Maine Wills

 From York County Probate Records, Volume Two (1698-1718)

   In the Name of God Amen. The 7^th day of March in the year of our Lord 1717/18 I Samuel Donnel of York in the County of York in the Province of the MasachuSets Bay in New England being Sick of body but of Such Soundness & perfection of mind Memory & Iudgment as Lawfully & Religiously to disposs of & Settle my Effairs as I had determined before this preSent Sickness; Do make and ordain this my Last will & Testament, that is to Say above all I give & recommend my Precious Immortal Soul into the hands of God that gave it hoping through Christ alone for the pardon of Sin & Eternal Salvation, and my body I Commit to the Earth to be decently buried in the hope of a Glorious reSurrection : And as for my worldly Estate which God hath given me I give demise & dispose thereof as followeth.

   Imp^r I will that what I do in right & Conscienceow to any perSon whatsoever Shall be well & trvly Contented & paid by my Executrix after Named.

   Item : I give unto my Eldest Son Samuel a Quarterpart of my Saw Mill at the head of Rogerses Cove with the whole of my Lands adjoyning to the Quantity of Six Score acres more or less not Infringing the priviledges of the three other quarters of Said Mill and further I give unto my Said Son Samuel two Acres of my further Island lying over on the other Side of york River above Hearkers point as also my walking Staff & Seal ring.

   Item I give unto my Son Nathaniel Donnell one quarter of the Saw Mill above Said & also the one halfe of my homeSteed housing out housing barns & Lands whither Tillage Land pasturing or Mowing ground wood land &c^t adjoyning to the Living I now improve, and to my Said Son Nathaniell I further give the one third part of my two Islands land & Marsh lying above Hearkers point.

   Item I give unto my Sons William & Iames the other halfe of my home place housing Lands &c^t in full proportion & Equality to what I have given to my Son Nathaniel above Said to be Equally divided betwixt my Said Sons William & Iames if William Should ever returne if not my will is that Iames above Said Shall have a full Equall Shear with my Son Nathaniel of my whole living viz; my HomeSted on this Side the river when he Shall be of age as also one third part of my Two Island above Said at his Mothers decease.

   Item I give unto my three daughters Alice Elizabeth & Ioanna Ten pounds each within three years after my decease by my Executrix & my Son Nathaniel to be paid.

   Item I give unto my faithfull & Loving wife one third part of my Saw mill aboveSaid during her Natural life as also the whole of my Stock & all my household Goods to be disposed of both Mill Cattle & Goods as She Shall please among the Children; I do likewise give unto my Said wife Alice Donnel the vse of the one halfe of my home place Housing & Land untill Iames Shall be of age & all foremention I give my wife.

   Finally I make & ConStitute my well beloved wife the Sole Executrix of this my Last Will & Testament with the assistance of my Son Nathaniel in the Execution.

Signed Sealed Published Pronounced &    Declared by the Said Samuel    Donnel as his last Will &    Testament In the PreSence of    Samll Moodey    Richard Milbery    Hannah X Cole        her mark		Samuel Donnel (Seal)
Probated 15 May 1718. Inventory returned at £834: 13: 6, by Abraham Preble, Richard Milbery and Jeremiah Molton, appraisers, 12 May 1718. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 199, citing Probate Office, 2, 152.