Lincoln County Probate Records

In the Name of God Amen. I John Groves of Pownalboro' in the County of Lincoln yeoman, calling to Mind the brevity of Life, and labouring under great Bodily Infirmities, tho' of sound & disposing Mind & Memory for which I thank God, do make & ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner following. In the first Place, when I shall die, I will & bequeath my Soul into the Hands of God from whom I received it ; and my Body to the Earth to be decently buried at the Discretion of my Executors, hoping hereafter they will be reunited & enter into eternal Life And as to my worldly Estate with which God hath blessed me, I will & dispose of it in the following manner, Imprimis My Will is that my Executors pay all my just Debts out of my Personal Estate, and what of it after paying such Debts may be left, if any, I give to my beloved Wife Mary to be absolutely her own forever. I also give & bequeath to my said Wife the Use & improvement of all my real Estate during her continuing my Widow, and if she should again marry my Will is that she have the Use & improvement of one third part only of my real Estate during Life.

Item. I give & bequeath to my beloved Children Samuel, Alice, William, Hannah, John & Rebecca, all my real Estate to be equally divided amongst them, after the Estate my said Wife has in it ceases. And I do hereby constitute & appoint my beloved Wife Mary & my Son Samuel my Executors of this my last Will & Testament, hereby revoking & disannulling all other & former Wills & devises & declare this to be my last Will & Testament.

In Witness whereof I hereto set my hand & seal the twentyseventh Day of Novr. A D 1777

John S [his mark] Groves (seal)

Signed sealed published & declared by the Testator to be his last Will & Testament in presence of

Ebenezer Whittier
Ebenezer Whittier Jr.
Thos Rice

Probated 17 Mar., 1785. [III, 7.] Inventory by Ebenezer Whittier, David Silvester and John Sevey, all of Pownalborough, 12 Oct., 1785, £11 : 17 : 0. [Unrecorded.]

Source: The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 (Portland, Me.: Printed for the Maine Genealogical Society, 1895), p. 135, citing Lincoln County, Maine, Probate Records.