Maine Wills

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

   In the Name of God Amen To all Christian People to whom These presents shall come Greeting. Know y^e That I Thomas Wells of Wells in y^e County of York in the Province of y^e Massachusets Bay in New-England Yeoman being now of A sound Disposing mind tho weak in Body do committing my Spirit into the hands of God the giver of it thro Jesus Christ the Mediator & my Body into the hands of my Executors hereafter mentioned to be by them decently interred in hopes of a glorious Resurrection to a Life immortal dispose of y^e Temporal Estate with which God has blessed me & which I have hither to reserved in the following manner Viz^t.

   1. I give & bequeath unto my Dearly beloved Wife Lydia Wells all my Household stuff of every sort & kind my Negro man Jeff one half one half of y^e quick Stock that is between my son Nath^ll & myself whether at home or wheresoever it be & one hundred pounds in Bills of Credit on y^e Province afores^d to be paid unto her by my son Nath^ll out of my Debts & one half of y^e Leather that is now in our Tan Pitts that is between my s^d son & myself & likewise I give unto her my s^d Wife y^e one half of the out Door Tools & Utensels of every kind that are now between my s^d son Nath^ll Wells & myself during y^e term of her Natural Life & at y^e Expiration thereof to return to my s^d Son Nath^ll Wells.

   2 I Give unto my s^d well beloved son Nath^ll Wells all my Debts of every kind he paying one hundred pounds in Bills of Credit as afores^d unto my s^d Wife Wells as also y^e one half of my out door Tools and Utensils which I have given to my Wife (during her natural Life) after her Decease y^e other half being his I also give unto him my s^d son Nath^ll Wells over & above what I have heretofore conveyed to him by Deeds twenty shillings.

   3. I give & bequeath unto my well beloved son Joshua Wells over & above what I have already conveyed to him by Deeds twenty Shillings.

   4. I Likewise give & bequeath unto my well beloved Daughter Lydia Clark over & above what I have already given her twenty shillings.

   I Do also hereby constitute & appoint my dearly beloved Wife Lydia Wells to be Executrix with my well beloved Sons Nath^ll Wells & Joshua Wells whom I also appoint to be Executors with her of this my last Will & Testament.

   And finally hereby revoking & disannulling all other Wills by me heretofore made Do pronounce and Declare this to be my last Will & Testament this 19^th Day of July Anno Domini 1737 Annoque Ri : Rs : Georgii secundi magnæ Britaniæ &c undecim.

(N. B.) the words that is between my sd son    & myself being inserted between ye 25.    & ye 26. line from ye Top to be red    between ye words Pitts &c in ye 26 Line. Signed Sealed pronounced &    Declared in presence of Us.    John Cole    Eleazar Clark    Elisha Nason.		Thomas Wells (seal)
Probated 22 Sept. 1737. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 389, citing Probate Office, 5, 87.