary Willis Douthat.

On 4 March 1856, James Edward Marshall married Mary Morris Marshall, his third cousin, and daughter of Henry Morris Marshall and his wife, Elizabeth Whiting Brooke, of "Fairfield", they made their home here at "Mont Blanc" and all seven of their children were born here. Five years later, Ashton Alexander Marshall died, intestate, unmarried and deeply in debt.

His seven hundred remaining acres had to be sold to pay his creditors. Eleven years later, in July of 1872, John died unmarried. His will left all he owned to his surviving brother and sister. John had noted that Mary's original share of "Mont Blanc" had vanished, possibly to pay her husband's debts, and this time he specified that her share was hers alone and not to be used for the debts of her husband!