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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 9 |
| 1895 | 8 |
| 1903 | 9 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
50 stories matching executor
- The Executor Who Tore Down the House
When a court ordered an executor to account for an estate, he decided to simply remove the buildings from the land entirely to bypass the judge.
- The Heiress, the Invalid, and the Absent Executor
A nineteen-year-old Snoqualmie woman fights a legal battle against a powerful executor who left her destitute and in debt despite a $100,000 family estate.
- A Daughter's $750 Secret: Seattle Heiress Sues Her Father's Estate
Lucy Sprague says her father, a celebrated general, sold her Ohio inheritance when she was a child and kept the money—and the guardianship—hidden for decades.
- The Real Estate Auction That Built Seattle’s First Suburbs
In March 1889, just months after the Great Fire devastated downtown, executors of James Crawford’s estate sold off dozens of city lots in a public auction at Occidental Square. These parcels would become the foundation for neighborhoods like Judkins and Bellevue.
- The Great Timber Sell-Off
Thousands of acres of Snohomish County wilderness go under the hammer as the estate of Arthur Phinney is liquidated.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.
- Will Walla Walla Lose a Noble Charity?
A critical donation is needed to secure the Stubblefield Home, but local leaders are debating who should foot the bill.
- A Hidden Testament Reveals New Heir to Shoemaker's Estate
After Paul Mulkey’s death, a long-lost will surfaced, overturning the previous court-appointed guardianship and naming an unexpected executrix.
- A Defaulting Treasurer’s Debt Finally Comes Due—for a Governor and His Bondsmen
A Seattle judge orders E. P. Ferry and other sureties to pay King County $29,143.60 plus years of interest for George D. Hill’s vanished public funds.
- A Will on Note Paper Survives a Husband’s Challenge
A Seattle court admits Lena Shay Baldwin’s handwritten will, ending a long contest with her surviving husband over Washington, D.C. property, family furniture and jewelry.
- The Real Estate Fire Sale of the Comstock Estate
A court-ordered liquidation of downtown Seattle property hits the market, signaling the rapid consolidation of city center land during the late 19th-century boom.
- The Unfinished Business of Alfred H. Jones
A standard probate notice reveals the vanishing point of a pioneer's life in 1876 Seattle, where debts and assets were tied to the rapidly developing corners of Third and Union.
- The Unfinished Business of Alfred B. Jones
A legal notice from 1876 reveals the mundane yet pressing reality of settling an estate in the early days of Seattle.
- The Dispossession of Josephine Hatch
A Snohomish widow, unable to speak English, sues a powerful land conglomerate for swindling her out of a multi-million dollar stake in the founding of Everett.
- The Forgotten Heir of Everett
A legal battle pits an Indigenous heir against local titans in the fight for the heart of a burgeoning city.
- The Treasurer Who Vanished, Then Wrote Home From Puget Sound
An Iowa county official disappeared in the 1870s. After his death, his family gathered at the Olympia Hotel to settle an estate—and letters revealed a hidden life, a bank failure, and a real-estate boom he hoped would make restitution possible.
- The Property Battle for Old Seattle
A lawyer and property claimant fight to secure titles to a sprawling Seattle donation land claim amidst territorial legal confusion.
- A Widow’s Two Wills, a Husband’s Challenge, and a Fortune Tied to Seattle
Dr. Aaron Baldwin contests the estate of Lena Shay Baldwin, arguing that property left to her Seattle siblings was really his—and that the case belongs in Washington, D.C., not King County.
- The Hatch Heirs' Victory: A Seattle Attorney Wins Half of a $400,000 Everett Tract
A federal appeals court upholds the rights of the children of Ezra Hatch—a Mexican War veteran who married an Indian woman—to 128 acres in the heart of Everett, and their lawyer, A.D. Warner, takes home half.
- The Rent Was Due: A 15-Year Lease and a $3,886 Bill
Sarah Woodward, executor of Henry S. Woodward’s estate, sued Gustave Winehill over a Maynard’s Plat lease—asking for back rent, double rent and possession of the property.
- The Ghost Deed: How a Secret Land Grab Stole Seattle’s Future
A legal battle erupts over Burke’s Second Addition after it is revealed that W.H. Bourn Sr. used a dying partner to hold title to prime land, leaving his estate vulnerable to fraud.
- The Great Seattle Water Contract Scandal
A local newspaper investigation exposes suspicious water hydrant contracts, accusing city officials of mismanagement and sweetheart deals ahead of a heated municipal election.
- A Widow’s Fight for the Heart of Everett
A legal battle erupts over property rights in the rapidly growing city of Everett, pitting a grieving widow against the powerful Everett Land Company.
- The Final Division of the Terry Estate
After twenty years of shared ownership, the heirs of Seattle pioneer C.C. Terry divide the family’s downtown real estate holdings.
- The Battle for a Saloon and the Dead Woman’s Secret Will
A saloon owner’s last will and testament sparks a fierce probate fight between her bartender and her estranged children.
Also about this, in other words
- Legislature Moves to Protect Debtors from Foreclosure
A new bill seeks to allow judgment debtors to retain possession and profits of their property during the legal redemption period.
- The Runaway Administrator
A local businessman is arrested for failing to account for the estate of a deceased resident in Kitsap County.
- The Last of the Crib-Dwellers
A railroad company successfully clears the last remaining shack underneath the King Street trestle.
- Former County Clerk Sentenced for Embezzlement
William P. Fenimore receives the minimum sentence after a jury recommends leniency due to his 'exemplary character'.
- A Final, Sudden Act
A Tacoma resident died suddenly while in the act of signing his last will and testament, which was noted for its extreme brevity.
- The Ex-Dog Catcher Who Turned a Liquor License Into a Shakedown
E. W. Bates was bound over for extortion after prosecutors said he threatened to have a man arrested for selling liquor without a license unless he paid up.
- The Ex-Treasurer's Appeal Stalled Over Unpaid Court Fees
Adolph Krug, sentenced to seven years for embezzling while Seattle city treasurer, failed to perfect his Supreme Court appeal—because the clerk's fees went unpaid.
- He Sold the Homestead and Left His Family Behind
A divorced rancher liquidates his property and disappears, prompting talk of a contempt charge.