Lincoln County Probate Records

In the name of God Amen I Joseph Johnson of Winthrop In the County of Lincoln & Common wealth of Massachusets Tanner Being of a Sound & Peesfull Mind & Memmory But Calling To mind the Mortallety of My Boddy Do Make and ordain this My Last will & Testament hereby Recomending My Soul to God who Gave it and My Boddy to the Earth from whence it Came to be buryed in Such Decent Christain Manner as My Executers hereafter named Shall think propper and as to Such worldy Estate as it hath Pleesed God to bless me with in this Life I Do Give Devise & Despose of the Same in the following Manner Viz—

Imprimis My will is that My Just Debts Legacies & funeral Charges be paid & Descharged by My Sons Joshua Johnson & Joseph Johnson out of what I Shall give them of My Estate in this My Last will & Testament.

Item I give and bequeath to My wife Dinah Johnson all the household Stuff She brought me when I married her allso two Cowes & one year old heffer & five Sheep all the above articles are to be at her Desposel the hol of the articels following are to be for My Said wife for her Comfortable Support & Convenyense & for keeping what Stok She has to keep Duerring the time of her Remaning My widow.

Item I give and Bequeeath to My wife afore Said the use of a parte of My hom place to be twenty Six Rods in wedth from end to End of My said Land leving Eight Rods in wedth out of what I bought of Robert Page Esqr on th Southerly Side of Said Land with one thord of My orchard & half of My Dwelling house I now Live in with one quarter of My oldest Barn & one half of My Corn house with all My hogghouse & well my children to have the use threof allso allso Leving out of fore Said Land half an acor for Joshua for Convenyency for the tan yard & barke house & Drift way to the Same I allso give to My wife afore Said the use of My hors one thord of the time She peeping the the hors the Same part of time allso 30lb of Sollather & one Side of neets upperlather & four Midlin Calf Skins Curied allso ten Pound of Sheeps woll & 7lb of old flax allso provisons of all Sorts for her Self & the keepin of the Creters until Such times as She can have the first Crop off her own Emproved Land, allso the use of Every parttecelr artacel housold Stuf that She has not of her own as May aper by her & my agrement My Clock & grate Bibel is to be kept in this My Dwellin house During the above term of time the above Leather woll & flax is to be Recevid by My wife Emedetly after my Desese oute of what I Leve I allso give to My afore Said wife 30 pounds L Money to be paid to her by My Son Joshua Johnson for her Support when She Stands in need of the Same In Stock or Corn or grain

I give and Bequeath to My Daughter Elizabath Lyford the Improvement of a pece of Land Eleven Rods in wedth from End to End on the notherly Side of the Land My wife is to Improve & one quarter of My orchard for the Support of her Self and Childrin So Long as Shee Remains Oliver Lyfords widow also one quarter of My oldest barn I allso I give My fore Said Daughter one Cow & two Sheep Shee to have Said Cow & Sheep out of what I Shall Leve Emedatly after My Desece & to have them well kept until Shee can have keeping of her own Said Cow & Sheep are to be at her Desposal the above Land & barn after she Marries or Dies I give and bequeeath to her & her heirs for Ever

I Give & Bequeath to my Son Joshua Johnson the hol of the Land I bought of Joseph Greely Jur which he had of Henry Wyman with the house on the Same & a barn frame with all the Pertickerals which I have provided to finish Said Barn allso I give Said Joshua Eight Rods of Land in wedth on the Sotherly side of what My wife is to Improve & the hol Length of the Land I bought of Robert Page Esqr allso My Barke house barke Ston & Tanyard with the hol of My Stock in Trade allso all My Tools for farming & Trade one half of My Book Debts & half My Noats of hand one Ster Calf half the Remainder of My Sheep one yearling hefer the hol of the above perteckelrs I Give to My Son Joshua Johnson his heirs & assigns for Ever

My Son Joshua Johnson is to pay Benjamin Dudley Sexty pounds L M and to My wife 30 pounds L M as hertofore Spessiphied also 30 lb of Sollather & one Side of nets upperlather & four midling Calf Skins Curried

I Give & Bequeath to My Son Joseph Johnson his heirs and assigns for Ever the Remainder of My Land which I bouht of Robert Page Esqr not heretofore Dessposed of Lyeng one the Notherly Side of what My Daugter Elizabeth is to Emprove being about thirty three Rods in wedth and the hol Length of foreSaid Land with that part of My ochard not here to fore Dessposed of allso one half of My oldes Barn & one half of My Corn house & half of My Book Debts allso one half of My Notes of hand and I give to My foersaid Son Joseph as afore Said one two year old hefer givin Melk and two oxon Six year old and two thords of My hors Joshua having Said hors to Grind what barke he Shall have need of for two year Joshuas keepin Said hors a proper Space of time allso My Clock after his Mother has Don with it & two Sheep & two one year old Steers Joshua Johnson is to have So much out of Josephs Imprved Land as to make his Eqel to Josephs untel he Shall have as much Clerd Land Joseph has when thay first take posseshon of fore Said Land My Son Joseph Johnson is to pay the Remainder of the Debt Due to Benjamin Dudley which Joshua is not to pay

I Give and Bequeath to My Son Levi Johnson his heirs and assigns for Ever one half of My Land in Hollowell in fore Said County joining on kenebeck River to be the hol Length & half the wedth one the notherly Side of Said Land to be put in possesson of the Same at twenty one years of age also I give My Said Son Levi one Cow & two Stears Coming in three years old and three Sheep to be Delivered to him in two years after my Deceas by My Son Joshua

I Give and Bequeath to my Son Elisha Johnson his heirs and assigns for Ever the other part of My Land in Hollowell afore Said to be one half of the wedth & hol Length of Said Land on the Sotherly Side to be put in possesshon of the Same at twenty one years of age also I give to my Said Son Elisha one Cow and two Steers Coming In three years of age & three Sheep to be Delivered to him in Six Months after twenty one years of age by My Son Joshua

I Give and Bequeath to My Daughter Mary Lyford & Nathaniel Lyford her husband ten Dollars to be paid in neet Stoock or Corn or grain in one year after My Desece also I give to the Said Nathanil Lyford and Mary Lyford twenty two pounds ten Shillings L M to be paid by My Son Joseph Johnson in neet Live Stock or grain or Corn Stoock after the the Rate of Corn at fou Shillings pr bushel if in Corn or grain the Same Rate in Eightteen Months after my Desece to be Laid out in buying good unclered Land Land whaer it Shall Sute them best Said Joseph Johnson is to pay the hol of afoore Said ten Dollars & twenty two pounds L M to whomsoever Said Land Shall be purchesed of and to Receve a Deed in the following Manner first to the afore Said Nathaniel & Mary for their use in Improving the Same for their Suport During Life then to My grand Son Joseph Lyford Son of Nathaniel & Mary to him andhis heirs & assigns for Ever.

I give & Bequeath to My Daughter Bath Shebe Morrill ten Dollars to be paid by My Son Joseph Johnson in neet Live Stock or Corn or grain after the Rate of Corn at four Shillings pr bushel in two years after My Desece

I give & Bequeath to the Congrigashonal Church of Christ in Winthrop In fore Said County two Selver Cups Equel to two pounds Eight Shillings L M for Each Cup or Ef the Church Chueses the hol to be in one Cup thay are to Let It be knone these Cups or Cup are to be bougt by My Son Joseph oute of the Money Due from Capt James Robinson of Brintwood in New Hampshir and Delevered to the fore Said Church Commety in one year after My Desece by my Son Joseph Johnson to be Said Churches for Ever

My Will is that My thre fether Bedds with the hol Belongin to Said Beds with all My Real & personal Estate not herein Dsposed of togeather with what My widow Shall Leve to My Childrin be Devided EquiLy Betwen My four Sons Exsept thirty pound L M to be paid to My Daughter BathShebe Morril to be hers & her heirs for Ever

finally I Do Constitute ordain & apoint My Son Joshua Johnson & My Son Joseph Johnson Sol Executers of this My Last will & Testament

In witness whereof I Do hereunto Set my hand & Seal this thirt Day of July Anno Domini 1790.

Joseph Johnson (seal)

Signed Sealed and published and
Deeclared by the fore Said
Joseph Johnson to be his Last will &
Testament in Presence of

Levi Morrill
Henry Wyman
Robert Page

Probated 4 Nov., 1794. Joseph Johnson renounced executorship ; letters testamentary issued to Joshua Johnson, of Reedfield, 4 Nov., 1794. [VI, 17 to 21.] Inventory by Robert Page, of Reedfield, Jedediah Prescott and Nathaniel Fairbanks, both of Winthrop, 10 Jan., 1795. [VI, 171 to 173.] Widow's dower set off by Robert Page, Henry Wyman and Ichabod Simmons, all of Readfield, 1795. [VI, 174.] Account filed 19 Jan., 1796. [VI, 174 to 176.]

Source: The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 (Portland, Me.: Printed for the Maine Genealogical Society, 1895), p. 242, citing Lincoln County, Maine, Probate Records.