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 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.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, TERRITORY OF WASHINGTON, County of King: In the matter of the estate of Alfred B. Jones, deceased. Notice is hereby given to the creditors of said deceased that the undersigned has been appointed by the Probate Court of King County, Washington Territory, executor of the last will and testament of said deceased. All persons having claims against said deceased are requested to present them, with the necessary vouchers, within one year after the date of this notice, to the undersigned, at the store of Phillip West, Front Street. All such claims shall be barred by law. Dated October 4, 1876. R. M. M'Gough, Executor of the last will and testament of Alfred B. Jones, deceased.
“All persons having claims against said deceased are requested to present them... within one year after the date of this notice.”
This notice highlights the rigid legal infrastructure established in Seattle even as the city was still in its infancy. Today, the process of probate and settling debts remains a fundamental part of the city's housing and land markets, though the 'Front Street' of 1876—now the bustling First Avenue—has seen its original storefronts replaced by skyscrapers and luxury condos.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.