Ancient, Curious, and Famous WillsHarris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
History
Ancient, Curious, and Famous Wills
Harris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
Wills
“Forty years ago a boy and a girl married. He had nothing. She had saved
five hundred dollars teaching school. They bought a farm, paying her
five hundred dollars down, and taking a mortgage for the balance. Title
was taken in the husband’s name. They worked together for forty years.
He died, leaving no will. There were no children. Under the law of the
State the property went to his brothers and sisters, all old, all
well-to-do. The personalty amounted to very little. The wife’s dower,
the use of one-third during her life, amounts to less than $200 a year,
and this is her sole support in her old age.
“In that section of the country women can get one dollar a day for at
least half the year working in fruit, tying grape-vines, putting handles
on baskets, picking berries, cherries, and currants, and packing grapes,
peaches and plums. Household service is always at a premium, as no one
there will go out to do that kind of work. They are the descendants of
the old settlers and are proud. The married women work in the fruit in
the daytime, and perform their household duties at night. This means
baking and cooking and stewing, and washing and ironing and mending for
the hired men as well as the family. Incidentally they raise children.
No one person could be hired to do this work. They do it for love, but
we believe there is no insurmountable obstacle in the way of getting
both love and justice; we believe that love and injustice are
irreconcilable,--and if we _must_ choose between them, my advice is to
exact justice and take a chance on love.
“To wife’s services, 40 years at $3 per week (worth $5),
allowing for clothing, which she makes herself and which
seldom equals and rarely exceeds $30 a year, about $30,000
To $500 and interest, 40 years, about 6,000
-------
Total $36,000
“Would the whole estate have been more than this wife was entitled to?
“A bride was presented by her uncle with $2000, with which the thrifty
bridegroom bought sheep. It proved a profitable investment, and in time
they were well-to-do. At the expiration of fifty years of matrimony and
mutual toil (which included the rearing of six children) the husband
died. By his last will and testament he gave to his beloved wife two
thousand dollars in cash, or her dower interest in his real estate. The
wife took the cash. Her original two thousand dollars for fifty years
then amounted to about $60,000.
“This shows that a wife may be considered to be a good investment.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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