Lincoln County Probate Records

In the Name of God Amen I Richard Adams of Cushing in the County of Lincoln & Commonwealth of Massachusetts Gentleman feeling the Infirmities of Age though of sound mind & memory praised be God) & Knowing that it is appointed unto men to die do make Ordain & Constitute this my last Will and Testament hereby Revoking & disannulling all former Wills & testaments in any manner or form heretofore made by me

First I give & commend my Soul into the Hands of God who gave it & my Body I Recommend to the Earth to be Buried in decent Christian Burial at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named and as touching such Worldly Estate as it has pleased God to bless me I give demise & dispose of it in manner following

Imprimis, I give and bequeath to my well-beloved wife Mary during her natural Life the South East front Room in my Dwelling House together with the privilege of the Kitchen, Cellar, Oven, Well, item the Best feather bed I Leave with all necessary appurtenances to the same—Item all necessary Furniture for one Room &: necessary Kitchen utensils. Item One good Cow to Be kept both Summer & Winter. Item Fire wood brot to her Door & Cut fit for the chimney during her Life Item Fifteen Bushels of Bread Corn of different kinds annually. Item flax & Wool annually sufficient to Keep her Bedding & Cloathing in Repair. Item a Sufficient annual supply of Potatoes & other kinds of Same & Vegetables & of Tea Coffee and Sweetning & other necessaries all the above articles to be provided by my Executors hereafter named and out of the Income of my Estate

Item I Give and Bequeath to my beloved Daughter Sela Baker one Cow to be delivered by my Executors within Six months after my Decease

Item I Give and Bequeath to my beloved Daughter Ruby Cook a Cow to be delivered by my Executors within six months after my Decease Item I give and bequeath to my beloved Daughter Margaret Gray one Cow to be delivered by my Executors within six months after my Decease

Item I Give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Hope Davis Six Shillings

Item I give & bequeath to my beloved Daughter Lucy Graffam Six Shillings

Item I give & bequeath to my before named daughters Sela, Ruby, Margaret, Hope and Lucy after the Decease of my Wife all my Houshold furniture to be Equally divided amongst them.—

Item I give to my Grand daughters Folly Baker Polly Bradford and Polly Adams the Daughters of my Son Richard Adams One Silver Table Spoon apiece to be delivered after my wife's Decease

Item I give to my beloved Son Richard Adams all my wearing apparel

Item I give to my Grandson Richard Adams the Son of my said Son Richard my largest pair of Gold Sleeve Buttons

Item I give to my Grandson Robert Davis son of my Daughter Hope my Smallest pair of Gold Sleeve Buttons to be delivered after my Wifes Decease

Item To my three Sons Richard, Thomas & George after paying all the above Bequests & Legacies & all my Just Debts & funeral Charges I Give & bequeath the farm I Live on with the Buildings thereon, all my Stock, farming Tools & Implements Together with a certain Island nearly adjoining said Farm commonly called Crotch Island and in general all my Estate Real & personal to be Equally divided amongst them

And I do hereby appoint & constitute my said three Sons Richard, Thomas & George Executors of this my last Will and Testament

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal this twenty seventh day of August in the year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred & Ninety Two and in the seventeenth year of American Independence.

Richard Adams (seal)

Signed Sealed published
& declared by the said
Richard Adams as his
last Will & Testament
in presence of us, who
in his presence & in
presence of Each other
have hereunto set our hands.

Thurston Whiting
Jacob Graffam
John Short

Probated 19 Sep., 1797. Thomas Adams being dead letters testamentary issued to Richard Adams and George Adams, both of Cushing, mariners, 19 Sep., 1797. [VII, 175 to 178.] Moses Copeland, and Joseph Copeland, both of Warren, sureties.

Source: The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 (Portland, Me.: Printed for the Maine Genealogical Society, 1895), p. 299, citing Lincoln County, Maine, Probate Records.