Lincoln County Probate Records

In the name of God Amen ; the thirteenth day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy nine : I Patrick McKown of Boothbay in the County of Lincoln & State of Massachusetts bay yeoman, being very sick and weak in body but of sound & perfect memory, calling to mind the mortality of my state & apprehending myself to be drawing nigh to my great and last change do make and ordain this my last will and testament

Imprimis I commit my soul to God thro' the hands of Jesus Christ my redeemer, by whose merit alone I expect everlasting life ; & my body to the dust to be interred by decent Christian burial at the discretion of my executors nothing doubting but I shall receive the same again at the resurrection of the just.

Item as touching such worldly goods wherewith it has pleased God to bless me in life I dispose of the same after the following manner.

Item thirdly I appoint John Murray Clerk, William McCobb Esq'r & John Dawse yeoman all of Boothbay to be the Executors of this my last Will & testament and the Guardians of all my children.

Item fourthly I ordain that all my just debts & funeral charges be first paid out of my personal estate : & the remainder I devise as follows.

Item fifthly I ordain that my beloved wife & dear children live together on my real estate as long as they can without sinking their property ; but when that can no longer be done I order that my Executors place out and dispose of my children as they shall judge most for their advantage :—excepting that it is my desire that my sister Mary Dawse take my youngest son John & my daughter Nancy as her own, immediately, or as soon as my Executors with the consent of my wife shall order.

Item sixthly when my Executors shall find it necessary to break up my family, then & not till then I order that partition should be made by them of all my estate real & personal as follows viz.

Item seventhly. I order that my dear & beloved wife possess & enjoy the third part of my real estate during her widowhood ; and at the end thereof I give & bequeath to her & her heirs for ever all her own clothes, also her bed & bedding, & two cows if my Executors in their discretion shall judge all circumstances to admit of it.

Item eighthly I order all the remainder of my estate real and personal to be divided in equal shares among all my children :

Item ninthly if any child should choose to sell his or her part of the real estate then I settle the first right to purchase the same first on my sons & next on my daughters severally according to their age.

Item tenthly my own wearing apparel, sword, & gun I order my Executors to divide among my sons at their discretion over & above their shares.

Item eleventhly my estate or house & garden in Taberwyne street in Glenarm in the County of Antrim, Ireland, adjoining to the house formerly possessed by George Eaton I give & bequeath to my eldest son Robert if he shall go there for it, if not then to my second son William on the same condition, & in his default to my youngest son John on the same terms, & to their heirs forever : hereby revoking all other wills & ratifying this & no other as my last will & testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal the day & year first above written.

Patrick McKown (seal)

Signed sealed & delivered before us.

Jno. Murray
Joseph Beath
Ebenezer Fullerton.

Probated 5 May, 1779. [II, 81.] Inventory by John Montgomery and Samuel Brier, 22 June, 1779, £947 : 1 : 0. [II, 223.]

Source: The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 (Portland, Me.: Printed for the Maine Genealogical Society, 1895), p. 88, citing Lincoln County, Maine, Probate Records.