The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-27
DIVISION MADE
OF FORD ESTATE
Compromise Agreement Rccog-
r1izes Boiling Ford's
Daughter.
SHE GETS $4,000 IN CASH
Army of Attorneys Take Part in
Final Settlement After
Many Years.

By the consent OF all OF the princi
pals, decree was entered yesterday
in the Chanecry Court BY Judge Grin
nan which VIII have the effect OF
winding up the much involved Ford
estate which has been bone of con-
tention between lawyers for many
years. Tho settlement is in the ma
ture Of compromise along lines pro-
posed Ivy counsel for Charles Thomp.
son Hcrndou. a claimant under tho
will of Boiling W. Ford. BY its terms
Estelle Madeline Ford, infant child OF
Boiling " Ford, Is given $4,000 IN
cash. and her mother, Rosa Ryan Ford
$4,000 in cash. Tho estate is valued at
something like :25o.oo0.
Richard evelyn Byrd, David Meade
Write, Roberr r.. Talley and Henry G.
Rely are i,cmed a.: commissioners to
sell the property belonging to me
estate. which includes Ford's Hotel. st
Eleventh and Broad Streets, the Ford
Law Building, In North Ninth street
and other real estate in Richmond. and
large farming tracts in York. Glouces-
ter and Mathews counties.
Under the decree the estate Is to be
converted irtc cash. and after the
pnymen' Of cost. OF the sale and GER
tain commissions, is to be divided .nto
four equal parts.
The decree states that the conpro-
mise is made on the written offer OF
Charles Thompson Herndon. son of
Mrs Mary Lee Benet by former mar
riage. made to Rosa Ryan Ford and
Estelle Madeline Ford. her daughter.
Divided Into Four Parts.
The four equal parts OF the estate are
to be distributed as follows:
One-fourth to Mary Lee Benet. daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. A. j. Ford. and
those claiming by, through and under
her. treating the advance payments
account as part of her one-fourth.
The second quarter goes to Florence
B. Quincy. another daughter of Mr..
and Mrs. Ford. and to those claiming
by and under her. regarding the ad-
vancements made to her and on her
account az part of her one-fourth.
A third quarter goes and belongs to
Stewart H. Ford. a surviving son, sub
ject to such advances as have already
been made to him as a part of his in
terest in the estate.
Then comes the meat of the settle
ment, the distribution of the final one
fourth, the part originally belonging
to Boiling ". Ford, another son. who
killed himself here several years ago.
Mrs. Rosa Ryan Ford appeared. claim
ing to be his wife. and presented the
claim of her child. Estelle Madeline
Ford. on the other hand. Charles
Thompson Herndon presented will of
Boiling W. Ford, which states that he
was without heir. and names Herndon,
his nephew, and son of his sister. Mrs.
Benet as his Iegatee after payment OF
his debts.
BOILING Ford's Shnrc.
The crux of the controversy through
out the fight has been over the legiti-
macy of the child of Boiling Ford
which appears to have been allowed in
one court and disallowed in another.
In separate proceedings in the Law and
Equity Court the Legitimacy of the
child seems to have been established
though it does not appear heretofore
to have been recognized by the Chan
Gerry Court. At all events the decree
sets forth that written proposition
of compromise has now been made by
Charles IT. Herndon and has been &C
cepted by Rosa Ryan Ford, widow OF
Boiling ". Ford, and by her on behalf
of her infant child, Estelle Madeline
Ford The weakness of Herndon's po-
sition was that Boiling Ford did not
survive MS mOtneT, ana the contention
has been made that if he died without
issue, his interest in the estate of his
mother died with him, and the estate
should therefore be divided into but
three parts. Under the compromise.
in consideration of certain fixed pay
ments, $4,000 to the child and $4,000
to the mother. Rosa Ryan Ford and
Estelle Madeline Ford surrender their
claim on the ne-fourth part of the
estate to which Boiling w. Ford would
have been entitled had he survived his
mother, Mary Ford.
His Child Gets $4,000.
The court approves and confirms the
settlement and compromise. and from
the final one-fourth part of the Ford
trust to which Boiling Ford would
have been entitled had he survived
his mother there Is to be paid to .Es-
telle Madeline Ford, or person ap-
pointed by the court to receive same
for her. $4,000. with interest at 6 per
cent from date of decree, without re-
gard to any costs or liability or charge
of Whatsoever nature against the share
of Boiling w. Ford in the estate. a
further payment of $4,000 is to be paid