Hello List! Can anybody tell me what the Westmoreland "Letters of Administration" are that appear in "Treasures of the Past"? I'm looking at this one: <<France Abraham / 4 Jun. 1779 / Catherine France & her brother Thomas Williams>> Abraham France is probably Catherine's son, and her brother may be a guardian following the death of Abraham Sr., which I think was during that year. Is it regarding property transfer? Estate settlement? Gueardianship? Tom

I'm not sure what it means in Pennsylania, but in Texas Letters of Administration are given by a court to the executor of a will to show that they have the authority to gather the information and handle an estate. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Chapman" <SurfCityTom@socal.rr.com> To: <PAWESTMO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2005 9:57 PM Subject: [PAWESTMO-L] Treasures - Letters > Hello List! > > Can anybody tell me what the Westmoreland "Letters of Administration" are that appear in "Treasures of the Past"? > > I'm looking at this one: > > <<France Abraham / 4 Jun. 1779 / Catherine France & her brother Thomas Williams>> > > Abraham France is probably Catherine's son, and her brother may be a guardian following the death of Abraham Sr., which I think was during that year. > > Is it regarding property transfer? Estate settlement? Gueardianship? > > Tom > > > ==== PAWESTMO Mailing List ==== > >

In Pennsylvania, Letters of Administration ( why it isn't Letter,singular, since you only get one, I don't know) are granted by the Orphan's court to someone interested in having an estate settled. There is a priority list which ordains who gets the privilege, but within the class, it's who gets to the Clerk of court first (usually). Letters are granted where there is no will , or where the will has not directed someone to act as executor (one who EXECUTES the "will of the decedent". Letters cum testamento annexo ( Latin for "with will attached") are granted where the executor named is dead, unwilling to, or unable to, serve. What is IMPORTANT to know is that , in the old days, real estate passed to heirs by law, not by will: the only thing that executors or administrators were good for was to pay debts; marshall assets; sell, if necessary, personalty, and carry out the wishes of the decedent AS TO PERSONALTY. This is why none of the old wills talk about who gets the south forty. Shakespeare's will speaks of feather beds, but not of fields. Recent Wills Acts have given execs and admns the power to deal with realty, but check with your attorney for the effective date of these in your state. For the reason above, the deed registry, giving the facts of the heirs' transferring real estate, might give the genealogist more names than the Orphans Court records in early Pennsylvania; i.e. deeds transfer real property (land) , wills transfer money and personal property. Of course, there are trusts and widow's dower rights, but those are another lesson. Allen D. McCrady ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Chapman" <SurfCityTom@socal.rr.com> To: <PAWESTMO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2005 8:57 PM Subject: [PAWESTMO-L] Treasures - Letters > Hello List! > > Can anybody tell me what the Westmoreland "Letters of Administration" are > that appear in "Treasures of the Past"? > > I'm looking at this one: > > <<France Abraham / 4 Jun. 1779 / Catherine France & her brother Thomas > Williams>> > > Abraham France is probably Catherine's son, and her brother may be a > guardian following the death of Abraham Sr., which I think was during that > year. > > Is it regarding property transfer? Estate settlement? Gueardianship? > > Tom > > > ==== PAWESTMO Mailing List ==== > > >