Flipside: Last Will and Testament of Mary Louise Hill VanGilder

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Last Will and Testament of Mary Louise Hill VanGilder

VanGilder gathering between 1904-1909
Morgantown, West Virginia

Geez Louise!! What a great find today out on ancestry. I was actually wandering around looking for additional blog material about my paternal great grand aunt, Mary Frances VanGilder. There was a listing for a last will for Mary VanGilder and with fingers crossed, I opened it up. Bummer, it was only a name and page number. Fortunately, I was able to get far enough through the listings to see that the actual wills were typed on the later pages. And there, on page 112 and 113 was the Last Will and Testament of Mary VanGilder.

.....but it wasn't for Mary Frances. It was the will of my paternal great great grandmother, Mary Louise Hill VanGilder. WAHOO!!! It took me two readings to see one of the most interesting sentences down at the bottom, just above Mary's signature, "If Jessie VanGilder can sell the children's share of the land and put the money where it will help support them, I want her to do it."

Jessie VanGilder is my paternal great grandmother. Jessie was married to George Ethelbert VanGilder who predeceased his mother, Mary. The will lists the three remaining sons to share the remainder of the VanGilder land after her daughters receive their share. The will also states the heirs of the three sons (written as ears in the will) will receive their father's share. I will have to do further research to find the bill of sale for Jessie's land sale. My paternal grandmother, Sarah Margaret VanGilder (aka Grams) would have been one of the heirs that the land was sold to help support.

This story is not finished. I need to do more research.

A sample of some VanGilder blogs on Flipside:

Mary Louise Hill VanGilder

Jessie Poole VanGilder

George Ethelbert VanGilder I'm in shock that I have not written more. I need to get busy ;-)

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