The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-06-07
$225,OOO FOR BLACKWELL
Grandson of Chancellor
Green Gets His Fortune
From Chancery Court.
Especial to 'rhe Jersey city News."l


TRENTON, June Z, dSOO.-Under a decree
of Chancellor Magic. the Clerk in Chan
Gerry yesterday turned over to William
Bayard Blackwell. formerly of this city,
and now an attorney in New York city.
S2250O0 in cash and securities which have
been in the custody of the court since 1895.
The securities represent the great bulk
of the estate of Mr.. Blackwe1Fs mother,
who was daughter of Chancellor Henry
w. Green, and resided on West State
street, this city, for many years. Later
she removed to New York, where she died
last March.
The money and securities were left in
trust for Blackwells mother by Chan
cellor Green. some of it coming from the
estate of the late John C. Green. the
founder of the Green fortunes and a
brother of the Chancellor
OF the entire sum, $4,000 was an ante
nuptial gift. made by Chancellor Green to
his daughter prior to her marriage with
Blackwell in 1868
The papers in the case reveal a rather
interesting story. BY the ante-nuptial
agreement, Chancellor Green placed the
$4,000 in the hands of the late Charles E.
and Caleb S. Green, the income to be paid
to the prospective Mrs. Blackwell during
her lifetime, and an ironclad stipulation
being made that both principal and inter
est should at all times be free from the
control or debts of either Blackwell or
any future husband of the then Miss
Green.
This agreement was entered into in
May, 1853, Blackwell signing it, and tv o
days later the marriage took place. Thcv
resided in this city and it was here that
the fortunate young man who has just
received the securities was born, thirty
one years ago. He was the only child born
to the Blackwells.
February is, 1886, Mrs. Blackwelps hus-
band died. and three years later she be-
came the bride of William S. Livingston,
who survived the marriage by two years.
No children were born of this union.
Chancellor Green died in 1876, and pro-
vided in his will that one-third of his es-
tate should go to his widow; one-third
to Charles E. Green, his son, and the re-
manning one-third, less the $4,000 we'd
ding gift and s135O0 advanced for the
purchase of the West State street home,
to the Blackwells, to his daughter. The
difference was to go to his executors,
Charles e. Green and Caleb S. Green.
Caleb S. Green in 1879 had himself re-
lieved from the care of the estate, and
Charles E. Green then assumed entire
charge In 1855 Mrs. Green Blackwell
Livingston filed a bill against Charles E.
Green, asking the Chancery Court to di-
rect an accounting.
She alleged that he had taken the prin-
cipaI of the wedding gift of $4,000 into
his own possession, and had failed to
make any accounting as trustee, and she
had no knowledge of what the securities
were.
Mrs. Livingston alleged that for fifteen
years she had been importuning Charles
E. Green to file report as trustee, but
that he wholly refused to do so. She
further asserted that he frequently with
held the income from her interest in the
estate, much to her annoyance.
Charles e. Green was relieved from the
trust by a decree of the Court of May e.
1885, and the estate was turned over in
trust to the Chancellor Mrs. Livingston
Chancery up to the time Of her death IN
March, and by her will she left the estate.
outside of a few small bequests, to her
son.
The great bulk of the securities are
railroad stocks and bonds and they have
been stored away in vault in one of the
local banks
Mrs. Livingston, in her will stipulated
that the remains of her first husband
shall be removed from this city and buried
alongside her own in Greenwood Gene
terry. Brooklyn.