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[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks for clarifying, Linda. I agree, these excerpts do sound more than fatherly . . .Did she inherit less than the sons? Wiki reads: "She and Seward's three surviving sons were named joint heirs of the Seward estate", but that still doesn't tell if the portions were equal ones. At least nowadays here it's easier to eclipse the spouse from inheritance (or diminish the statutory share by prior seperation of property and appropriation of a minor sum) while it's almost impossible to cut your children (biological or adopted) out of your will and of their statutory share. But maybe indeed US law in those days favored spouses rather than children (if that was the reason for adoption)? Does anyone know? I've always thought since her husband died without a will, Mary was very lucky to inherit the same share as the two sons (1/3), not less (here she would have inherited 1/4, Tad and Robert 3/4).