A Member of The Association of Graveyard Rabbits

Pages

Thursday 21 February 2013

The Controversy of a Native New Yorker


Sacred  to the Memory of
William Jauncey of the
City of New York, in the United
States of America, and
Fellow Commoner of St. John's
College, Cambridge
he died November 19th
A.D. 1830 Aged 19 Years

To the Extreme Grief of his Family
and those many Friends whose Esteem
and Affection he had ~ the remainder is unreadable


William Jauncey Thorn was born on the 9th July 1811, he later changed his name by dropping the 'Thorn' and becoming just William Jauncey. 
He attended St.John's College Cambridge in 1830 and he died as a result of a hunting accident, in which he was thrown from his horse and then died the following day as a result of his injuries. 
According to information on the Thorn Family website  it appears that young William Jauncey's body was returned to the USA  in 1856 and that he was interred in the family vault in Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York. 

Young William was to have inherited a vast sum upon reaching the age of 21 years from his Mother's Uncle ~ who was also called William Jauncey and who had died in 1818.
 The Will stated: 'I give and bequeath all the residue and remainder of my property, both in England and America, of every kind and description whatever, to the said William Jauncey Thorn, when he arrives to the age of twenty one years, to him, his heirs and assigns forever'.

However soon after young Williams tragic death, a controversy arose when his Father, Colonel Herman Thorn contested the legal effect of the bequest, as it would now be considered to go to other relatives including a niece, Elizabeth Hoyt.

Whilst this case was ongoing, Colonel Thorn compromised the claims of five other relatives by paying them for their interests and then by purchasing Elizabeth's share of the residue at a cost of $6,000. 
When the total amount of the bequest was discovered to be worth $1,465,000, Elizabeth Hoyt claimed that her share had been fraudulently obtained from her and a court case ensued. 
Unfortunately I could find no further outcome of this case.















No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...