Maine Wills

 From York County Probate Records, Volume Ten (1749-60)

In the Name of God Amen.

   The eight Day of May in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & fifty seven. I Ebenezer Hill of Biddeford in the County of York, and Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England Gentⁿ being Weak in Body but of perfect Mind & Memory, Thanks be unto God therefor, calling to Mind the Mortality of my Body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, Do make & ordain this my last Will & Testament that is to Say principally & first of all, I give & recommend my Soul into the Hands of God who gave it, and my Body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian Burial at the Discretion of my Executor, Nothing doubting but at the General Resurrection I Shall receive y^e Same again by the mighty Power of God : And as touching the Worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give demise & dispose of the Same in the following Manner & Form.

   Imp^r I give & bequeath unto my beloved Son Ebenezer Hill or his Heirs the Sum of twenty nine pounds four Shillings lawful Money to be paid by my Executor within Two Years after my Decease.

   Item. I give & bequeath unto my beloved Son Benjamin Hill or his Heirs the Sum of twenty eight pounds lawful Money to be paid by my Executor within one Year and an Half after my Decease.

   Item. I give & bequeath unto my beloved Son Ieremiah Hill & to his Heirs or Assigns forever he paying y^e Several Legacys herein mentioned, all my Homestead both Land & Marsh, with all the Buildings Standing thereupon with all my Out Lands, also all my Stock & my Implem^ts of Husbandry.

   Item. I give & bequeath unto my beloved Grandson Ebenezer Iordan Son of my beloved Daughter Dorothy Iordan Dec^d the Sum of twenty eight pounds fourteen Shillings lawful Money to be paid him when he Shall arrive at the Age of twenty one Years by my Executor, also my gunn. And in Case the Said Ebenezer Iordan Should die before he arrives at that Age, I order the Said Sum to his Brethren & Sister, and to be equally divided betwixt them. the Said Sum of twenty eight pounds fourteen Shillings being what I purposed to have given my Said Daughter Dorothy Iordan if She had lived as the full of her Portion.

   Item. I give & bequeath unto my beloved Daughter Susanna Emery the Sum of thirty one pounds Seventeen Shillings and four pence lawful Money to be paid by my Executor unto her or her Heirs within four Years after my Decease.

   Item. I give & bequeath unto my beloved Daughter Lydia Winget the Sum of twenty nine pounds five Shillings & eight pence lawful Money to be paid unto her or her Heirs by my Executor within five years after my Decease.

   Item. My Household Goods I give & bequeath unto my beloved Son Ieremiah Hill and my beloved Daughters Susanna Emery & Lydia Wingit to be equally divided betwixt them. My S^d Daughters allowing the amount of their parts of y^e Same out of the Sums above mentioned to be paid to them.

   Item. I give & bequeath unto the Rev^d M^r Moses Morrell Pastor of the Church of Christ in Biddeford the Sum of two pounds lawful Money to be paid by my Executor at my Decease.

   Item. I give & bequeath unto the Church in Biddeford y^e Sum of Thirteen Shillings & four pence lawful Money to be paid by my Executor within one Year after my Decease.

   Lastly. I make constitute & ordain my beloved Son Ieremiah Hill my Sole Executor of this my last Will & Testament, and I do hereby utterly disallow revoke & disannul all & every other former Wills Testaments Legacys bequests & Executors by me in any Wise before named willed & bequeathed, ratifying & confirming this & no other to be my last Will & Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand & Seal y^e Day & Year before mentioned.

Eben^zer Hill (Seal)

   Signed Sealed published pronounced & declared by the Said Ebenezer Hill as his last Will & Testament in the presence of us, Allen Gorden, Benj^a Mason Timothy Davis.