Not Just the Oath, But the Will as Well! For William Frederick Poole

On Monday, October 28th, I posted a copy of the first document in the Probate packet for William F. Poole, my 2nd great-grandfather. The packet was quite large, and I was upset that there wasn't a will. An hour later, I decided to go to his wife's file, and there in a clear sheet protector were a few papers. I could see that the first one was the Executor's Oath (see below), but what were the other documents? One of the three single pages surprised me, there it was, smack in front of me...the Will! I don't even remember receiving this, and I guess it's because it is only one page long. I couldn't believe it because he had a wife and family, so I was expecting much more. I wanted to see if there were any old Poole documents, photos, and what books did he leave to the various libraries he worked in, as the Librarian, such as the Chicago, Cincinnati and Newberry Libraries. The other two pages were my bill (for this cost) and a certification (with seal) that I had copies of the letters to his estate.

The moral of this is twofold. Don't think for a minute you will remember everything you received in March 1999. And, keep everything pertaining to a person together, don't spread the documents around. If you do, at least make a copy stating where the original is. 

EXECUTOR’S OATH.

I do solemnly swear that this writing contains the true last will and testament of the within named William F. Poole deceased, so far as I know or believe, that I will well and truly execute the same by paying first the debts and then the legacies mentioned therein, as so far as his good and chattels will thereunto extend, and the law charge me that I will make a true and perfect inventory of all such goods and chattels, rights and credits, as may come to my hands or knowledge, belonging to the estate of the said deceased, and render a fair and just account of my executorship when thereunto required by law, to the best of my knowledge and abilities, so help me God.

                                      Subscribed and sworn to before me,

ROGER C. SULLIVAN, Clerk of the Probate Court of Cook County,  Fanny M. Poole

This __ day of March A. D. 1894

                   Roger C. Sullivan   Clerk.


The Will

This is the last will and testament of me, William F. Poole, Evanston, County of Cook, and the State of Illinois. I give devise and bequeath all the real and personal estate to which I shall be entitled at the time of my deceases, unto my beloved wife, Fanny M. Poole and I appoint the said Fanny M. Poole sole executrix of this my will, hereby revoking all other testamentary writings. I direct that my said executrix shall be exempt from the necessity of giving bands.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 18th day of January, A. D. 1888.

                                                                      William F. Poole  (seal)

The within and foregoing instrument was signed by William F. Poole, the testator therein named, and by him declared to be his last will and testament, in the presence of me, who, at his request, and in his presence and in the presence of each other, have hereto subscribed our names as witnesses.

                                        Daniel L. Shorey   Chicago, Ill.

                                        John J. Herrick   Chicago, Ill.

                                        William Eliot Furness   Chicago, Ill.

_______________

Estate:    William F. Poole
File Number:      11-5934
Docket:                       033
Page:                           244

Note: When I requested the file, I was billed $24, which included 39 xeroxed pages, the certification and postage.

October Fall in New England Not So Hot

Andover, Boxford, Cambridge, Lincoln, Lowell and Sudbury, Massachusetts and Keene, New Hampshire represented below.

The photos below were taken last year. Red was everywhere in 2012.

Keene, New Hampshire above.

 Lowell, Massachusetts, along the Merrimack River (above).

Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts (above and below).

Brookline, New Hampshire Bridge and Fall All Around

Brookline, New Hampshire

1769

This bridge is not old, it was built 2001- 2003.  See HERE.

Probate for William Frederick Poole -- Part 1

After ten years, I've finally decided to read everything in the Probate packet I received so long ago. The probate is quite long, and might be of interest to those who are familiar with my 2nd great-grandfather, William Frederick Poole. Even though the below document states he signed his will, I didn't receive a copy with the 44 other pages.

State of Illinois,     )

                          )  ss.

County of Cook       )

                                                In the Probate Court of Cook County.

In the Matter of 

the Estate of 

William F. Poole,

deceased.

Testimony taken on the 15^th day of March, A. D. 1894 as to proof of will and heirship in the above-entitled estate.

William Eliot Furness,

being duly sworn, was examined by Mr. Kinnare and testified as follows:

Q  Give your full name, Mr. Furness? A  William Eliot Furness.

Q  Where do you reside?  A  Chicago.

Q  Give the street and number, please?  A  417 Orchard Street, Chicago.

Q  How old are you?  A  Fifty-four.

Q  Occupation?  A  Attorney at law.

Q  Look at the instrument now shown you purporting to be the last will and testament of William F. Poole, and say whether or not your name and signature is written on it?  A  Yes sir.

Q  Who asked you to sign your name to this instrument?  A  William F. Poole.

Q  For what purpose did you sign your name?  A  As a witness to his will.

Q  Did you see William F. Poole sign his name to this instrument?  A  Yes sir.

Q  Did William F. Poole see you sign your name to it?  A  Yes sir.

Q  Who were present when William F. Poole signed his name?  A  Daniel L. Shorey, John J. Herrick and William F. Poole, when I signed, and when he signed it, Daniel L. Shorey, John J. Herrick, William Eliot Furness and William F. Poole.

Q  What date was it that William F. Poole and the witnesses signed their names to this instrument?  A  On the 18^th day of January, 1888.

Q  How old was William F. Poole at that time?  A  I should think he was about sixty.

Q  What condition of the mind and memory of William F. Poole when he signed his name to this instrument?  A  Good and sound.

Q  Do you believe that when William F. Poole signed his name to this instrument that he was of sound and disposing mind and memory?  A  I do.

Q  Did William F. Poole marry after he signed his name to this instrument?  A  No sir.

Mrs. Fanny N. Poole,

being duly sworn, was examined by Mr. Kinnare, and testified as follows:

Q  What is your name?  A  Fanny M. Poole.

Q  Where do you reside?  A  Evanston.

Q  Evanston, Cook County, Illinois?  A  Yes sir.

Q  How old are you?  A  Sixty.

Q  Are you the widow of William F. Poole deceased?  A  I am.

Q How old was William F. Poole when he died?  A  Seventy-two.

Q  How old was he when you first became acquainted with him?  A Thirty-one.

Q  Did you know him from that time up to the time of his death?  A  Yes sir.

Q  How many times was William F. Poole married?  A  Once.

Q  And then to yourself?  A  Yes sir.

Q  Did you live with him as his wife up to the time of his death?  A  Yes sir.

Q  How many children were ever born to William F. Poole and yourself?  A  Seven.

Q Give their names, commencing with the first one?  Abstract for their four children is below:

Alice P. Holbrook, still living, and husband’s full name is Zephaniah S.  Alice is 38 and her husband is still living.

Annie is still living and husband’s full name is Charles Clarence Poole. Annie is 36 and her husband is still living.

Mary, is still living, is not married and is 33.

William Fred is still living and is 26.

Q  Give the names of the children now dead?  A  Fannie, Helen and Eliza.

Q And did Fannie, Helen and Eliza all die before the death of William F. Poole, their     father?  A  Yes sir.

Q  Which lived to be the oldest?  A  Eliza.

Q  How old did she live to be?  A  Five years.

Q  So that when William F. Poole died he left him surviving Fannie M. Poole, yourself, his wife, Alice P. Holbrook, wife of Zephaniah S. Holbrook, his daughter, Annie Poole, wife of Charles Clarence Poole, his daughter, Mary Poole, his daughter and William Fred Poole, his son, his only hairs at law and next of Kin? A  Yes sir.

Q. Do you acknowledge that to your name and signature (indicating)?  A  I do.

State of Illinois,     )

                           )  ss.       

County of Cook       )

                   Murray J. Brady, being duly sworn, says that he is a shorthand reporter, that he took the testimony in the matter of the proof of will and heirship of William F. Poole, deceased, of William Eliot Furness and Mrs. Fannie N. [sic] Poole, in the Probate Court of Cook County on the 15^th day of March, 1894, and that the foregoing is the correct report of such testimony.

                                                                   Murray J. Brady

Subscribed and sworn to before me

This 20^th day of March, A. D. 1894.

          J. B. Bennett

           Notary Public, Cook County.
___________
Additional information: I located a separate document, deposition given by Daniel Louis Shorey of 5520 Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. He was 70 year old lawyer. He testified that he saw William F. Poole sign his will.

Meeting up with Blogger Friends -- Part 2

Within the past month, I've met with two genealogy blogger friends. First was Cynthia Shenette who has the Heritage Zen blog. My outing with her can be seen in Part 1, HERE. The second outing was with Diane MacLean Boumenot of the One Rhode Island Family blog. I had met each of them four times, so they weren't "new" to me. Below are photos taken last Saturday when Diane and I met in Lexington, Massachusetts (where I once lived for 8 years), and Concord, Massachusetts. It was a perfect weather day, lunch was good and while I was there I took photos of me in old yearbooks, which I'll post at another time.

First two photos taken at the Lexington Green.

Old cemetery behind the above church.

We drove to Concord, and saw the sights at the Old North Bridge.

Diane taking a picture of the Concord Minuteman.

  

Diane had a tourist take a picture of the two of us. I am holding the iPad.

Meeting up with Blogger Friends -- Part 1

Within the past month, I've met with two genealogy blogger friends. First was Cynthia Shenette who has the Heritage Zen blog. And the second was with Diane MacLean Boumenot of the One Rhode Island Family blog. I had met each of them four times, so they weren't "new" to me. Below are photos taken almost a month ago in Harvard, Massachusetts, where Cynthia and I visited the Fruitlands Museum. To give you an understanding what it is, Wikipedia writes, "The property was purchased in 1910 by Clara Endicott Sears, who opened the farmhouse to the public in 1914 as a museum.^[5] In addition to the Fruitlands building, the site now includes a transplanted Shaker house from the nearby Harvard Shaker Village, Native American artifacts and Hudson River School paintings.^[6] The museum is primarily the result of the efforts of Sears, a preservationist." We had a very nice time, weather was absolutely perfect for walking, even though the pictures show a threatening sky.

The red house above was where Louisa May Alcott and her family lived for six months. Below is an original sofa where she sat (we were not allowed to sit on it, of course). From MassMoments, the article tells us that the Alcott family arrived at Harvard, MA from Concord, MA on June 1, 1943. Interesting article may be seen at:

http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=162

Shaker house. Wish I had taken photos inside, but I managed a shot from the back.

In the art museum, I took this photo called, Sunset in the Tropics, 1868 by Frederick Edwin Church.

The year before, Cindy and I met in Boston to tour The Gibson House Museum. From their website, "Built in 1859-60, the Gibson House stands as the historic house museum of the Back Bay. In 2001, the National Park Service declared the Gibson House a National Historic Landmark. It is unique as an unspoiled single-family residence that retains its kitchen, scullery, butler’s pantry and water closets, as well as formal rooms and private family quarters, filled with the Gibsons’ original furniture and personal possessions. Visitors enjoy a glimpse of the lives of a well-to-do Boston family and their domestic staff." We loved this old house, even though it was rather dark inside and the stairs didn't look safe, we still enjoyed ourselves. I wish I'd taken more photos, but couldn't becauswe it was quite dark inside.

UPDATE: Fall 2016 article

Cornish, New Hampshire -- Windsor, Vermont Bridge

Walk Your Horses Or Pay Two Dollars Fine.

Cornish - Windsor Bridge

Build in 1866 at a cost of $9,000, this is the

longest wooden bridge in the United States and

the longest two-span covered bridge in the world.

The fourth bridge at this site, the 460-foot

structure was built by Dela J. Fletcher (1811-1877)

of Claremont and James F. Tasker (1826-1903)

of Cornish, using a lattice truss patented by

architect Ithiel Town in 1820 and 1835. Built as

a toll bridge by a private corporation, the  span

was purchased by the state of New Hampshire in

1836 and made toll-free in 1943.

North Parish Church, Founded 1645, North Andover, Massachusetts

Photo taken October 18, 2013, all others on Memorial Day, 2013.

All previous New England Churche posts may be seen under my Tab labeled Churches.

Woburn Public Library / Winn Memorial Library, Woburn, Massachusetts (See the Resources for Genealogists)

45 Pleasant St, Woburn, MA 01801

Phone: (781) 933-0148

Website: https://woburnpubliclibrary.org/

In October 2013, I posted my photos and information about this huge 1879 library and was quite concerned when I saw they were going to enlarge it. I didn't want anything changed. So, when I returned on February 10, 2024, and saw no changes, I was surprised. The above photo is what I took. A ride around to the new parking area showed me the enlargement. Even if you aren't there to get a book or do genealogy, I think you would enjoy walking around, you will come away amazed.

I took so many pictures, but I feel the ones below will give you an idea of this lovely library. The only thing wrong was, I went on a Saturday and the archivist wasn't working and her office was closed. There is an Archives and Local History links below. Some of my surnames from Woburn are Brooks, Carter, Green, Page, Poole, and Winn.

Where the old meets the new.

This used to be the children's room. The Artifacts Room is under lock and key. I was able to see inside to take a few pictures prior to somebody who had an appointment.

Copy of a painting of Thomas Carter's Ordination Ceremony. He was my 9th great-grandfather.

There was a long list of their holdings.

ARCHIVES & LOCAL HISTORY

• Archives
• Digital Collections
• Archive Online
  • WMHS Yearbooks
• Newspaper Indexes
• Research The Collections
• Research Request Form
• Woburn Photographers

Below is my October  17, 2013 post.

This library is one of the largest I've been in, but the most crowded. There are plans to raise funds to eventually enlarge this Library.

The sign is announcing the future plans for the library.

Copy of a painting of Thomas Carter's Ordination Ceremony. He was my 9th great-grandfather.

Genealogy books behind locked cabinet.

Microfilm cabinets, below.

I love the reading room. So many books and no space for more. Nobody was allowed to climb the stairs.

Extremely small computer area (above) and tiny Children's room (below).

Woburn books (above) and genealogy 

information below.

The steps I saw as I entered the Library.