Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-01-24
WILLS OF RICH MEN.
HOW SEVERAL WEALTHY MEN DIG
POSED or THEIR EsrArEs

The Aster md the vss1srbiit Riches
west 70 The oidsst sss-Ths Late A.
I. stewart Gave His Property "a His
wiss-His Other Bsssssta
The small requests by Jay Gould to
his brother and sister call attention anew
10 the fact that the financial results OF
the CREATION 0f q fortune In family are
npt to DO small to the collateral branches
and heavy to the direct line Of issue.
The Wills Of the heads Of the Aston
family do not point moral In this 10
spect. because the family has followed q
rule designed for the perpetuation Of q
great family estate In two parcels. Side
requests. u considerable. would have
prevented tho execution Of this plan
The distribution Of the late Samuel J.
Tilden's fortune Il not illustrative OF the
common custom. because he was BACH
elOr.
A. T. Stewart, the great merchant
prince. made simple win. In the sec
ond paragraph Of the document opened
after his death In 1870 he wrote simply,
"All my property and estate OF every
kind and description and wherever sit
uatcd I give, devise and bequeath to my
dear wife. Cornelia N. Stewart, her
heirs and assigns forever" In the next
paragraph he appointed Henry Hilton to
manage. close and wind mp his partner
shin business and affairs. He made OK.
Judge Hilton, the widow and William
Libbey his executors, and he bequeathed
TO Mr.. Hilton the sum Of 100000 'as
mark OF regard"
In a codicil to the will he bequeathed
various sums Of from Geo, 900 to $500 to
M many faithful employees in his busi'
ness. and other sums Of f2,5O0 to $500 to
seven household servants. To two sis
tiers named Marion. at whose fathers
house and hands he had enjoyed hospital
ity, he gave Si2, 900 q year and house In
this city. To Henry Hiltons wife he
gave $1,000. In second codicil he gave
$l0, 900 each to four persons OF the name
OF Clinch. who were relatives OF his wife,
TO two ofwhom he gave house In town.
and to Sarah Smith and her daughter he
gave $4,000 each. He willed that oil
persons who had remained In his employ
during twenty years should have 81. 900,
and all who had worked for him ten
years $500. A letter to his wife accom-.
panied The will. and in that he said that
he hoped to live to carry out his charita'
bic schemes, but II he died before doing
no he would depend on her to do 40 with
the advice and assistance Of their friend,
Henry Hilton.
Mr.. Stewart had no children. II he
had no relatives either. his will hnot q
case In point. But. on the other hand, II
II Is true. rs many Claimants assert. that
no had number Of cousins and other
kin in Ireland. his absolute forgetfulness
OF them OF refusal 10 benefit them Is re-
markably opposite.
Commodore Vanderbilt, who died In
January. 1877, made many requests to
Others than his children. To his wife h"
gave $500, 900 and all the contents OF hi
house In Washington place, the use OF
which was hers for life. To his brother.
Jacob ii. Vanderbilt, he gave $4,000,
To his sister Phoebe he gave 81 200 q year
during her life. To his nieces and neph.
ews he gave various sums, ranging
from 10000 and $4,000 down to $500
and $500 year. But he gave one grand.
nephew $2J, 900 and another go, 1000. His
doctor got $4,000, and q faithful old
clerk got 100000. To an uncle he gave
5000, and tho wife Of o nephew re-
ceived $25,O0O.
When no came to consider his children
the situation was altered. To William
H., his eldest son. no handed down the
bulk of his magnificent property. the
value Of this gift being estimated at $780,
100000. The whole property had been
considered rs worth $l05, 0O0, 900. and OF
tho sl5, OOO. 900 that William II. did not
get one-half went to Williams sons, tn.
oldest one. Cornelius, getting greatly the
largest share. He seemed thus to indi-
cate belief that young Cornelius, who
had already shown ability as fnancier.
would become the head Of the house In
the third generation.
To his own less worthy son Cornelius
no gave merely tho interest on 5000, 900.
He divided 81 ,250, 900 equally among five
daughters. and two Of these he further
enriched, the one with the interest on
100000 and the other with the interest
on 100000. Enriched Ii scarcely the
term to use. for II was evident that he
intended only to insure to each Of them
the comforts Of a competency.
When II came time to open the will OF
William II. Vanderbilt II was found that
he had given to a nephew, w. v. Nissan,