The Portland daily press., 1899-04-01
BETTY GREEN'S MONEY.
How Over Million OF II Wni BE Di-
vided Among Many Hundred Heirs.

vtded Among Many Hundred Heirs.
New Bedford Letter In New York sun.
A great many people, scattered all over
this country will be better OF In this
worlds goods when Hetty Green dies.
Some Of them would like their money
soon. Not that they are at all bloodthirs-
ty or bear malice against Hetty, but 1t
has been decree9 that upon her death
they shall inherit fortune, and they are
naturally interested in the division Of the
million and quarter of dollars or so
comprising the nest egg. Hetty Green,
who Is q descendant Of the famous How
land family of New Bedford, had a maid
en- aunt, Sylvia Ann Rowland, who died
generation ago, leaving an estate valued
at several millions of dollars. Hetty was
the only heir and naturally expected the
fortune to pass to herself. Sne was
surprised and so was all New Bedford
when 1t was learned that Sylvia Ann
Rowland, who had never been noted Tor
her charities or liberslity, had maoe
will filled with public bequests and pro-
viding for the distribution of large lega-
cies among her friends and family SER
wants, her hysician aud the trustees ana
executors under the will being especially
we'll remembered.
The residpary estate, in those days
valued at about u, 900, 600, was bequeathed
to Hery Green in trust. She was to en-
joy thu Income thereof during her life
time, and upon her death it was TO be d.
vided among the linesl descendants of
Hetty's great grandfather, Gideon How
land, In accordance with this clause:
And upon the decease OF the said Hetty
I'll. Robinson (dreen) l direct and order
said trustees and their successors in said
office to pay over, distribute and divide
the whole of said residuary estate to and
among the lineal descendants, then liv-
ing, of my grandfather, Gideon How
land; and If all the lineal descendants
aforesaid then living In the same degree
of kindred to the said Gideon Howland.
they shall share the said estate equally,
and shall be paid in equal shares; other
wise they shall take according to the right
OF representation, and the said trustees
shall pay them repectivaly sunh portions
as shall, according TO the right OF repre-
sentstion. belong to them.
What ever induced Sylvia Ann How
land to make such a will is only matter
of conjecture. Hetty Green, of course
laid 1t to the undue inhuenc ce of those
about the old lady at the time Meeting
a former acquaintance when on visit
to this city not long ago, Mrs Green
asked.
''Did you get legacy under my Aunt
Sylvia AIMS will"'
tNo, Mrs. Green. Why should I''
9,fN ls,t hat rnI
happened to pass the house the after
noon they made the will and some Of
them were looking out of the window.
Mrs. Green contested her aunt's will to |
the bitter end, and lost. 1t was famous
legal b title and cost both sides Sls5,000.
Giaeon Rowland, whose descen 1ants
ARE to profit by the death of hetty Green, |
was born in 7S4 and died in 1898. AS he
had comfortable | title family OF IL |
children TO start with, 1t will be seen |
that in 1865, when Sylvia Ann Howland |
died, his line must have numbered sew
eral hundred, and by this time it has un-
doubtedly reached several thousand, into
the fifth and sixth generations. Here Is
the schedule of Gideon Howlaud OIL
spring; Retecca, who have seven chill
drsn; William, with four children Cor.
nelius. six children; judith, four; JOS
epa, five; Lydia. two; Sylyin, nine; Sar
an, IA; Desire. unmarried; Gideon, two |
(Hetty Green's mother and Sylvia Ann |
Rowland. J; Gilbert, 10 children; John |
H, six; Pardon. seven
Descendants of IL of the IS children of |
Gideon are now living, the line OF one |
Of them having run out, and one daught |
er being a spinster. OF the Gideon, Jr.. |
line, the only descendants are Mrs. Green |
herself and her two unmarried children, |
Ed ward II. K, Green and sylvia Green |
But there are enough heirs in the other |
10 lines to claim ali the fortune that will |
be handed down to them, and as each |
must share according TO the right Of rep; |
resentation, some will probably receive |
only a few hundred dollars or even less. |
Some of the heirs have intermarred, and |
their children will inherit Corbly, This |
will raise interesting questions when the |
time OF settlement COMES. lntermar- |
riage, by the way, was quite the fad |
among the Howlands of old. to keep the |
property from going out of the family, |
and HRS Green's own grandparents |
traced their lineage tack to a common |
ancestor only few generations removed |
Quite often a letter Will come from one |
of the descendants of Gideon HowlBLd |
who isn't familiar with the condiJlons AT
tending the legacy, asking for his share |
right away. Others, here at home, have |
been known To secure loans and to mort |
expectations from the sylvia Ann How |
land will, Such proceedings, though, |
are decidedly risky. when it is considered |
that Hetty Green is likely to outlive |
many of the heirs. and the longer her So |
journ upon this earth, the smnller will |
grow the share Of eacn of the latter, ow-
ing to the natural laws of increase in
pro2eny. Some OF the hest and wealshiest
fami les of New Bedford are among the