Maine Wills

 From York Registry of Deeds (1640-91)

The last Will and testament of John Bray of Kittery in the

   province of maine in New England

January 22. 1688.89

   In the name of god Amen

   I John Bray being sensible of my frailty of mortallitie & yet retaining my perfect reason & vnderstanding for the preventing of all trouble about the worldly estate that god hath blessed me with I doe constitute and appoint this following as my last will and testament

   Imp: I doe giue vnto my loueing Wife Joan Bray the house in Plimouth in England & the rent of it to be hers & at her Dispose only with y^t limitation that it goe to some of my Children at her Decease/ Also I giue vnto my loueing Wife Joan Bray the new end of my now Dwelling house in Kittery Dureing the terme of her naturall life and at her Decease I giue it to my son John

   It. I giue vnto my sone John Bray my fiftie acres of land or thereabout giuen to me by the towne adioining to Captain Hookes land lieing spruce creeke Also I giue vnto my sone John the Midle part of my now Dwelling house adjoining to the new end and my building yard & the bed and Chest & Court Cubbard that stands in the Esterly end of my house & this in reference to wages Due to him Also I doe freely to my sone John al my tooles Instruments and tackling y^t belongs to building of vessells

   3 I giue to my wife Joan Bray & to my sone John Bray Jointly and equally in partnership my farme at braueboat harbour vpland & marsh except so much marsh as hereafter excepted & otherwise Disposed/ also I giue to my wife and sone the land belonging to my house being about 24 acres in Joint & equall partnership excepting the building yard before expressed & what shall be afterwards excepted Also I giue to my wife and son Jointly my 2 barnes & all my stock & all my household goods excepting what is before giuen to my son Distinctly & what shall be afterward Excepted

   4 I giue to my daughter Joan Dearing y^e one halfe of y^t piece of marsh y^t lies betweene 2 points at braueboat harbour Also I giue her a piece of land lieing in the southeast corner of my land ouer against my house runing from the said corner to the barrs & backe to the old fence be it two acres more or less with this proviso that after her Decease both these parcells of land revert & returne to her Eldest sone John Dearing

   5. I doe giue to my Daughter Margery Pepperill besides the land already giuen the other halfe of that peece of marsh lieing between 2 points at braue boat harbour aboue mentioned which after her decease is to revert & returne to her sone Andrew Pepperill

   6 I doe giue to my Daughter Mary Bray a peice of marsh lyeing at brauboat harbour bought of John Andrews and his mother only reserving a highway for the carrieing of timber and hay, also I giue her the Grassie feild at the northeast corner of my land lieing over against my house from the back Creeke to the land giuen my Daughter Deering and westward to the old fence Also I giue her part of my Dwelling house viz^t: the leantoo & Chamber over it & the east roome & as much of the chamber as is over that yet it is to be vnderstood that If the said Mary Dye without heires of her body y^t what is giuen to her shall at her decease revert & returne to my son John Bray and his heires. Also it is my Will that when she comes to be Married shee shall haue one of my cowes, And further that she shall haue the one halfe of the Garden that we now Emproue

   And lastly it is my Will that all my debts should be paid and al y^t is that is owing to me should be receiued by my wife Joan Bray and by my sone John Bray whom I doe desire & appoint to Execute this my last will & testament And it is my desire that Captain: Francis Hooke and M^r Benj: Woodbridge may be overseers

Witnesses Benj: Woodbridge    Francis Hooke		John Bray (a Seale)
Sworn to by attesting witnesses 15 July 1690; recorded 1 Aug. 1690; Inventory returned at £306: 10: 0, by William Fernald, Roger Dering, and John Bly, appraisers 31 Jany 1689-90. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 88, citing Registry of Deeds, 5, 51.