Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-11-12
HEIRS SEARCH
FOR MILLIONS
Frank A. Harden. Attracts Hi,
Family He Ignored By
His Wealth.
CLIPPINGS REVEAL INVESTMENT
Farm and City Property Is Found in
II States and Safety Deposits Boxes
ia Many Cities Contain Deeds.

Houston, Tex.-"Nine cents for
breakfast. 20 cents for lunch and 10
cents tor dinner"
That was one of the rules of life
that enabled Frank A. Ogden TO be.
come d multi-millionaire. The other
contributing factor, as stated by him.
self. was.
"hTy brothers and sisters invested
In families and children. invested in
farms and real estate"
All that remains of the eccentric
Observation-Disclosures whose body was
found in the layatory of the hotel in
which he lived, rests under a willow
tree in a little churchyard ia Madison,
Wis, at the foot of tall shaft which
Ogden had erected. Safety deposit
vaults in half dozen cities ~" ""ine
examined by temporary administra.
fully S10,000.000. in the hope of finding
II starting point 10 make an inventory
OF the dead mans holdings.
Lands aggregating many thousands
OF acres. scattered through 10 or a
dozen states, are said to be waiting
distribution among his heirs. Some of
these heirs have hastened to Houston
TO participate in the examination Of
papers. Others have sent their legal
representatives. and the big task is
well under way. in spite of the handi
caps early encountered.
AS the administrators have pursued
their Investigations, however, they
have discovered new evidence of Og-
den's great wealth. Drawer after
drawer in his modest trunk in the
little room in the hotel where he lived
was fairly loaded with warranty deeds
The same condition obtained in his Of
fice when his small rolltop desk was
examined. A torn bit of paper picked
up at random bore a notation like
this: "Texas paid on subdivision, So
and-so, 1896 acres" and SO on.
Newspaper clippings filed between
pieces of cardboard and held together
with rubber bands, told of 10000 acres
here $4,000 acres there, hotels in this
place and business houses elsewhere.
Seems as If everything we pick up
tells us of property owned by Ogden
somewhere" said Andral Vann, one
OF the temporary administrators.
Papers already found show that he
had large holdings in Texas. Louisi-
ana, Tennessee. Washington, Arkan-
sas. Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Mis-
souri,, and Minnesota. A notation
headed: "An opportunity to make $5,-
O0O.000," indicates that he owned &c.
1872 acres in Galveston County, which
he valued at 81, 1892, 500. The same
memorandum shows that he had fig-
ured profit of $5,201.175 on the prop
erty If subdivided and sold as he had
planned it-for fig and orange culture.
III Ogden ever made an attempt to
keep in touch with his relatives, this
fact is not disclosed by papers found.
Not one letter addressed to relative
or received from one has been found.
That ththe earth" There the effort
stops and the signature is added.
Newspaper clippings indicate that
Ogden's life was one continual wran-
gle with civic authorities, probably
over tax matters. He had several law
suits in the Wisconsin courts and was
back there only a few months ago as
utigant.
It seems that the more money Og.
den made the less he spent. AS for.
tune after fortune was drawn from his
holdings he became more and more