The Will of Charles Bush

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Series

Prompt: Where There's a Will

I was introduced to the will of Charles Bush by my cousin Bill Smith. Bill sent me quite a bit of information on the Bush family and copies of the will he had found online. There are several papers to a will such as Letters of Administration, Letters of testamentary, Minutes and Orders of Probate, Probate of the Will and the Record of Last Will and Testament. A good lesson in searching is to ensure that you dig to find all that you can.

Firstly Charles bequeaths to his son Hiram Wesley Bush the sum of one hundred dollars, his bedstead, the bedding that belongs to the bed, and his chest and its contents.

Secondly, he bequeaths to his daughter Alzira Jane Bush the sum of fifty dollars.

Thirdly, he bequeaths to his daughter Elizabeth Ann Bush the sum of fifty dollars.

Fourthly, he bequeaths to his son Charles Alvin Bush the sum of twenty-five dollars.

Fifthly, he bequeaths to his son Daniel E. Bush the farm of eighty-four acres with all the teams, tools, stock and everything else.

It is hard to know why Charles left his eldest son out of the will. Stephen Franklin Bush was running the farm with his wife and children at the time of his father’s death.  Stephen and Daniel had reached adulthood at the time of this will, but the younger four had not so they would have to wait until they reached the age of twenty-one to collect after their father’s death.

Bill told me that Daniel refused to be the executor of his father’s will and moved to Nebraska. By 1880 Stephen was living on the farm and working it with his brother Alvin, and they continued to farm in the district until the 1920’s.

https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYZ9-9CGG"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1942-24601-35782-88?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Will index 1830-1955 A-M > image 95 of 490; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-CSL"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-8181-16?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Letters of administration, Letters of testamentary 1868-1873 vol 5 > image 115 of 453; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YCY-9BW"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24597-1746-36?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Wills 1869-1872 vol 11 > image 274 of 441; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-SWN"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-1996-19?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Minutes, Orders 1868-1872 vol 9-10 > image 490 of 716; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-SWK"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-1999-10?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Minutes, Orders 1868-1872 vol 9-10 > image 498 of 716; county courthouses, New York.https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YZS-91P"New York Probate Records, 1629-1971," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1951-24602-1793-14?cc=1920234 : 28 May 2014), St. Lawrence > Minutes, Orders 1868-1872 vol 9-10 > image 499 of 716; county courthouses, New York.

Thank you for joining my search!

Dennis

Credit for this series to Amy Johnson Crow, Certified Genealogist