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Primary sourceDocument5 May 1798 (presented 12 May 1819)

Will of Thaddeus Kosciuszko

Tadeusz Kościuszko · 5 May 1798 (presented 12 May 1819)

Kościuszko's handwritten 1798 will, probated in Virginia in 1819, directing his American estate be used to free and educate enslaved people.

This is Kościuszko's own handwritten will, revealing his personal wishes about liberty and his estate in America.

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Scanned handwritten manuscript page of the will of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, dated 5 May 1798, in black-and-white. The upper portion is the will text, with a signature at the right reading Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The lower portion records a circuit court probate in Albemarle County on 12 May 1819, signed by clerk John Carr.
Will of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, dated 5 May 1798, presented 12 May 1819. Albemarle Co., VA, Circuit Court Will Book No. 1. Library of Virginia.

About this source

What it is

This is the handwritten last will of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, dated 5 May 1798 and presented to the Albemarle County Circuit Court in Virginia on 12 May 1819. The scanned manuscript page shows the will text and his signature, along with the later court record confirming it was written entirely in his own hand.

Why it matters

In the will, Kosciuszko asked his friend Thomas Jefferson to use his American property to purchase enslaved people and give them freedom, education and training. The document shows Kosciuszko's personal beliefs about liberty extending beyond his military career, and it also involves Jefferson, who was named executor but declined the role.

  • What does Kosciuszko ask Jefferson to do with his property, and why might he have chosen him?
  • Why do you think Jefferson refused to serve as executor?
  • What does this will reveal about how Kosciuszko understood liberty?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tadeusz Kościuszko on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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