Lincoln County Probate Records

In the Name of God Amen. I David Silvester of Pownalborough in the County of Lincoln Esquire calling to mide the uncertainty & brevity of Life & feeling my Body decaying, tho' in perfect soundness of Mind and memory, do make & ordain this my last Will & testament, in manner following In the first place I will & bequeath my soul into the hands of God who gave it & my Body to the Earth to be decently buryed under the direction of my Executors hereafter named, in sure hope of a Joyfull resurrection & reunion of Soul & body at the great Day of Account.

As to my worldly Estate with which God has blessed me I will & dispose of it in the following manner I will & direct my Executors hereafter named that they pay all my Just Debts in the first place out of my personal Estate & Credits.

I give & bequeath unto my beloved Wife Martha my dwelling house & Stable with all the Land they stand upon & all the Lot appertaining thereto which lies between Water Street & Middle Street & the land of Zenas Stetson & the heirs of John Sevey deed, except the store & the Land on which it stands with the passage way into said Store as now improved with all the furniture of said House, except one Clock. To hold to her during her natural Life & at her decease, my will is that the same premises both real & personal descend to my two Sons David & Joshua & their heirs to be equally divided between them. I also give & bequeath to my said Wife the rents that may become due from time to Time for the Land on which the Houses of Alexr. Troup & ______ Hilton now stand, together with the Rents of the Store in all its parts above excepted & all the rents of the Ground on which the Rope walk stands leased to Messrs. Wiggleworth's to be enjoyed by her during her Life as aforesaid, also $200 to be paid of the Personal Estate. I give & bequeath to my honored mother Mary Silvester the rents of Sheepscut River Bridge due on my Share in said Bridge from year to year after deducting the repairs, during her natural Life, after her decease to go to my beloved Wife Martha during her natural Life & after her decease to descend to my two Sons in equal Shares & their heirs forever

I give & bequeath to my beloved Son Joshua one Quarter part of my Ship called the Wiscasset, with one Quarter part of her Tackle & Appurtenances. Also my Brewhouse with all the implements & brewing Utensels belonging to the same with three Quarters of an Acre of Land to be so laid out as to include said house & priviledge & to extend to the Town road. To hold to him & his heirs forever, also one of my Clocks to be his absolute property

I give & bequeath to each of my Sisters Mary Lydia Sarah Jane Betsey & Rachael a black Lutestring Gown to be given to them by my Executors out of my Estate I give & bequeath to Elizabeth Light, in token of my gratefull remembrance of her great & painfull Care & Attention in my sickness, a Lutestring Gown to be paid for out of my Estate.

I give & bequeath to the rev'd Alden Bradford fifteen Dollars, for the purpose of purchasing a piece of Linnen in token of my gratefull remembrance of his kind attention to me in my sickness I give & bequeath to each of my Executors hereafter named a Guinea each to purchase a remembrance Ring. Also to Joseph Tinkham Esq'r the same sum for the same purpose I give & bequeath all the rest & residue of my Estate both real & personal not before disposed of, to my two Sons David & Joshua to be divided between them in equal shares to hold to them & their heirs forever And I do hereby constitute & appoint Tho. Rice Esqr Silas Lee Gentleman & my Son David Silvester my Executors of this my last Will & Testament & hereby revoke & annul all former Wills & Testaments by me made & pronounce & declare this to be my last Will & Testament.

Tis my further will that my said Sons shall take care of & provide for Cynthya Young untill she is of the Age of fifteen years & then that she, by them, be put to learn the Trade of a mantua maker or Taylor at their Expence

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand & seal the sixth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & ninety eight

David Silvester (seal)

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

John Hues
Thomas McCrate
Alexander Troup

Probated 27 Mar., 1798. [VIII, 77-78.] John Hues, Abiel Wood, Jr., Joshua Hilton, Ebenezer Whittier, Ezekiel Cutter and Nymphas Stacy, all of Pownalborough, sureties. Inventory by Henry Hodge, Joseph Tinkham and David Payson, all of Pownalborough, 11 Ap., 1798, $17,529.38. [VIII, 79 to 82.] Joshua, minor son, chose David Payson, of Pownalborough, to be his guardian, 4 June, 1798. [IX, 221.] Joseph Tinkham and Joseph Christophers, both of Pownalborough, commissioners to examine claims, 10 June, 1799. Account filed 17 Nov., 1801. [Unrecorded.]

Source: The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 (Portland, Me.: Printed for the Maine Genealogical Society, 1895), p. 307, citing Lincoln County, Maine, Probate Records.