Settling Richard Swinson’s Affairs
On November 8, 1870, 63-year-old farmer Richard Swinson of Petty Township, Lawrence County, Illinois, sat down to settle his affairs by writing his Last Will and Testament—and apparently to assign rooms with the precision of a hotel clerk. After his debts and funeral expenses, his wife Annie received use of the southwest room in the family home, whatever furniture she needed, enough income for her comfort, and a decent burial.
The children’s shares had more range. Elizabeth Jane could occupy a room in the house as long as she remained single and wanted it. John Reiley Swenson received 15 acres of a 40- acre farm. Mary Linda (Swinson) Marrata received one dollar. In modern terms: Elizabeth got extended-stay lodging, John got real estate, and Mary got enough to make the point unmistakable.
Everything else—real property, personal property, and presumably anything not nailed down—was to be divided equally among Jeremiah, John Reilly, Andrew, Wilson B., and Elizabeth J. Wilson. Nothing brings a family together quite like the phrase “divided equally.”
Anything already charged to an heir counted as cash. Richard’s explanation was blunt: he preferred to give people what he wanted them to have while he was alive. Judging by Mary’s dollar, he also preferred to leave no one guessing.
