Lincoln County Probate Records

In the Name of God, Amen

I William Watson of a place called St Georges in the County of Lincoln and Province of Massachusetts Bay in New-England yeoman. Being Sick and Weak of Body, but of perfect Mind and Memory, Thanks be given to God therefor calling to mind the mortality of my Body and knowing that it is appointed unto all men once to Die, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament, that is to say principally and first of all I give and reccommend my Soul into the Hand of Almighty God that gave it, and my Body I reccommend 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 wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this life, I give demise and dispose of the same in the following Manner and Form

Imprimis I give and Bequeath unto my well beloved Son William Watson the full two third parts of all my Lands and Real Estate namely the westerly part of my Farm to be divided by a Strait Line from St Georges River to the opposite Line, together with all my personal, or movabIe estate of what name or nature soever

Item I give unto my well beloved Son James Watson one third part of my Real Estate namely the Easterly part of my said Farm to be divided in manner aforesaid, but if my said Son James shall not in his own proper person come and settle on the said Lands and improve the same, then my will is that the aforesaid one third part of the land be equally divided between my Sons David, & Matthew, or to the longest liver of them if either of them shall Die without Children

Item I give unto my well beloved Son David Watson one Yoke of Oxen and one Cow, to be delivered unto him in one year after my decease or when he shall arrive at the age of twenty & one years, he to be suitably instructed in Reading writing and Cyphering suitable for a person of his Station to be levied and paid for out of the whole of my Estate

Item. I give unto my well beloved Son Matthew Watson one Yoke of Oxen and one Cow to be delivered unto him in one year after my decease or when he shall arrive at the Age of twenty and one years he also to be instructed in Reading writing & Cyphering suitable for a person of his Station to be levied and paid for out of the whole of my Estate

Item. I give unto my well beloved Daughters namely Jane Libbee, Margaret Robinson, and Elizabeth Watson & to each of them a Bible each to be delivered in one year after my decease to be levied and paid out of my whole estate which together with what they have already had is their full portion out of my Estate

Item. I give unto my Grandson John Watson son of my son John Watson deceased one Yoke of Oxen, in one year after my decease or when he shall arrive at the Age of twenty and one years if he shall live thereunto, to be levied out of my whole Estate

Item. I give unto my GrandSon Jeremiah Gore son of my Daughter Mary Gore deceased, one Cow, in one year after my Decease or when he arrive at the age of twenty & one years, if he shall live so long to be levied out of the whole of my Estate. My further will is concerning my Sons David & Matthew that they be instructed in the Art of making Shoes

And I do constitute make and ordain David Fales Esqr Joseph Robinson & Samuel Creighton Gentlemen all of St Georges aforesaid to be the Executors of this my last Will and Testament. And I do herein utterly disallow, revoke and disannul all and every other former Testaments, Wills, Legacies, Bequests, and Executors, by me in any ways before-named willed and Bequeathed, ratifying and confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this twentieth Day of November in the eighth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the third King &c Annoque Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Seven

Willm Watson (Seal)

Signed, Sealed, published, pronounced
and declared by the said William
Watson to be his last, Will, &
Testament, in presence of us
who have hereunto subscribed
our Names

Jonathan Nutting
Mason Wheaton
John McCarter

Probated 8 Feb., 1769. [I, 161-2.] Joseph Robinson and Samuel Creighton disclaimed executorship 8 Feb., 1769. [I, 162-3] Inventory by Mason Wheaton, John McCarter and Alexander Lermond, all of St Georges, 16 Feb., 1769, £191 : 13 : 6. [I, 186.]

Source: The Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine, 1760 to 1800 (Portland, Me.: Printed for the Maine Genealogical Society, 1895), p. 39, citing Lincoln County, Maine, Probate Records.