Maine Wills

 From Maine Court Records (1661-93)

   In the name of god Amen/ the sixth day of June one thousand six hundred & seaventy, I Richd Hitchcocke of Winter Harbour being Internally in bodily health, & of good & Prfect memory, thankes bee to almighty god, & calling it to remembrance, y^e vncertenty of my transitory life, haueing an externall Malody vpon mee, y^t is hastening mee to my end, do make constitute ordayn & declare this my last Will & testament in manner & forme following/ revoakeing, & adnulling by these Prsents, all & every testament & testaments, will, & Wills by mee heretofore made & declared either by word or writeing, & this is to bee taken onely for my last will & testament, & noe other/

   And first being sorry & pœnitent from the bottome of my hart, for my sins past, most humbly desireing forgiueness for the same, I giue & Committ my soule vnto Almighty god my Saujo^r, & redemer in whom & by the merritts of Jesus Christ, I trust & beleiue, (Lord helpe my vnbeeleife) assuredly to bee saved, and to haue full remission & forgiveness, of all my sins & that my soule with my body at y^e generall day of resurrection shall rise agajne, with Joy and through the meritts of Christs death and passion, possess & Inherite y^e kingdome of heaven, prepared for his Elect & Chosen, & my body to bee burjed in such place, where It shall please my executrix hereafter named to appoynt/

   And now for the settleing of my temporall estate, & such goods Chattles & debts, as It hath pleased god fare aboue my deserts to bestow vpon mee, I do order give & dispose the same In manner & forme following/ That is to say first y^t I will that all those debts, & dutys y^t I ow In right or Conscience to any manner of Prson or Prsons w^tsoever, shall bee well and truely Contented & payd, or ordayned to bee pd with in Convenjent tyme after my decease, by my executrix hereafter named/ Item : I giue & bequeath one third part of all my estate, to my dearly beloved wife, the W^ch shee shall haue & possess at & vpon my decease/ Item the rest of my estate in manner as followeth/ Each of my six children vidz^t : Thomas Jerusha, Lydea, Rebeccah, Ann & Margerett, to haue a just & æquall proportion, my sun at y^e age of Twenty one years, & the rest at y^e age of eighteen, & the house & Land after y^e decease of his Mother, to fall into the hands of my sun Thomas, & If any of my aforesd children dy before the age aboue expressed, that then y^e part of the deceased to bee æqually deuided, amongst those y^t surviue; to w^ch end & purpose, I Constitute make & ordayn my dearly beloved wife my executrix/ In witness w^rof I haue sett two my hand, the day & yeare aboue written/

Witnesses to this Will/    Bryan Pendleton    Seth Fletcher/		Richard H Hitchcock/
Acknowledged the same day before Bryan Pendleton Commissioner; Sworn to by both subscribing witnesses 20 Sept. 1671; recorded 31 April 1672: Inventory returned at £278 by Thomas Powell and Robert Booth appraisers, brought in by Lucretia Hitchcock, the widow, 20 Sept. 1671. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 21, citing Court Records, E, 62.