Maine Wills

 From York County Probate Records, Volume Four (1677-1734)

   In the Name of God Amen I Ioseph Pribble of York in the County of York in the Province of the Massachussets Bay in New England Yeoman being Sick of Body but as yet Blessed be God of Sound mind & memory Do make this my last will & Testament in manner following First and above all I Committ my Soul in to the hands of God my Maker & Redeemer and my Body to the Earth to be decently buried by my Executrix hereafter mentioned and then as to my Worldly Estate which a bountifull God has Graciously given me I dispose of it in manner following

   Imprimis Imprimis [sic] I give & bequeath unto my Loving & faith full Wife Ann Prible one third part of my Personall Estate forever & the Improvement of one third part of my Real Estate dureing her Naturall Life She Acquitting all Interest in that two hundred pounds hereafter given to my five Children which I had by my former Wife.

   Item I give and bequeath unto my five Elder Children Viz : Hannah Mary Nehemiah Elisebeth & Bithiah two hundred pounds Equally to be divided among them and to be forthwith paid out of my Bonds & to be improved for their best advantage by the advise of my Overseers hereafter Named & to be Delived to them at the Time of Marriage or Sooner as my S^d overseers Shall think best.

   Item I give & bequeath unto my Eldest Son Nehemiah a full double Portion of my whole Estate not herein before disposed of to be taken in Lands as the Estate Shall be Apprised by three Indeferent men to be appointed by my over seers Fifty Acres of his S^d Double Portion to be Set of to him when he shall come to be of the Age of twenty one Years & to lye on the Southwest Side of my home Stead adjoyning m^r Stones Land to begin at the End next the Sea thirty poles in Breadth and So to run back the Same breadth till fifty Acres be compleated to be then apprised as afore S^d.

   Item I give and bequeath unto my Son Ioseph Preble one full Portion or Share and an half Share of all my Estate to be taken in Lands & to be Sett of to him when he Shall come of the Age of 21 years.

   Item I will and bequeath unto Each of my Daughters one full Share or equall Portion of my Estate twenty pounds thereof to be paid to Each of them by my Executrix at y^e Age of Eighteen Years or time of marriage & the Residue when my youngest Child if a Son Shall be of the Age of 21 years and if a Daughter of the Age of Eighteen years.

   Item My will is that all my Children be brought up out of my Estate the Sons till they come to y^e Age of twenty one years and the Daughters to the Age of Eighteen years or time of Marriage.

   Item It is my will that if the Child with which my Wife Now goeth Should be a Son He shall have an Equall Share with my Son Ioseph that is one full share and an half of my Estate to be taken in Lands when he comes of Age as aforeS^d.

   Item It is my will that if either of my Sons shall Se Cause to sell his Land herein bequeathed or any Part there of his Brother or Bretherin Shall have the Refusall at the Price that three Indeferent men shall then Value it at but they shall sell to no other Person whatsoever.

   Item It is my will that my Sons shall have Liberty to take that Part of Land to be allotted to their Sisters which shall lie most Convenient to them Respectively they paying to their Sisters within three Years what the Same Shall be apprised at when the rest of my Estate is apprised as afore Said but if my Sons Shall refuse to Purchase the same as afore Said then their Sisters Shall Dispose of the Same as they Se Cause.

   Item It is my will that all the Lands herein bequeathed to my sons as afore Said or that Shall be Sold one to the other as aforeS^d Shall desend to the Heirs mail of their Bodys Lawfully begotten for ever & in failure of Heirs male then to be Equally Divided among the Females Lawfully begotten as aforeS^d.

   Item It is my will that my well Beloved Wife Ann Prible be & I do hereby appoint her to be the Sole Executrix of this my Last Will and Testament.

   Item I do hereby Nominate & appoint my Trusty Friends Sam^ll Came & Ioseph Moody Esq^rs & M^r Sam^ll Milbury to be the Over seers to Councell and Advise my Executrix with respect to the Execution of this my last Will and Testament & to end all Diferences that may arise relating to the true Intent & meaning of this my last will and Testament and any Clause or Article theirin & if either of my S^d Overseers should dye then I do desire & empower the two Survivers to appoint another in his stead and the Determination of the Said Overseers or any two of them I do hereby order to be a finall End of y^e S^d Disputes relaiting to the Premises.

   Lastly I do hereby revoak any former will by me made I do hereunto set my hand and Seal April 24^th 1732

Signed Sealed Published pronounced    & declaired by Joseph Preble above		Joseph Prible (Seal)
named as his last Will & Testament The words Yeoman    my Forthwith whole before equall to each of on the First    Page & on this Page the words or Brethering respectively    to be shall or that shall be Sold by one to ye other as    aforeSd interlined & five whole lines on this Page oblit-    erated before Signing in Presence of us    John Sayword    Abill Goodwin    Samll Black    John Millbury
Probated 10 May 1732. Inventory returned 11 May 1732, at £2613: 15: 6, by Richard Milberry, Benj Stone and Abiel Goodwin, appraisers. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 323, citing Probate Office, 4, 113.