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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1903 | 3 |
12 stories matching bequest
- The Ghost of a Civic Dream: Seattle’s Lost City Hall
A century-old bequest for a grand municipal building sits unclaimed, as a local property owner laments the city's scattered, inefficient offices.
- A Bequest for Orphans Caught in Legal Limbo
Local community leaders push to settle a will contest that threatens the establishment of the Stubblefield home for indigent widows and orphans.
- The Widow, the Missing Will, and the Yesler Homestead
Mary Booth lived nineteen years at Sixth and Jefferson before Henry Yesler's promised bequest vanished and the house passed into his estate.
- The Salvation Army’s Plan to Turn a Kitsap Farm Into a Lifeline for Seattle’s Unemployed
With a 250-acre bequest near Sidney and a crowded food-and-shelter depot at Weller and South Third, the Army proposed a co-operative farm, woodyard and prison-gate brigade to put hundreds of jobless men to work.
- A Norwegian Teamster's Last Will: Despair, Disease, and a Sweetheart Left Behind
Fred Syvrud, a 36-year-old teamster, took his own life in a Seattle boarding house, leaving his property to a woman in Norway and blaming an incurable disease.
- The Yesler Will Case: A Dead Millionaire, a Missing Will, and a Widow on Trial
In a Seattle courtroom, prosecutors argue that Mrs. Yesler conspired to destroy her husband's will—while defense lawyers call the case a web of speculation and newspaper rumor.
- A Captain's Fortune and the Daughters Who Couldn't Prove They Were Family
Washington's supreme court threw out a contest over the $500,000 estate of Port Blakely mill man William Renton because the claimants could not show they were adopted.
- The Fight to Bring the Stubblefield Home to Walla Walla
Legal opinion finds county commissioners are authorized to donate public funds to secure a landmark charitable trust.
- 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.
- Walla Walla Rallies to Secure Stubblefield Home
Walla Walla leaders convene to secure a charitable bequest, requiring $10,000 to be raised within weeks to establish a local home.
- Seattle’s Half-Million-Dollar Canal Fund Was $16,000 Short
A subscription drive for the South Canal neared its half-million-dollar goal in 1896, with bricklayers pledging $1,000 apiece and boosters pressing tardy donors to pay up.
- One Dollar Apiece: A Seattle Will Cuts Off Two Daughters
Caroline Lemon’s estate went mostly to her daughter-in-law, while Amanda Alden and Jane Gooden were left single-dollar bequests.
Also about this, in other words
- The Last Stand of Bebe Low: A Saloon Keeper’s Final Plea
In August 1876, Seattle saloon owner Bebe Low publicly demanded his debts be settled before disappearing from the city, leaving behind a cryptic notice and a legacy of vanished frontier commerce.
- The Secret Fortune of the Bereaved Bride
A newlywed widow, grieving the loss of her husband in a tragic, rapid courtship, remains unaware of the $10,000 legacy held in her name.
- A Centennial Benefactor
A local church society, struggling under the weight of debt, receives a surprise donation from a 101-year-old woman in Massachusetts.
- 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 Unquestionable Will of Bailey Gatzert
Seattle’s prominent civic leader leaves a massive estate with ironclad instructions that bar his beneficiaries from ever challenging his wishes in court.
- The Grandfather, the Grandson, and the Five Acres That Vanished From the Deed
Seymour Wetmore meant to give 14-year-old Clyde a share of the family farm. A guardianship fight and a pair of recorded deeds left the boy with nothing—so the old man is suing to undo the transfer.
- The Mother Who Disinherited Her Sons Based on Financial Competence
A Seattle widow pens a remarkably candid will, detailing exactly why she believes her sons are incapable of managing her estate while praising her daughter's business acumen.
- The Terrier Who Took His Bedtime Seriously
When his mistress tried to teach a pet a lesson in discipline, the dog showed he was two steps ahead.