Maine Wills

 From York Registry of Deeds (1640-91)

   In the name of god Amen/ I Robert Jordan Senjo^r Gentleman : formerly of Spurwinke, & now resident on the Great Ysland in the Townshipe of Portsmouth, In New England, being weake of body, but of sound & P^rfect Memory praysed bee God/ Do make ordayne & declare this P^rsent writeing, to bee & remajne my last vndoubted will, & Testament in manner & forme ffollowing/

   Inp^rs : I Bequeath my soule to god, hopeing by the merritts of Christ my Saujo^r to Inioy Eternall life, & my body to y^e earth to bee decently buried, & what temporall things I am blessed with, all by y^e prouidence of almighty God, I giue & bequeath as followeth/

   Item I do hereby ratify allow, & Confirme two deeds or writeings which formerly I made & gaue vnder my hand & Seale, one to my Elldest sonn John Jordan, & another to my secund sonn Robert Jordan, according to the Contents y^r in exprest/

   Item I giue & grant to my wife Saraih Jordan now Liueing, the ould Plantation at Spurwinke, Contayneing one thousand Acres bee It more or less, beginning w^r the Grant belonging to my sonn John Jordan doth end, & Ending where the Lott bequeathed by this my Will to my 3d sonn Dominicus Jordan doth begine, & soe along the high way vntill you come to the greate pond, for & dureing the Tearme of her naturall life/ The reversion & Inher^tance y^r of, to bee & reamine vnto my youngest sonn Jeremiah Jordan, his heyres & successors for euer, as his part & portion/

   Item I giue & bequeath vnto my sayd wife Saraih Jordan, one other farme Called Nonsuch, Contayneing two thousand Acres bee It more or less, for & dureing her naturall life/ & for y^e more strict obleighing my childrens duty to her, my will is that shee wholly & absolutely dispose the succession & Inheritance thereof, to either or any of my sonns they, or thejr or any of thejr heyres or Issew Lawfully by them or any of them begotten forever/

   Item I giue & bequeath vnto my sonn Dominicus Jordan one thousand Acres of Land, at Spurwinke to begine where the abouesd ould Plantation Endeth, as hee shall make Choyce of, to bee layd out by the ouerseers hereafter Nominated/

   Item I Giue & bequeath vnto my sonn Jedediah Jordan, one thousand Acres of my Land at Spurwinke aforesayd, to bee chosen by him out of my Land not disposed before, to bee to the vse of him & his heyres for ever/

   Item I giue & bequeath vnto my sonn Samuell Jordan by Reason of his posterity, Choyse of Eleaven hundred Acres of Land of my sayd Land at Spurwinke, to bee to the vse of him, & his heyres for ever/ & whatsoeuer part or P^rcell of Land remajnes not bequeathed nor giuen of my sayd Lands, at Spurwinke by any or all of the aboue rescited & expressed articles, I do hereby giue, & bequeath the same, being vpland, vnto my sonns aboue named, to bee deuided & æqually allotted amongst them/

   Item My will is that my Meddow bordering along by the River Spurwinke bee æqually deuided to each portion of the aboue giuen Land nearest & most Convenjently Adioyneing to each P^rcell or portion as is aboue disposed/

   Item I giue & bequeath vnto my foure youngest sonns Namely Dominicus Jedediah Samuell & Jeremiah Jordan to each of them one feather bedd, & bowlsters/

   Item I make & ordayne my sayd wife Saraih, & my two sonns John & Robert Jordan, to bee my Joynt executors/

   Item I make & hereby ordayne Major Nicho : Shapleigh of Kittery Mr Nathaniel ffryer, & Mr William Bickham M^rchants, to bee ouerseers & to end all differences in any matters ariseing, by means of my not fully expressing my selfe in this my last will & testament between My Legatees, & the executors hereof, & to settle all things according to thejre best Judgments, & nearest Intent of this my will, that noe further or future differences may arise/

   Lastly, My will & Intent is, that each & euer of my afore mentioned sonns, there heyrs & successors, shall haue & Inioy, all & singular the aforesayd specifyd Grants, Gyfts, & Legacys, & If any or either of them want Naturall Issew, that then that Legacy shall redown & bee æqually deuided amongst the rest/

   Great Ysland 28^th of Janvary 1678 : Mr Robert Jordan Senjo^r acknowledged this with in written, to be his last will & testament & was at the same tyme of a sound mind, & P^rfect Memory but haueing lost the vse of his hands, Could not signe & seale the same, & owned alsoe Mr Nath^ll Fryer to bee one of his ouerseers who is Interlynd aboue/

   This owned before mee,   Elyas Styleman : Commissio^r