The application for the sale of lands for the payment of legacies must be made by the executor by petition, verified by affidavit, to the probate court having jurisdiction of the estate. It must describe the lands accurately and give the names of the devisees and their places of residence and must state whether any and which such devisees are under the age of 19 years or of unsound mind, and must also show that the lands prayed to be sold are charged or chargeable, expressly or by necessary implication, with the payment of pecuniary legacies, and that no power is given the personal representative to sell the lands for such purpose.