Maine Wills

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

   In the Name of God Amen The nineteenth Day of Novemb^r Anno Domini one Thousand seven hundred forty & one I Joseph Weeks of Kittery in the County of York in the Province of y^e Massachusets Bay in New-England Husbandman being very sick & weak in Body but of perfect Mind & memory Thanks be given to God. Therefore calling unto mind y^e Mortality of my Body do make & Ordain this my Last Will & Testament. Principally & first of all I give & Recomend my Soul into y^e Hands of God that gave it and my Body I recommend to y^e Earth to be buried in Decent Christian Manner at y^e Discretion of my Executrix : And as Touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life I give Demise and dispose of y^e same in y^e following manner & form.

   Imprimis, I give & bequeath unto Mary my dearly beloved Wife her Heirs & assigns for ever that four Acres of Land that I have at my Brother Nicholas Week's his Land and dureing her Natural Life the Use Improvement & Incom of y^e Western part of my Land whereon I now dwell to begin at y^e Water side & to run from thence to an apple Tree a little distance from a certain Thorn bush & from the said Apple Tree on a strait Course to a Certain Rock near y^e Stone wall & from y^e s^d Rock to y^e Bounds between my Son in Law Daniel Jones's Land & mine; and also y^e Western end of my dwelling House & all my Personal Estate & moveable Effects both in the House & in every other place for her comfortable maintainance & y^e aboves^d Land & house to Her disposal at her Decease to any of my Children.

   2^ly I give to my well beloved Son Nicholas Weeks his Heirs & assigns for ever that Tract or parcel of Land whereon he now dwells & possesseth Containing about thirty two Acres be it more or Less; & also one third part of my Common Rights.

   3^ly I give to my well-beloved Son Benjamin Weeks his Heirs & assigns for ever my Land from y^e water side to an apple Tree called a Lamb Stone apple Tree & from thence back towards my Barn to an Apple Tree standing on a Rock & from thence to y^e begining of the Lain by y^e Barn & from thence to his Stone wall at the further end of the Lain & from thence on a straight Course to a Spring of Water, and from thence to y^e Barrs by the Country Road, and the privilidge of half y^e Barn the Abovesaid Land is bounded on one side by M^r Parkers Land; I also give to him his Heirs & assigns for ever three Acres of Land which I have in y^e woods joining to & bounded as by his Land & also one third part of my Common Right : & the Housing that is upon y^e Land that I have in these presents given him.

   4^ly I give to my wellbeloved Son Abraham Weeks his Heirs & Assigns for ever all my Land which I have lying between y^e Lands that I have given in these presents to my Wife Mary & his Brother my Son Benjamin Weeks to Daniel Jons's Land & y^e Country Road & also one third part of my Common Right & y^e Eastern End of my dwelling house & half my Barn Excepting & reserveing so much of y^e Barn as my Wife Mary shall see fit to make Use of dureing her Natural Life.

   5^ly I give to my well beloved Daughters Judith Hutchins & Martha Jones & my Grand Son Benjamin Morgeridge all my Personal Estate & moveable Effects that shall remain & be found left after y^e Decease of my dearly beloved Wife Mary to be divided between them in equall Shares or parts.

   6^ly I Constitute make & Ordain my dearly beloved Wife Mary Weeks my Sole Executrix of this my Last Will & Testament And I Do hereby utterly disallow revoak & Disannull all & every other former Testaments Wills Bequests & Executors by me in any ways 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 abovewritten.

Signed Sealed published pro-    nounced & Declared by ye sd    Joseph Weeks as his Last    Will & Testament in ye presence    of Us the Subscribers.    Joseph Weeks    Henry X Beals       his mark    Deborah Williams.		memorandum that what is    blotted out in ye thir-    teenth line on ye other    side and the words to her    disposal at her Decease    to any of my children &    the word Heirs & the    words to Daniel Jones's    Land & the Country Road    were interlined before    signing.       Joseph Weeks (Seal)
Probated 14 Dec. 1741. Inventory retur[n]ed 12 March 1741-2, at £1125: 14: 0, by Thomas Cutt, Joseph Weeks and Benjamin Parker, jun., appraisers. Debt due from Thomas Cutt. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 440, citing Probate Office, 5, 250.