Maine Wills

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

   In the Name of God, Amen. I Mary Wise of Berwick in y^e County of York within the Province of the Massachusetts Bay the Wife of the Rev^d M^r Ieremiah Wise of Said Berwick Clerk, being of a Sound Mind & Memory do make & ordain this to be my last Will & Testament. First I commit my Soul to God that gave it hoping thrô the Mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ to obtain the Remission of all Sins, and eternal Salvation, and my Body I commit to the Earth to be buried in a decent manner at the Discretion of my Executor. The Expence of my Funeral to be paid or allowed out of my Estate.

   But notwithstanding a Feme Covert is not impowered by the Law to make Grants Bequests & Conveyances of Estates, yet, for as much as my beloved Husband the Said Ieremiah Wise in & by an Instrument in Writing under his Hand & Seal bearing Date the twenty sixth Day of April in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & Forty three hath given & granted unto me free Liberty Power & Authority to make my last Will & Testament and thereby to dispose of any Estate either real or personal which blongs to me by Right of Inheritance or which is or Shall be raised by the Sale of any part of Such Estate more especially to dispose of the Sum of Thirteen Hundred pounds, in Bills of Credit of the old Tenor which arose & accrued to me by a Real Estate in Portsm^o as by the Said Instrument more fully appears, I do therefore in pursuance of the Licence & Power to me granted as afores^d give demise & bequeath the Same as follows Viz^t.

   Imp^r. I give & bequeath unto my Son John Wise to my Grandson David Moore and to my Grandson Shipway Plaisted my Lot of Land and the appurtenances lying & being in Portsmouth in New Hampshire to them their Heirs & Assigns upon the Limitations following viz^t That the Said Estate be not Sold to any other person or persons unless my Said Son & Grandsons or their legal representatives consent thereto; But and if one the Said persons Shall be inclined to Sell his third part of the Premisses, then one or both of the other Two Shall have the Refusal thereof he or they paying no more than Twenty five pounds in new Tenor for each Share and if either of the Said persons Sould die without legal Issue or Disposal of his part of the Premisses as afores^d then y^e Survivor or Survivors are to enjoy the whole of my Said Estate at Portsmouth.

   I give to my Daughter Sarah Plaisted all my wearing apparel, and all my Linnen and all in my Trunks (except what I have hereafter given to my Grand Daughters) my christening Blanket, my two Black Trunks my Silver Salt Seller, which with whatsoever I have heretofore given to her Shall be to her and the Heirs of her Body for ever. Also my Will is that my Negro Slave Rose Shall work for her Fifty two Days in a Year till her Negro Wench is able to Do her Work for her.

   My Will is that my Husband give to My Son John Wise and to the Heirs of his Body our Silver Tankard.

   I give to my Grand Daughter Susannah Moore my best Damask Suit of Cloaths, and My Small red Trunk, and it is my Desire that the Bed and Beding and Furniture in the best Bedroom with the earthen Ware in that Room be given to my S^d Grand Daughter Susannah Moore after the Decease of my Husband.

   I give to my Grand Daughter Mary Wise my black Padusoy Robe my Russet Gown and my Silver Kann and my little red Trunk and plain Box.

   I give to my Grand Daughter Abigail Plaisted my two Silver Porringers to be delivered upon My Decease.

   I give to my Grandson David Moore one Hundred pounds in Bills of the old Tenor or equivalent thereto in Bills of y^e New Tenor.

   I give to my Grandson Shipway Plaisted Three Hundred pounds in Bills of y^e old Tenor, or equival^t thereto in Bills of the new Tenor.

   I give to the Wife of Stephen Seavy of Portsm^o a Gold Ring.

   I give to My Kinswoman Mary Lord late Mary Wise a Gold Ring.

   I give to My Neice Mary Peeker Daughter of Cap^tn John Packer of Haverhill Fifty Pounds in Bills of the old Tenor.

   I give all my Gold & Silver Not hereinbefore given to my three Grand Daughters Susannah Moore, Mary Wise and Abigail Plaisted to be equally devided amongst them.

   It is my Will that the Several Sums before given and bequeathed be delivered and paid by my Executor to the respective Legatees that Shall be of lawful Age at my Decease, as Soon as he Can without Injury to himself : and those that Shall be in their Minority at my Decease to have their legacies paid them as Soon as my Executor can without Damage to himself after he She or they arrive to lawful Age. And further it is my Will, that if any of my Legatees before named (those to whom I have given my real Estate excepted) Should die before he or She arrive to lawful Age, or without lawful Issue so as to receive his or her respective Legacy herein given, then his or her Legacy or Legacys Shall be divided amongst all my Surviving Grand Children.

   Furthermore my Will is, That the Interest that Shall arise after my Decease from any of the Sums or Legacys given in Bills of Credit as afores^d to any of the Legatees aforenamed, while they continue under Age Shall be applied for & towards the Education or Means of Instruction of the person to whom the Same is given respectively.

   I give to my Son Iohn Wise the Sixty pounds in Bills of the old Tenor which I have a Note of Hand against him for.

   I give to my Son John Wise the Interest of the Bond of Two Hundred pounds in old Tenor which I have against him to him the Said John during his natural Life, provided he Seasonably Secure the Payment thereof to his Daughter Mary after his Decease, which accordingly I give her. I give the Interest of a Bond which I have against my Son in Law Iames Plaisted for the Sum of One Hundred pounds to my beloved Husband during his natural Life : and then I give the Said Bond or Money due upon the Same to my Grandson Shipway Plaisted as part of the Three Hundred pounds before given him.

   I give to my beloved Husband Ieremiah Wise the Use and Improvement of all my Household Goods & Furniture (except my Silver Kann Porringers & Spoons, except also two Pewter Platters & Six plates which I give to Sarah Plaisted my Daughter) during his natural Life and after his Decease to be delivered as before & after expressed. I also give to my Said Husband all the Rest & Residue of my paternal Estate both real and personal to be to his Use & Improvement during his natural life and after his Decease to be to my Daughter Sarah Plaisted and Mary & Elizabeth the Two Daughters of my Son John Wise : Sarah Plaisted to have one half of them, and the Said Mary & Elizabeth to have the other half of them

   I do hereby nominate & appoint my Said Husband the Rev^d M^r Jeremiah Wise Executor of this my last Will & Testament, desiring him to conform to the Same, and to manage dispose & apply the Money Goods & Estate hereby given according to the true Intent & meaning of this my Will. In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand & Seal the first Day of March Anno Dom : 1747/8. In the twenty first year of His Majesty's Reign.

Signed Sealed pronounced and    declared by the Said    Mary Wise to be her last    Will and Testament In Presence of    John Hill    Ephraim Joy    Noah Thompson		The Words (except also)    were interlined       Mary Wise (a Seal)
Probated 1 January 1749. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 621, citing Probate Office, 8, 27.