The Real Estate Inheritance Marriage
When a Seattle man's son passed away, he left his property to his father, in trust for his widow—with a clause insisting they live under the same roof. The result was a local wedding that defied convention.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Recently, a strange occurrence took place in this city, where a young widow married her father-in-law, which might be more properly characterized as that of a man marrying his son's widow. As she had one child by her first husband, the product of the second marriage will be related to the first child rather peculiarly. However, this was a match of propriety as well as convenience. The son, when he died, left a will conveying all his property to his father, in trust for the use of his wife, and especially requesting that they should always live under the same roof. The father-in-law grew so fond of his daughter-in-law that a mutual attachment was soon formed, and last week their marriage was celebrated.
“This was a match of propriety as well as convenience.”
In 1876, marriage served as a legal instrument for property preservation, often dictating the domestic arrangements of grieving families. Today, the legal and social constraints surrounding property and inheritance have shifted, but the struggle to maintain stability—and keeping a roof over one's head—remains a core part of Seattle's evolving story.
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