Maine Wills

 From York County Probate Records, Volume Five (1725-42)

   In the Name of God Amen I Iohn Adams of the Town of Kittery in y^e County of York in the Province of y^e Mass^a Bay Shipwright being of a sound mind & perfect memory and knowing that it is appointed for all men Once to Die Do make & Ordain this to be my last Will & Testament And after recommending my soul to God y^e Father of Spirits & my Body to a Decent Interment hoping for a glorious Resurrection thrô the merrits of Jesus Christ. That Worldly Estate wherewith God has blessed me I give Devise & bequeath in the form & manner following Viz^t Imprimis I Order & my Will is that all my Just Debts of all sorts & my Funeral Charges be paid by my Exec^rs hereafter Named Equally as soon as they can Conveniently Do y^e same or within A Reasonable time after my Decease & what Debts are due to me I give to my Exec^rs to be Equally Divided between them as they shall Collect & Recover the same I Likewise give to them what Ready money I have by me to be Divided in the same manner.

   Item I give & bequeath unto my well beloved Wife Amy the Use and Improvement of one full third part of all my Lands during her natural Life & half my House where I usually Dwell (viz^t) that half which we Commonly call the old End & I give her what fire wood she shall have Occasion to Use to be taken off her third part of my Lands and to be haled & brôt home to her Door & fitted for her use by my two sons herein hereafter named whom I hereby Order to Do the same joyntly at their Equal Expence. I also give unto my said Wife all my household Goods of any kind whatsoever within Doors and one third part of all my live stock to have & hold unto her her Heirs & assigns for ever.

   Item I Give Divise & bequeath unto my two sons John & Thomas Adams all my Lands that I have in Kittery Berwick or any other place whatsoever in possession Reversion or Remainder or that I ought to have by any way or means whatsoever the one Moiety thereof unto my s^d son John to have & to hold to him his heirs & assigns for ever with all my Buildings & Houses thereon standing, and the other moiety thereof unto my s^d son Thomas his Heirs & assigns for ever with all y^e buildings thereon and all my Lands at my home place which I usually improved my selfe & that which lays on y^e southerly side thereof which my Hono^d Mother Decs^d used to Improve in her Life time which we Commonly call y^e old Farm I will & order shall be Divided Equally in two parts Lengthways of the said Lands & that my s^d son John shall have y^e Northerly half to hold as afores^d & his Brother Thomas afores^d to have y^e southerly half to hold to him & his Heirs as afores^d. And my will further is that if either of my s^d sons shall Loose any part of his half of y^e s^d Farms Divided as afores^d that then he shall have one halfe as many Acres as he Looses out of his Brothers part so as to make y^e Loss Equal between them & that Each may bear an Equal part of such Loss but if either of them shall have Disposed of his said part before any such Loss shall happen he shall make good his part of such Loss to his Brother in money. I Likewise give unto my s^d sons all my Cattle (Except what I have herein before given unto their Mother) and all tools utensels & Implements of Husbandry to be Equally Divided between them their heirs & assigns for ever.

   Item I give and bequeath unto my Daughter Margaret Clark Mary Hammonds & Sarah Peirce to Each of them their Heirs & assigns the sum of thirty pounds besides what I have already given them to be paid by my said Sons John & Thomas joyntly & Equally between them in Cattle or y^e produce of their Farms & Each of them to have six Years time after my Decease to pay their respective parts of said Legacies in & to pay y^e same in Equal annual payments to Each of my said Daughters.

   Finally I Do hereby Constitute & appoint my s^d sons To be Joynt Execut^rs of this my last Will & Testament Exhorting them to Brotherly Love & unity Charging them faithfully to Discharge this their Trust. I likewise hereby revoak Disannul & make void all other & former Wills & Testaments by me in any manner heretofore made Ratifying & Confirming this & no other to be my Last Will & Testament. In Wittness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal y^e second Day of June Anno Domini 1737. and in y^e tenth year of His Majesty's Reign. Signed Sealed published & pronounced by y^e s^d John Adams as his Last Will & Testament in presence of us who subscribed Our names hereunto In the said Testators presence.

As Wittnesses of ye same.    Ephm Dennet    Joseph Fernald    Benjamin Fernald/		memo the words (the his) were    interlined on ye other side    before signing &c          John Adams (seal)
Probated 15 June 1737. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 384, citing Probate Office, 5, 79.