The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1891-11-25
rHE GREAr EpwARps EsrArE.
Some Notes OF Interest Cleaned from
Il south Carolina Paper.

The Greenville q. CD Daily News
published direct and authorized
statement Of the case Of the Edwards
estate, mention Of which has been
made in the Sun. This article will
no doubt be Of much interest to mem
bers of the family in this State.
Miss Mag Palmer, very estimabIe
lady Of Durham, is one of the heirs to
this immense fortune, also Col. Ed
wards Of Oxford. The article in the
Greenyille News was written by j..
M. Sullivan, and is as follows:
''Inasmuch as the Edwards estate
has found its way into printin Green
vile, | venture to give what / con-
slider to be the present status. First,
however, Twill tell you how and what
South Carolina people are interested.
From considerable olrsspondence
on the subject with parties concerned
in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama,
Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas, be-
sides evidences collected from the
libraries Of the late John w. Stokes,
Esq, and his fathers, l am able to
give the following facts:
''Some time prior to 1863 three
Edwards brothers and sister came
from England to this country Two
of the brothers, Thomas and William,
md q sister, Miss Frankie, first set
llei in Virginia, near where Cnlpep-
per courthouse is situated Robert
cttlcd in New YORK About tic year
i7gi Thomas and his sister came to
south carolir:, this county. WI
liam settled in North Carolina few
ears later. It Sc ms that Robert
liifsred with his brothers regarding
po!iiic.l matters during English AMI
American troubles, AMI, becoming
much offended with them, l,ased his
real estate ii New York for ninety
nine years and returned TO his native
country. and there died some years
after. The conditions of the lease
were that at the expiration Of the
ninety.nine years the property was
to revert to the estate, with all the
improvements thereon. Robert was
never married. The property leased
was twenty-five acres, on which por-
tons Of Broadway and Wall street
are located, and my correspondent
tells me is estimated to be worth three
hundred millionsgor more. Thomas
settled on South Tiger riycrani there
raised a large family, aud someof his
descendants now reside in the same
locality; however, the most Of them
went west many years befo,e our
civil war. Miss frankie married a
Wicsliffe and settled in this city on
the lot where now the United States
house Is located The lease expired
in 1883 and some Of the kindred soon
commenced an inyestigl-
ton, and found that sixty-one vol
umes of the records Of New York city
covering the period Of the lease and
many subleases, transfers, etc, had
bsen purloined-detectives were put
ID work, attorneys employed and re
wards offered for evidence Of these
records, and recent develop
ments show that Robert Edwards,
the leasor, had his lease recorded in
England also, which accounts for the
present agitation.
"Mrs. Wesley Gilreath, ofthis city,
is a great granddaughter Of the VIII.
liam who settled in North Carolina.
Judge Isaac wicklilfe, Of walhalla,
Is a grandson Of Mrs. frankie Wick.
life.
"Much more could be written on
the subject, but as the kindred In
North Carolina, South Carolina, and |
Georgia win soon 90 into an organ.
ization il Is not now deemed impor.
tant. The western branches have all |
united into a society at Pine Bluff,
Ark. There has also been a society or
ganized at Washington, d. c., and are |
actively al work. The South Caro-.
lima chain Is 80 thoroughly establish.
ed that all concerned admit Il, hence |
the inactivity here"
ssMssa~ 80 -
NrwA.IfaM.. Lm-s~.s..1 - He.