Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-12-07
WISCONSIN PEOPLE
HEIRS TO BILLIONS
CLAIM 100 ACRES IN HEART
OF NEW YORK CITY.
Property Said to Be Worth SIS.
OOO.OOO,OO0-W -WdtertOWn Lady
One of the HeirS--BrOther in
Milwaukee Has Old Parchment
Mrs, Blair Interviewed.
(From Tuesdays DailyD

Mrs. Olive Blair OF this city Is one
of the supposed rightful heirs to prop
erty in the heart of New York city
which is valued at SIS, 900, 900, 900.
An action to secure this property
which is now occupied by Trinity
church and the Waldorf Astoria hotel
is to be brought soon. The land is
said to cover 160 acres. and was once,
according to Mrs. Blair, the property
of her ancestors who came from Hol'
land before the Revolutionary war.
FATHER EXPECTED WEALTH.
81 have often heard my father tell
about this great wealth. said Mrs.
Blair yesterday afternoon in an inter
view with Leader reporter. He
has often said that we would come
in for an enormous amount of money,
but since his death eight years ago
have given the matter but little at
tention. | did not believe that we
would ever get anything. | know but
little of the matter, save what father
told me; that my greatgrandfather' S
father, | believe, with his brothers
did really own this property
Mrs. Blair believes that the heirs
besides herself are as follwos: Mrs.
Alice Backus, Denver, Colo. Mrs.
Charles Fox, Rushmore, MINI. Mrs.
Elizabeth Tiff, Clyde, Kan. Mrs.
James She, merhorn, Pipersville. near
this city; John Forncrook, Calbert
son, Mont. William III. Forncrook,
Pipersville.
The women mentioned by Mrs.
Blair are her sisters and the men her
brothers.
MILWAUKEEAN MAY HAVE
PAPERS.
In addition Mrs. Blair says that
she has an uncle in the Soldiers home
of Milwaukee, Henry Forncrook, who
would also be one of the heirs. An
other uncle, Charles, is in the Wau-
paca home for veterans. She says
that an aunt is Sarah Hall, but she
does not know where she is located.
Henry Forncrook, who is in Mil
waukee, is said to have the old parch-
ment by which the Froncrooks hope to
prove their ownership to the property.
81 have never heard that he had
the paper" said Mrs. Blair, "but it
is possible. l was surprised to learn
however, that an action will be
brought in New York. | have heard
nothing of it before this.
Henry Forncrook is not at the Sol
diers' home at present, but is visit
ing in the state on furlough. He
was member of Co. F, 29th Wis
consin Infantry.
The stroy which has attracted much
attention eminated from despatch
from Denver under date of Dec. 3rd,
and is in part as follows:
THE CLAIM TO WEALTH.
A slut involving about SIS, 900, ,000,
600 is to be brought by the supposed
rightful heirs of property in the heart
of New York city on portions of
which stand Trin1y church and the
Waldorf Astoria hotel. These heirs,
among whom are several Wisconsin
people, are descendants of the Form
crook (Fornnook or Fehrenkruz}
brothers. William and Henry, who
came to America some time before
the Revolutionary war.
The proposed action is brought
about chiefly through the activity of
Police Patrolman Geroge. E. Nahum
of Denver, who has been indefatigable
in his efforts to gather together scraps
of evidence necessary to prove title
to the ground IN controversy.
OLD SOLDIER HAS LEASE.
Through an ancient sheepskin
parchment said TO be the original
lease, which is now in the possession
Of Henry Forncrook, So years old, an
inmate of th2 Milwaukee Soldiers
home, it is learned that the quarter
section of ground now cut up into six
city blocks, which was taken up as a
homestead by the Forncrooks, the es-
timated value of which is S100 an inch
frontage, aggregating about SIS, ,OOO,-
600, 900, was leased to Trinity church
corporation in 1771 for period of nine
ty-nine years. This lease expired in
1870, since which time the heirs to the
original owners of the property have
endeavored in disorganized way to
effect restitution of their owner
ship.
The land was granted to the From
crooks and other Dutch settlers by
letters patent signed by Gov. Van
Twiller, representing Holland in the
New Netherlands. These grants
were ratified by subsequent govern
ors, Dutch and English, up to the
time of Lord Cornbury's administra-
tion, who ratified deed of owner
ship to the church.
IN HANDS OF SYNDICATE.
An eastern syndicate has taken hold
of the case and, it is stated, is pre-
pared to spend million dollars on