The Portland daily press., 1894-04-11
WILLS OF RICH MEN.
How Several Wealthy Men Disposed
Of Their Estates.

The Aston and the Vanderbilt Riches
Wont to the Oldest son-The Late A.
II. Stewart Gave His Property to His
Wife-His Other Requests.
The small requests by Jay Gould to
his brother and sister call attention anew
to the fact that the financial results OF
the creation of Il fortune in family are
apt to be small to the collateral branches
and heavy to the direct line of issue
The wills of the heads Of the Astor
family do not point moral In this re-
spect, because the family has followed
rule designed for the perpetuatlon OF
great family estate in two parcels Side
requests, if considerable would have
prevented the execution of this plan
The distribution of the late Samuel j.
Tilden's fortune is not illustrative OF the
common custom, because he was bach
elor.
A. T. Stewart, the great merchant
prince made simple will. In the sec
ond paragraph of the document opened
after his death in 1876 he wrote simply,
"All my property and estate Of every
kind and description and wherever sit
mated give, devise and bequeath to my
dear wife, Cornelia NJ Stewart, her
heirs and assigns forever" In the next
paragraph he appointed Henry Hilton to
manage, close and wind up his partner
ship BUSINESS and affairs. He made ex-
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 $4,000 to $500 to
as many faithful employees In his bust
ness, and other sums of $4,000 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 81, 900 a year and house III
this city To Henry Hilton's wife he
gave $1,000. In a second codicil he gave
1000 each to four persons of the name
of Clinch, who were relatives of his wife,
to two of whom he gave house in town,
and to Sarah Smith and her daughter he
gave $4,000 each. He willed that all
persons who had remained in his employ
during twenty years should have $1,000,
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-
|, BILE schemes, but if he died before doing
so he would depend on her to do SO with
| the advice and assistance OF their friend,
Henry Hilton.
Mr.. Stewart had no children. Ii he
had no relatives either, his will is not a
| casgSn point But, on the other hand, ii
| it is true, as many claimants assert that
be had number OF cousins and other
kin in Ireland, his absolute forgetfulness
of them or refusal to benefit them is re-
markably opposite.
Commodore Vanderbilt, who died in
January, 1877, made many requests to
others than his children. To his wife he
gave $500, 900 and all the contents of his
house in Washington place, the use Of
which was hers for life. To his brother
Jacob Il. Vanderbilt, he gave $4,000.
To his sister Phoebe he gave 81 200 year
during her life. To his nieces and neph-
ews he gave various sums, ranging
from SIC, 900 and $4,000 down to $500
and 5000 year. But he gave one grand
nephew $25, 900 and another $780, 00 His
doctor got $4,000. and a faithful old
clerk got $780, 600. To an uncle he gave
| $1,000, and the wife Of nephew re-
ceived $25, 000
When he came to consider his children
the situation was altered. To William
r., his eldest son, he handed down the
bulk Of his magnificent property, the
value Of this gift being estimated at $780,
! 100000 The whole property had been
considered as worth $105, 100000, and OF
the $15, 900 900 that William H. did not
get one-half went to Williams sons, the
Oldest one, Cornelius, getting greatly the
largest share. He seemed thus to indi-
cate belief that young Cornelius, who
had already shown ability as a financier,
would become the head of the house IN
the third generation.
To his own less worthy son Cornelius
he gave merely the interest on $4,000
He divided 81 ,250, 900 equally among five
daughters, and two Of these he further
enriched, the one with the interest on
$400, 900 and the other with the interest
on 100000 Enriched is scarcely the
term to use, for it was evident that he
intended only to insure to each of them
the comforts of competency
When it came time to open the will OF
William III. Vanderbilt it was found that
he had given to nephew, W. V. Kissain'
10000; to his uncle Jacob the dividends
on 1000 shares Of New York Central; to
his aunt Phoebe and to each of twelve
other relatives annuities OF $1,000. The
great bulk of the increased estate went
to the children. There were eight OF
them, and each got $5,ooo,0oO outright,
together with the interest during life
on another s., OoO, 900, the eighth part of
trust fund of $40,000,000. The prin-
cipal in this legacy was to go to his
grandchildren when his children died.
To his eldest son. Cornelius, he gave an
additional So 600, 900 outright. and to his
favprite grandson. William E. the son
of Cornelius. he gave 81 ,0oo, 900 outright.
The youngest son, George, was to have
the family mansion and works OF art
| when his ,ootba,. sbor1ld die To his own