The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-07-02
One Had Laid Undisturbed
81 Years and Other
% Years
SOUTH LONDONDERRY
MAN BENEFICIARY
Was Looking for Date of Publication of
Old Family Bible and Found Grand
mothers WIN Written on Fly Leaf
Bible In Probate Court.

As a result of items which have APP
peared in The Reformer recently about
Bibles of ancient dates owned by differ
ent families in Windham county, wom
ans will which had remained undis
turbed 2S years has been found written
on the fly leaf of an old family Bible in
South Londonderry. The entire Bible
has been filed with the probate court
in Bellows Falls, and tomorrow Judge
Addison i. Cudworth of South London
derry, who is Judge of the municipal
court of Brattieboro, viii go to Bellows
Falls to have the viii probated There
appears to be no reason why the will
will not be allowed. and it changes some
what the descent of an estate estimated
at about $4,000.
t Another singular fact is that the viii
of the woman's husband was not discov
cred until about 81 years after his death,
which occurred in 1881, it having been
brought to light within few months.
1t is probable that the will just dis
covered will be cut out of the Bible in
order that it may be placed in the pro-
bate court files and the Bible returned
to the family. Judge Warner A. Gra-
ham of the Bellows Falls probate court,
as well as everybody else interested in
the estate, was much surprised by the
remarkable find.
| An exceptionally interesting tale
hangs on the discovery of these two old
| wills, which will be hard to duplicate
anywhere.
Jacob Gale WAS farmer in South Lon.
donderry, just on the outskirts of the
village He died in 1881. His wife, Abi-
4 ~ ho1
son. j. Chandler Gale, who continued to
carry on the home farm
| 1t was understood that neither of the
parents left will. After time the
son desired to use some money that his
parents had placed ON deposit, so he took
out letters of administration in both es
tates. Inasmuch as there was no other
heir the son did not consider it neces-
sary to complete the legal settlement of
the estates, so that never was done.
About year ago ]. Chandler Gale
died He left will which gave the use
of the property only to his son and only
heir, Lee H. Gale, who lives on the old
homestead, the property to go, at the
death of Lee Gale, to the latter's son.
After the death of ]. Chandler Gale
the duty of settling his estate was
undertaken by Judge Cudworth. He di-
rected Lee Gale and his wife to make a
thorough search of the house, not over
Hooking anything large enough to con-
tain legal document.
In a room which Jacob Gale used to
occupy and which, since his death, has
been used as a store-room, was peculiar
shaped box with an oval top. There was
no apparent way of getting into it, but
after time it was discovered that a
section of the bottom could be removed
and inside the box was found Jacot
Gales will, where it had lain 81 years.
But there was still another surprise il
/, store. A few days ago Mr.. and Mrs. Lee
: II. Gale read an item in The Reformel
!. | about an old Bible owned in nearby
town They had several family Bible,
stored away and through curiosit.
brought them out. On opening one o.
them to learn the date on which it wa.
printed they found Lees grandmother
! will written on the fly leaf. 1t was il
:. full legal form in her own handwriting
g The wills of both Jacob Gale and hi
: wife were executed in 1881, few
. months before Mr. Gales death Eacl
: will was signed by three witnesses an.
: two of them signed both instruments
= All the witnesses are dead but their sig
! natures have been proven, SO the prop
: erty descends to Lee Gale without reser
= vation.