Maine Wills

 From York Registry of Deeds (1640-91)

   The last will & Testament of Joseph Cross of Wells In y^e prouince of Mayn yeoman, being of Perfect Memory & understanding though weake In body/

   1 : I Committ my soule into the hands of god, who is y^e father of spirits/

   2 : I Committ my body into the hands of my executrix, to bee decently buried, & after funerall expences are discharged, & all due debts payd, I do dispose of my Estate as followeth/

   3 : I do giue & bequeath unto my Cosson Samuell Hill of the Land that was my fathers, Twenty rodds In breadth, with the Meddow the same breadth, & so to runne vp into the Countrey, as other lotts runne togeather with all my vpland, & Meddow at Drakes Ysland, to him the sayd Hill, & his heyrs for euer/ I do further giue to my aforesd Cozen, two Heffers, & two Steares of Two years ould a peece, & one feather bed with bedding belonging to it/

   4ly I giue vnto my Cossons John & Joseph Hill, Thirty fiue rodds of Land in breadth, from the Town Lands towards my house, with the Meddow between the Town Land, & the remajnder of my land; a streight line being drawn between the Two Parcells of Land; And I do further giue unto my aforesd Cossons, all my vpland & Meddow at Epiford, to them & y^r heyres for euer, & my will is that Cossons Joⁿ & Joseph Hill, do fence in a quarter of an Acre of Land neare y^e Clumpe of pines, & keepe it well fenced for a burijng place, for mee & my relations/

   5 : I do giue unto my Cosson Elizabeth Backehouse tenn pounds in pay with two suites of apparell, In Case shee liue with my wife vntil shee bee seaventeene years of age or Marry/

   6 : I giue & bequeath unto my Loueing wife, my dwelling house with all other out houses, vplands, & Meddows stocke & househould stuffe, with all other of my Estate, In debts or other wise with out doores, & with in, not disposed of, In this my will dureing her naturall life, & at her death, my will is, y^t my Cossen Samuell Hill, shall haue an Addition to his land as fare as the brooke, on the Easterly side of my house, which vpland is to bee bounded by the brooke, so fare as the high way, & then to runne into the Countrey as other lots runne/ & the Meddow to bee bounded by y^e Cricke that cometh vp to my house, all which Land, I giue unto my Cosson Sammuell & his heyrs for euer/ & further my will is, that the remajnder of my land both vpland & Meddow between Samuell Hills, & John & Joseph Hills land, & all the other Meddow, or Land vndisposed of in this my Will I giue unto my wifes sonn William : Breeden, with halfe my stocke & househould Goods, not disposed In this my Will, always prouided that y^e sayd Breeden liue to Attaine to the age of twenty one yeares, to him the sd Breeden & his heyrs for euer/ but my will is that my wife shall haue the vse & Improuem^t of the sd Land, stocke & househould stuff dureing her life, & the other halfe of the Stocke, & househould stuffe then In being, at my wifes decease, to be æqually diuided, between John Sammuell & Joseph Hill/

   Further my will is that In Case William Breeden should dy before hee come to age, then my will is that all the Land, Stoke Househould Stuffe, willed to William : Breaden, at my wifes decease, bee æqually diuided, between John Samell & Joseph Hill, to them & thejr heyres for euer/

   7 : I do Constitute ordajne & appoynt, my loueing wife Mary Cross, to bee my soole executrix of this my last Will & testament, by whome all iust debts are to bee payd, & all legacys to bee discharged/

   8 : I do appoynt my loueing frejnds Mr Parciuall Greene, & Samuell Wheelewright, to bee ouerseers of my will/ In witness & testimony where of, I haue here unto sett my hand, & seale, this 2^und : of March/ ^{1683 :}/_{1684 :}

Signed, sealed, &     Deliuered, in Pre-    sence of us/    Sammuell Wheelewright/    John Wheelewright/

Joseph Crosse (his Seale)

   This Gyft & bequest made by mee Joseph Cross unto Samuell Hill, togeather with all my vpland & Meddow, at Drakes Ysland, in the eleaueth lyne of this my last Will vpon good after Considerations, I do totally reuoake, & make null, haueing legally past away the sd lands by a bill of saile, beareing date the 29^th : May : 1684 : to Samuell Austine of Wells, as witness my hand June 11th 1684 :

Testes/ Samuell Wheelewright/		Joseph Cross his       Marke J
Sworn to by subscribing witnesses 2 Aug. 1684; recorded 24 Aug. 1684; Inventory returned at £500: 05: 3, by Joseph Storer and John Barrett appraisers 23 June 1684, who recite that Joseph Cross deceased 18 June 1684. Source: Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (Portland, Me., 1887), p. 79, citing Registry of Deeds, 5, 28.