Maine Wills

 From York County Probate Records, Volume Eight (1705-53)

   In the Name of God Amen. The third Day of Ianuary 1750/1. I Edward Chapman Housewright of Falmouth in the County of York in the Province of the Massa' Bay in New England, being very sick & weak in Body but of perfect Mind & Memory, Thanks be given unto God, Therefore calling unto Mind the Mortality of my Body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die, do make & ordain this my last Will & Testament, That is to Say principally & first of all I give and recommend my Soul into the Hands of God that gave it, and my Body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian Burial at the Discretion of my Executor, nothing doubting but I shall receive the Same again, at the General Resurrection, by the mighty Power of God, and as touching such worldly Estate, wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give demise & dispose of the Same in the following Manner & Form.

   Imp^r. I constitute my well beloved Son Edward Chapman Sole Executor of this my last Will & Testament. And to my dearly beloved Wife Elizabeth, I give & bequeath one Cow, Four Sheep & Pasturage & keeping for the Same, one Room in my dwelling House, one Bed & Beding answerable, and all other Necessarys out of my House hold Goods to furnish Said Room with and Six pounds thirteen Shillings & four pence lawful Money of the Massachusetts Bay per year to be paid her with the produce of the Farm so long as She continues a Widow; and if She marries after my Decease the Said Room pasturage & Thirteen Shillings & four pence I give & bequeath to my well beloved Son Edward & his Assigns forever.

   Item. I give to my well beloved son Edward Chapman whom I constitute make & ordain my sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament all & singular my Lands Messuages & Tenements by him freely to be possessed & enjoyed. And I do hereby utterly disallow revoke & disannul all & every other former Testaments Wills Legacys & Bequests & Executors by me in any Ways before named willed & bequeathed ratifying this & no other to be my last Will & Testament.

   Item. I give & bequeath to my well beloved Daughter Abigail Chapman one good new Feather Bed two Pillows & Bolster with other Suitable Beding for the Same, one looking Glass one Desk One Oval Table Six black Chairs, one two armed Ditto, four pewter Dishes twelve pewter plates, and all other necessarys Suitable to furnish one Room, which I leave to the Discretion of my Sole Executor to be raised & levied out of my estate on the Day of her Marriage, two good Milch Cows and Cloathing for her which I also leave to the Discretion of my Sole Executor.

   Item. I give to my loving Brother & Sister Ioseph & Abigail Muzzeet the Improvement of Six Acres of Land during both their Lives near where their House now Stands, or where my Son Edward Sole Executor thinks convenient on that Farm, and after their Decease to return to my Sole Executor & his Assigns forever, In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand & Seal.

Signed Sealed published pronounced    and declared by Sd Edwd Chapman    as his last Will & Testamt in the    presence of us the Subscribers    Iohn Crockett Nathl Crockett    David Patrick		Edwd Chapman (Seal)
Probated 6 Jan. 1752. Inventory returned 4 Jan. 1752, at £200: 2: 6, by Enoch Freeman, Nathaniel Coffin and John Bayley, appraisers. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 675, citing Probate Office, 8, 151.