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Note to my Grandmother Biddle

I have copied this note exactly. It has very little punctuation and all the misspellings intact. The paragraphs are the same as on the note. Anything contained in parenthesis ( ) is in the document the same way. I have used brackets for my interpretation of a word { }.

First page

Mary Taylor died (age 90 years) at the hospital. Several heirs came to the funeral including Mrs Bevins her sister. She was passed 85 and almost blind, she traveled alone. Bonnie Clark took her to the train to go home had to find her ticket for her.

Bonnie wanted to be administrator, but the banker Mr Goodwine that took care of her business was appointed. Mr Goodwine told me, Bonnie & him went through her papers could find nothing about any heirs, he payed all the bills could find nothing about any heirs so the estate was closed and the money put in the bank for heirs when they were found.

The state appointed Mr Nichols a lawyer to find the heirs he hunted for 4 yrs, one heir came with her son talked to him but could tell nothing about the other heirs

Mrs Bevins, Mrs Taylors sister came back from Mon went to Penfield she had a nurse with her demanded all the estate said none of the others got any of it but she wouldn't tell who the others were she went home, died leaving a $10,000 estate and will that her son and husbands grave should always be taken care of, her lawyer broke the will and will divide this money to the same heirs that gets Mrs Taylors.

This man from Sty {looks like Sty} wanted to rent the house the banker said no, he had no right to rent it so he moves in anyway, finds that the taxes is due and the place was going to be sold, he pays them, then as this has to be advertised before he gets a deed, he advertises in a paper in a little town far from Penfield so no one would see it, but the banker had a lawyer friend named Mr Ernentrout {looks like Ernintrout} at champhain that saw it in the paper he tore it out and sent it to the banker the banker began trying to find the heirs again and the states lawyer write to the heirs he had found asking them to pay them to save the house they would'nt even answer his letters

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Marie was going to Danville so took Mom into Jessie Hendricks to stay, these people in the house were so sure they had the house that they began telling they get it for taxes because Mary Taylor had no heirs Jessie Hendric told Mom, she said Mary Taylor has Marie & Ruth, Mom went home wanted Clark to tell the Banker Clark said no that's just gossip I don't want to get mixed up in it

Jessie Hendric wanted to buy the house for her son so she had him phone the banker about you and I, then the banker phoned Clark got our address & wrote, we took our time about it so he phoned Clark again saying if we were the only heirs we could get the money by proving it right away

My dad gave me his bible and marriage license saying Mary Taylor had 2 sisters Rosa Hammer and our grandmother, the banker was happy said he would get his friend Mr Ernintrout to work for us cheap, went to see him thinking we were the only heirs besides George Black he told us to come back the next morning and he would contact the state lawyer about it, wanted me to find out from Bonnie Clark who was the preacher that they had at Mrs Taylor funeral. Clark Walter & I went to see (Bonnie) her. When I told her you & I were the only heirs, she said you surely are not, there is a big family of them several boys & girls, I felt like a fool then she goes and gets a groves Bible she said she took 2 - one a groves the other a Taylor the Taylor bible she gave to

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One of the other Taylor heirs, she was also a groves as 2 groves sisters married brothers named Taylor. The Groves bible Bonnie said she was keeping for herself, but said I could have it if I wanted it, she also said she thought it was a shame Mary Taylor had no stone on her grave when she had all that money also that the heirs at Litchfield Ill, deserved her money more as they were allway more interested in the family

The next morning we went to see the lawyer he had already found that there were other heirs Edith told me not to take the bibles but I told the lawyer about them so he had us go back get Mom the bibles & Bonnie and bring them in to see this state lawyer Mr Nichols, Bonnie was late because of a storm, couldn't tell much even if she did act like she knew so much about the family Edith said she knew our grandmother & grandfather talked to him lots he never mentioned any children but my grandmother & Rosa Hammer and Mary Taylor daughters of Mr Groves. One son had went to the civil war they could'nt locate him, I remembered that money papa gave us from our great grandfathers estate so the lawyer phoned the records at the court house there was none on record of Mr Groves (Mary Taylors father)

Both lawyers said I would have to pay those taxes or this man would get the

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house, Mr Nichols said he had wrote several times and the other heirs would'nt even answer I didn't have that much money with me and did'nt know if I should pay or not, but they said I could'nt loose as my share of the house would have to be more than that, Clark said he would write me a check for it if I wanted to pay. So I did, at that time they thought we would be the 5th or 6th heir, it has been proved there is more,

We come home papa did'nt know anything else to tell me, Mr Ernintrout went to Wash. Looked through the government files found that this James Groves had been discharged he wrote wanted to know if I found out anything, I went out to papas, he knew no more so I came home started to write then wondered about that old estate again Maureen & him were plowing in the back we went out to the field I asked him where this farm was that was settled then he remembered it had been in our great grandmothers name she died 1 mo before our grandmother did so this daughter Susan Taylor made the court sell this farm from our great grandfather and devide the money My Dad said George Black & our mother got our grandmothers share they expected $400.00 but they were so many heirs that they only got 200.00 apiece he thought, this happened between the yr 1904, 1906 the farm was a little town by Danville our grandfather Mr Scott and papa drove to

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Champhain to get the money papa stayed all night at our great grandfather Mr Groves he had a swell team of horses in the night he heard something outside got his shot gun and shot his nice big horse it had got loose, he thought it was someone after this farm was sold our great grandfather Mr Groves stayed with our Dad & Mother until she died he stayed at Mary Taylor where he died while we were going to school there in the country at Penfield he was a big man went with papa wherever he went, talked lots but not about these other children. Well after papa told me this wrote to the lawyer took me hours as I had to have the names years & all to make him understand but it was on record at the court house with all the heirs, so that was worth lots in helping find and prove who the heirs were If papa had'nt remembered that that estate was in our great grandmothers name I don't think they would ever have got it settled.

Then this Mr Hammer remembered this estate of George Black thinking he could prove we were'nt heirs it did'nt prove anything but that Mary Taylor Mrs Bevin and Susan Taylor got George Blacks estate that should have been yours & mine alone. They were scamps I think, they knew better Now all these heirs are desendents of brothers & sisters of Mary Taylor some of them are way over 100 yrs old our grandmother, Mary Taylors sister was 52 when she died our mother was 17 or 18 when our grandmother died it was 1 mo. before I was born, see how far back

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this estate goes, I understand it because I have studied it so hard and I agree with you it isn't enough to pay us for all the worry but I have learned lots about our family tree

Things I have remembered and thought must have been a dream have come out in this investuation {investigation} to be true, ones mind is a wonderful thing. One time our grandfather came and took me with him we walked from town to his farm I have never forgot that pretty hill and little house at the side of the road Years later when I was 15 we moved to the Baker farm at Monticello I was sure I had been on that hill before, as we talked about the life of our mother & grandfather my Dad told me that our grandfather lived on that same farm and took me home with him then I knew it was real and not a dream

I never wanted my Dad to talk about our mother because it always made me cry Bobs Biddles sat there and told about the night our mother died as thou it happened yesterday he remembered every detail and cryed he has nearly lived 2 lives one with Edith one with Lucy but our mother is as close to him as eltur {either} of them even if she has been dead so long. I'll always be grateful to Lucy for the happiness she has given him,

P.S. Mr Nichols is the states lawyer
Mr Ermintrout is our lawyer

(Mrs Bevin, Mary Taylors sister, our great aunt Mr Hammer is Rosa Hammers son. She is another sister)

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