Lincoln County Probate Records

In the Name of God, Amen. I Samuel Jameson of the Town of Topsham, Yeoman, being very sick, and weak in body, but of Perfect mind and memorv, Thanks be Given to God : realising die mortality of my body, & knowing that is appointed unto all Men once to die, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament, that is to say, first of all I give and recommend my Soul into the hand of God who gave it, and my body to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian Burial at the discretion of my Executors ; nothing doubting, but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mighty Power of God. And as touching such Worldly Estate with which it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life I give, demise & dispose of the same, in the following manner and form. First. I give and bequeath to Mary my dearly beloved wife the improvement of one third part of my Real and Personal Estate during her Natural Life, or while she Continues my Widow, but if the said Mary marries again before all the Children are of Lawfull Age, then she is to quit all claim to the real and Personal Estate and to receive in lieu thereof, thirty five pounds lawfull money to be paid her out of my personal Estate in Articles which she may choose at their apprizement. Also I give unto my beloved sons Samuel and John, all my real estate to be equally divided between them, according to Quantity and Quality, excepting only the improvement of one third part during the Natural Life of their mother, or while she continues my Lawfull Widow.

Also, I give to my beloved Children, Samuel, John, Polly, Hannah, Peggy, Jenny, Dorcas, Sally, Eleanor & Susannah, all my Personal Estate not before disposed of, to be enjoyed by them equally, when they come of Lawful Age, the said Personal Estate to be improved by the said Samuel and John and by them to be paid to the other Children as they successively come of Lawfull Age. Also, My Will is That Mary my Wife, together with my two sons Samuel and John be Equal sharers in the expence which shall accrue in supporting and maintaining the Children untill they Come of Lawfull Age. Also I do hereby Appoint & Constitute Mary my Wife and Samuel my son to be the Executors of this my last Will and Testament. And I do hereby utterly disallow revoke and disannul all and every other former Testaments and wills by me in any wise before named, ratifying and Confirming this & no other to be my last Will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 24th day of December in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and ninety

Saml : Jameson (seal)

Signed, sealed, published, pronounced & declared by the said Samuel Jameson as his Last Will & Testament in the Presence of us, who in his Presence, and in the Presence of each other, have hereto subscribed our Names

John Fulton
Abrm Whittemore
James Fulton

Probated 27 May, 1791. [IV, 260.] Inventory by James Fulton and Alexander Rogers, both of Topsham, and Stephen Whitmore, of Bowdoinham, 28 Nov., 1791, £642 : 15 : 2. [V, 54-55.]

Source: The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 (Portland, Me.: Printed for the Maine Genealogical Society, 1895), p. 209, citing Lincoln County, Maine, Probate Records.