Maine Wills

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

2 Kings 20. 1.    In the Name of God Amen. I Iohn Murphy of Arundel in the County of York within His Maj^ts Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England Gentⁿ being very Sick and 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 to be my last Will & Testament. That is to Say principally & first of all, I give & 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 Executrix hereafter named, nothing doubting but at the General Resurrection, I shall receive the Same again by the mighty Power of God, & as touching the 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. After my Funeral Charges, and all my just Debts are paid by my Executrix out of my Estate, all that is left and found remaining, I give & bequeath to Elizabeth Murphy my dear & loving Wife, to have the free Use & Enjoyment of all the Estate both real & personal for & during y^e Term of her Natural Life : And what is left & found remaining, after the funeral Charges occasioned by the Death of the afores^d Elizabeth my Wife are paid I give & bequeath as follows Viz^t.

   To Pierce Murphy my elder Son, unto whom by a Deed of Gift, I have already conveyed the Forty Acres of Land, which he now possesses & enjoys; I further give & bequeath to him, a certain Gore of Land, adjoining to my Son Pierce's Forty Acre Lot, and is included in these following Limits, Viz^t beginning at the Three Acres by the Swamp, joining to Land belonging to Ionathan Stones Heirs, and runs from thence a Strait Course to a Rock before the Door of my Son Pierce's House, which Rock is mentioned in S^d Peirces Deed of y^e Forty Acres.

   Item. I give & bequeath to George Murphy my Younger Son Two Thirds of all that remains, which he is to take Possession of, after the Death of Elizabeth Murphy his Mother, it being Two Thirds of the Estate which She possesses & improves.

   Item. I give & bequeath to Thankful Murphy my only & well beloved Daughter the other Third part of my Estate which her hon^d Mother lived on & improved, which the Said Thankful may Sell or do with as She pleases, and in Case Said third part remains unsold at Thankfuls Death, then all which She leaves that was given by me her Father, I give it to her Son Levi to him & his Assigns.

   Item. I do hereby make & ordain Elizabeth my Widow my Sole Executrix of this my last Will & Testament, to whom I have given the Use & Improvem^t of my Estate in Manner as afores^d. And I do hereby utterly disallow revoke & disannul any other Will Testament or Legacy or Executor to be found in any Will that appears in my Name; Ratifying & Confirming this & no other to be my last Will & Testament. In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand & Seal the fourteenth Day of October Anno Domini 1750. Annoque Regni Regis Georgii Secundi Dei Gracia Magnæ Britanniæ &c. Vicessimo tertio

Signed Sealed published pronounced    and declared in presence of    Samuel Wilds    Robert Cleaves    Samuel Perkins		Iohn Murphy (Seal)
Probated 12 November, 1750. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 633, citing Probate Office, 8, 76.