Sarah Slater's will

[Susan Higginbotham]

I recently obtained the court file containing the will and probate records for Sarah A. Spencer, known in her younger days as Sarah Slater. Thought you might be interested in my blog post about the will's contents and about the beneficiaries. (Ironically, Sarah's executrix kept a boardinghouse!). There's also a link to a scanned copy of the will on my website.

http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/po...testament/

[RJNorton]

Fascinating, Susan!

Forum member Cliff Roberts once enhanced and posted the only known photo thought to be Sarah Slater. Here is what Cliff posted:

Cliff's larger, enhanced image is based on a picture from John Headley's Confederate Operations in Canada and New York.

[BettyO]

Absolutely fascinating, Susan! Thanks so much for sharing - I love these sort of things.....

A few years back, I found Mary Branson's will and she, too was quite a well propertied lady before her death in 1871.

[L Verge]

Great information, Susan. Would you like to do an article on it for the Surratt Courier?

[Susan Higginbotham]

(09-24-2015 08:23 AM)L Verge Wrote:  Great information, Susan. Would you like to do an article on it for the Surratt Courier?

Sure!

[Gene C]

Interesting point that her headstone shows her age as 12 years younger than your article. 1843 vs. 1855
I imagine that can make it difficult to confirm you have the right grave even though she's buried next to her mother and sister?

[Susan Higginbotham]

(09-24-2015 09:15 AM)Gene C Wrote:  Interesting point that her headstone shows her age as 12 years younger than your article. 1843 vs. 1855
I imagine that can make it difficult to confirm you have the right grave even though she's buried next to her mother and sister?

As well as the evidence mentioned by John Stanton in his Courier articles, the court filing of James W. Gilbert was most helpful in this regard--he mentions a deed to Sarah Antoinette Gilbert Long ("Long" being the surname of Sarah's second hubby) as well as another deed to Sarah's mother.

I'm very curious to see what age Sarah's death certificate gives for her. I ordered it from New York Vital Records, but they move slowly up there.

[BettyO]

Susan - I have ordered documents from the NY Vital Statistics and I found they were pretty quick - about a week turn-around-time.

Don't know why ladies lied about their ages so. I found Mary Branson, Lew Powell's girlfriend, claimed that she was the younger daughter. It was always stated in most histories of the assassination that she was the younger of the two Branson sisters - not so! Her christening record gives her birthday as December 7, 1828 while her death certificate dated January 15, 1871 gives her age as "40." If the christening records are correct (and why wouldn't they be?) She was approximately 43 years old when she died and 37 years old when Lew Powell (age 20) was courting her. She must have been a pretty well-preserved cougar....

Mary's sister, Maggie's christening records give her birth date as August 1834 - and her tombstone in Towson, Maryland states the same -

[Susan Higginbotham]

(09-24-2015 01:17 PM)BettyO Wrote:  Susan - I have ordered documents from the NY Vital Statistics and I found they were pretty quick - about a week turn-around-time.

Don't know why ladies lied about their ages so. I found Mary Branson, Lew Powell's girlfriend, claimed that she was the younger daughter. It was always stated in most histories of the assassination that she was the younger of the two Branson sisters - not so! Her christening record gives her birthday as December 7, 1828 while her death certificate dated January 15, 1871 gives her age as "40." If the christening records are correct (and why wouldn't they be?) She was approximately 43 years old when she died and 37 years old when Lew Powell (age 20) was courting her. She must have been a pretty well-preserved cougar....

Mary's sister, Maggie's christening records give her birth date as August 1834 - and her tombstone in Towson, Maryland states the same -

NY cashed my check about three weeks ago--still no death certificate!

I suspect a lot of ladies took the attitude that if they could plausibly pass for a few years younger than their true age, they might as well turn back the hands of time a bit. Not very nice for modern-day researchers!