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WHILE HOLDING DOCUMENTS E • TITLING THEM TO MILLIONS,•strnnge Vicissitudes of » Family Which Might. Have Ileen Rolling in Wealth—•Heir* to Ten Million/* in the Poor* Hoii*e—llig Contingent Fee,Awhelica, Allegany County, Kr Y., Fob.L—Joh n Eudy and his sister Sarah have beeninmates o. the Allegany County poor house, in this village, for a quarter of a century. For a number of years the former has been periodically insane, and the latter is an idiot During the past few weeks they have leen the objects of much Interest on accountof their rich inheritance, which has changed their condition front pauperism to wealth, and revealed a chain of events which make up a very romantic story. The facts are asfo.lows:On Dec. 16y last, there ‘was recorded in Erie, Pa., the will of Lorenzo Eudy, by the provisions of which an inheritance valued at $10,000,000 is to be distributed to the heirs. In Saxony there is an estate of a baron,comprising 500 or 600 acres, which, in the eighteenth century*, descended to John Eudy in the line of natural succession. He had bom to him* three sons and four daughters, all of whom came to America and settled in Leyden, Franklin county, Mass. John, the eldest of these sons, married and bad a family ol three sons and three daughters. The sons were named Lorenzo, John, and William, The eldest daughter married Gardner Wells, the founder of Wellsville, N, Y. Mary diet! in May, 1HT1, and William* and Absing can not be round. John and Sarah, are in the county house at this place, and Lorenzo died at O. F. Butler’s, Poland Creek., N. Y., Oct. 10, 1885. A calf skin poeketbook bearing the imprint of tho Saxony coat of arms, containing a letter and his father’s will, wasfound among his things. The latter document bequeathed to each of his sons $100,000 in bonds and mortgages bearing 5 per cent interest, t go to them after his death, and in ease the father survived them to descend in like manner to the oldest male children.The letter requested John to show the letter to each of his brothers. He complied with the request, walking the entire distanca The history of the Eudys since their settlement in America is that of a band of aimless wanderers. When a large tract of land was purchased for the Indian reservation in the western part of New York the family were living near Tonawanda, within the limits of the reservation, and were compiled t« move to Dansvilie. All their household effects were piled on a wagon. A high wind was blowing that day, aud one of the boxes, containing several papers, was blown to the ground aud broken. The papers were scattered to the wind, and many of them lost After remaining in Dansville for a time the family removed to Whitney Valley. While living there on. advertisement in a religion* paper making inquiries for the descendants of John Eudy attractedthoir attention. They commenced search for the will, but wer# unable to fin/1 it, and concluded that it had been lost while moving ; the Indian reservation to Dans-Tb»p* enU finallv died at C’ana lea. this »ouity, w lithe- they hfd again moved, and Lorenzo came into possession .of his miller’s books and papers. He still continued to rove, living in various parts of the United States, until ho finally settlod in Corry, Pa.‘ During his residence there, while looking through some of tbo puprs lefthun by his fath r ho accidentally discovered the oldSaxony peketbook containing the will of his grandfather. This was on the first Sunday of December, 1880, und on the following day ho went t Erie, where ha/ engaged a German lawyer on a contingent fee t re-cover the estate. The attorney was to go to Germany, pay his- own ex pnsos. and if successful, voce ice 3 pr cent of the amount inherited. Carre spondence was opened with the properprtias in Germany, and the attorneylearned that the will was properly recorded. He so notified Lorenzo, and on April 8 vis ited him at Corry, telling him that lie was on his way to Germany. Lorenzo died from the effects of a paraly tic stroke at Poland Center, near Jamestown, N.. Y.r Oct 16, 1885. He left the original will, and also a letter from the attorney, which state* 1 that lie (the attorney) had .made a settlement in full for the share of Lorenzo, whichamounted to $0,700,000, and that if thebeirs to the other estates could not show as good a title as Ix«*enzo had shown, it would ill go to him, the total being three times great sr than Lorenzo's shaae. The lawyer made a good thing of it,, his fa* b ung nearly $3,000,000.
Newspaper Details
Dixon Evening Telegraph
Dixon, Illinois, US
Mon, Feb 01, 1886
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Morgan M.
USA 08 Mar 2022
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