Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-08-28
THE HASTINGS WEALTH.
A DELAWARE WOMAN CLAIMS TO
BE THE ONLY LAWFUL HEIR.

Mrs. George Harris, who lives about |
four miles northeast Of Smyrna, on the
Gettysburg farm, is in Philadelphia, |
consulting eminent lawyers In regard to
the property of thelate George Hastings,
grandfather of the present adiutant-gen. |
ersl of Pennsylvania. Daniel Hastings
Hearing that she would take some
such steps, an EVENING JOURNAL re-
porter called upon her and obtained the |
following story, upon which she bases
her claim as an heir, and the only legiti-
mate heir in 5his country to the estate |
of the grandfather of General Hastings
away back before the sixties George
Hastings grandfather of the present
Daniel Hastings, who figures so promi-
nently in Pennsylvania politics, lived in
one of q nall collection Of thatched cot
teees in placs called Midtown, about
one and one-half miles from Buncranon,
county Donegal, Ireland. While there
he married a woman named Mollie
Nelson, who died in confinement. giving
birth to q still born child. After the
death Of his wife he emigrated to this
! couRtry, where he settled at a place
called Salona, Clinton county, Pa
Prior to his marriage ia Ireland ne had
been paying attentions to woman
named Lee, and by her became the
f4ther Of two i'll, e innate children named
William and George These he refused
to recognize as his own until he had
been in this country for some time, and
had contracted a second marriage.
He then sent to Ireland for
his Legitimate son, George, and
made him one Of his family at Salona.
de refused to recognize the other illegit
1 innnfa Vyt1lfpua ,a b,1
continued TO reside in Ireland until he
was a married man. AS time passed by
this other illegltimate son, William, who
was the father of the present General
Hastings came to this country without
solicitation from his progenitor, and be
also eventually made Clinton county,
Pa, his home. Still the old man re.
fused to recognize him as a son and
never would help him up to the time of his
death, which occurred in the latter part
of 1868.
In the meanwhile George had been
| Ii ring on farm owned by George Has
tings, Sr. 1t was situated near Spring
field, Ohio, William, the son who fonnd
no favor in his fathers eyes, continued
TO live near Salona, Pa, and reared
family, the present hero of the Johns
town flood being the only one of marked
attainments.
my mother. who also lived in Ireland
was full cousin to George Hastings,
the old man, and bore the name of Hast
ings She married my father, whose name
was Dinsmore, and a large family
blessed their union. We grew up to
young manhood and womanhood. and on
the nth of October, 1863 my sister
Martha and left Ireland In the sailing
craft Sans.pareil, bound for Philadel-
phia. After voyage lasting seven weeks
we landed on New Years Day OF 1864
From Philadelphia we went to New
York, where / left my sister, who is now
dead. From New York | went to West
Chester county and lived for a while and
. then returned to Philadelphia ia about
four or five months. From there / wrote
to George Hastings, ST.. at Salona, that
as / was out of a situation, If il would
be agreeable to him, l would go out and
visit him for a short time. | received an
answer from Dan Hastings, the present
adjutant general, who was then a boy of
, about 10, telling me that his grandfather
had been dead about six months, but
that his widow was living. From this
letter / would infer that the
old man died about the time
arrived in this country. However, the
letter contained an invitation to 60 out
and visit them, and accordingly ! went
and stayed a short while. They were
very kind to me, but there seemed to be
an effort made to keep me from seeing
J the widow of the grandfather thought
nothing strange of it at the time, as
I did not know had anything at stake,
} and after enjoying a very pleasant visit
Ia. r.,
came, however, the mother of Cen
eral Dan Hastings at whose house
' was staying, told me that the
! q will. and that his widow was
: in possession of his property I did not
know the value of the property anG
thought nothing much of the matter I'M
til after the death Of the widow, which
occurred about twelve years ago About
. that time, or rather shortly after hel
death. New York lawyer by the nam,
s Of Hubbard, of the law firm Of Chitlen
. ION and Hubbard, was in my native
J place in Ireland, looking over the brit
Q registers and making inquiries in regarC
( to the legitimacy Of the two sops Of thu
g woman named Lee. One of my relatives
g wrote to the lawyer while there to cal
3 | upon her as she had some information
for him, and told him her Relationship
. to the dead man, but BIZ
Z never waited upon her. After this
4; received several letters from home tell
. ing me to look the matter up as tht
I lawyer had stated that his second wifi,
!, had also died without issue. This left
s only the two Legitimate sons and theil
I issue to inherit the property, even had
! will been made, and You see, therefore
+; the statement of Dan Hastings mother
that the old gentleman had died without
J, making a will and without issRe, mad
our family the heirs OF what
= ever property the old man pos
IS sessed at the time Of hi
]. death. do not know how much he wa
% worth. but a friend of mine here in tn
e city, who was out there before the eide
g Hastings death, says that he knows pos
!. itively of $40 600 worth Of visible prop
= erty at that time and how much he haC
y he does not know.
81 let the matter rest for several year
. and was chided for my negligence in let
y ters from home. l really did not thinl
y there was much in it and lost sight 0
y the Hastings family until book car
vssser called at my house with boo
called the History Of the Johnstowl
Flood and in it was a picture of Da
Hastings. The name and the fac
= both looked familiar and ii set me {
= thinking. Some time after that I rea
- in the paper where General Daniel Hast
ings was in Chester, and while there ma
er called TO see an aged minister by th
&c name of Hartman who had been hi