Hi Bob and Leslie Thank you for both the will and the response. Very interesting reading. I have passed your message on to a friend who enjoys researching old wills. Therein lies a great plot for a novel I feel. Cheers Beryl Beryl O'Gorman Greensborough Victoria Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: "Leslie Potter" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 1:59 AM Subject: Re: [Rensselaer] Is there something going on here? > Dear Bob Miller, > > Surely you have heard all of the fairy tales in which one of the > characters in the story was the "wicked step-mother"? There is a > factual basis in human experience for that stereo type. At first blush, > I would venture to say that at the very least Lucinda was worried about > protecting her sons from what might happen if Charlie married a second > time and produced children by his second wife. Charlie might also have > had other problems of his own which would have lead Lucinda fear that > Charlie might dissipate the assets of her estate; thereby, leaving her > sons without an inheritance. > > The scrivener, who wrote the will of Lucinda Felton Miller, drafted well > crafted and sound life estate provision. Any time you find such well > crafted and comprehensive provisions in a testamentary instrument, you > can be your bottom dollar that there were recognizable problems in the > family. (That is not to say that a testator who publishes a "garden > variety" testamentary instrument does not have problems in his/her > family.) One sees testamentary instruments like Lucinda Felton Miller's > will from time to time, but such wills are not in the majority. Please > note that I have never done a statistical annalysis of the wills > probated in Rensselear or any other county. My comments are made from > my perspective of being an attorney, who was admitted to practice in the > Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1972, and having been engaged in > historical research in primary legal documents since 1965. > > Very truly yours, > > Leslie Potter > Glen Mills, PA >