|
|
|
Ralph L. Goodrich's Last Will and Testament, November 1896I, Ralph L. Goodrich, of the city of Little Rock, and State of Arkansas, declare this to be my last Will and Testament. I give and bequeath to W. B. Worthen [1] and Gordon N. Peay [2] as Trustees, for my daughter J. Edith Goodrich, all the jewels, trinkets, and personal ornaments, now in my possession, some of which are in my safe at my office, West room, and my library in my present residence, and all my books, papers, and manuscripts, and letters except as hereinafter bequeathed for her separate use as long as she lives, and to the heirs of her body, free from any marital rights of any husband that she may have, my said daughter, however, to have the use of the same during her lifetime. And I direct that said library or any part of it shall not be given away, sold or disposed of in any way, and in case of the death of my said daughter without issue of her body, the same, with the exception of the papers, manuscripts and letters, shall be given to the Arkansas College at Batesville, Arkansas, absolutely for the use of said college as a gift from me. [3] After paying my debts, if there are any at the time of my death, and my funeral expenses, I give and bequeath out of my insurance, payable on my death by the Knights of Honor, and Royal Arcanum the sum of Twelve Hundred ($1200) Dollars to my sister Sarah A. Goodrich, and to my brother S. Stephen Goodrich for the use of his wife, the sum of Seven Hundred ($700) Dollars, both of the town of Tioga, County of Tioga and State of New York, in lieu of whatever demands they may have upon me. The residue of said Insurance money I give and bequeath to W. B. Worthen and Gordon N. Peay of Little Rock, as trustees, to be invested as said Trustees shall deem best, the interest of which after defraying the charges of said Trustees, to be paid to my said daughter and her children, and in the case of the death of my said daughter without issue, then said amount so invested if not invested in the improvement of property herein, after directed shall vest absolutely in J. Augusta Griffing, Sarah A. Goodrich, Mary C. Horton, and S. Stephen Goodrich, my brother and sisters and their heirs, and if said insurance money be not paid to the Trustees herein before named, but paid directly to my said Daughter and said Trustees shall be unable to get possession of or control it then and in that event I direct that said legacies herein bequeathed and the costs of improving my property as herein directed shall be a charge upon my real estate in Little Rock. I give and devise to B. M. Stebbins and Fred C. Hill in trust as follows: For Sarah A. Goodrich and for Nettie Beebe and her father, Hiram A. Beebe, all of Owego, Tioga County and State of New York, the income, the building known as the Gazette Block, in the Village of Owego, Tioga County, New York, equally between said Sarah A. Goodrich and said Nettie Beebe for her and her father after paying all charges, insurance, taxes, and charges of Trustees upon the same, as long as they live, the whole of said income to revert to the survivor, and on the death of said Sarah A. Goodrich, Hiram A. Beebe and Nettie Beebe, the said property shall be held in trust by said B. M. Stebbins and Fred C. Hill of Owego, Tioga County, New York, whom I hereby appoint trustees and also my executors of this property net income of which they shall pay to my said daughter during her natural life and after her death to the heirs of her body, until said heirs become severally of age, and in case of the death of my said daughter without issue, then said property shall vest absolutely in my brother and sisters above named and their heirs share and share alike. I appoint W. B. Worthen and Gordon N. Peay of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, Trustees and they shall hold in trust all my real estate and all personal property, bank account, closes in action, and debts due me when collected, except such as are herein after mentioned for the sole use and benefit of my said daughter during her natural life, and her children, until her children become severally of age, and if my said daughter dies without leaving issue of her body, then said property shall vest absolutely in my brother and sisters above named and their heirs share and share alike. I request the Trustees W. B. Worthen and Gordon N. Peay that so soon as business shall demand it; they shall convert my residence and its grounds into business property in such a manner as they shall deem best at a cost not to exceed Twelve Thousand ($12,000) Dollars and for that purpose they may use all the income derived from my property of every kind whether herein after described or not and mortgage the said property if necessary to raise means to make the said residence and its grounds into substantial business property and said trustees may also improve my property on the corner of Markham and State Street as may be for the best interest of my estate. I give and bequeath to my said daughter for her sole use and benefit, and the heirs of her body, free from all marital rights of any husband that she may have all my furniture, household utensils, silver and plate, pictures and household paraphernalia of every kind, I give and bequeath to my dear friend George B. Rose [4] of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, as a small return for the manifold favors received at his hands, and of his fathers, U. M. Rose [5], the following works to wit; [John Marin] Crawford’s “Kalevala” [the epic poem of Finland] in two volumes, “Musee Royal de Naples [Peintures, Bronzes et Statues Erotiques du] Cabinet Secret,” now locked up in the lower drawer of the dressing case in my chamber, “The Great Modern Painters,” English, French, German, &c., in eight volumes, folio, and Morris’ “Sigend the Valseing” and I direct that these be delivered to him without delay after my death. I desire that B. M. Stebbins and Fred C. Hill of Owego, New York, herein designated as Trustees of the property in Owego, New York, shall have the authority and power to appoint a successor in case of the death of one of them and like authority and power are given to W. B. Worthen and Gordon N. Peay, Trustees of my estate in Little Rock. I desire that my said daughter have the right to occupy my present residence, free of rent during her life, and in case she moves out of it she shall be entitled to the rent of it during her lifetime. I hereby appoint W. B. Worthen and Gordon N. Peay executors of this my Will. Ralph L. Goodrich
[2] Gordon Neil Peay II was the son of Gordon Neill Peay and Sue Nelson Crease. His father had been a prominent citizen of Little Rock and had served as the Captain of Company A, 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment -- the unit in which Ralph Goodrich served during the Civil War. Gordon Neil Peay II was probably born in the 1850's. In 1893, he resided at 722 West 2d Street and worked as Secretary in the Nick Peay Company. He is known to have married Zilla Cole. [3] The 12 June 1900 minutes of the Board at Arkansas College (now Lyons College) has the following entry: "During the year, a collection of several hundred volumes in various foreign languages came to the library from the library of the late Hon. Ralph L. Goodrich of Little Rock." According to Dr. Brooks Blevins, Director of Regional Studies at Lyons College, the rare collection is not catalogued by donor so the Goodrich-donated books are scattered among the several thousand volumes in their library. One known book attributed to the Goodrich donation is entitled, "Sanhita of the Sama Veda." It was published in London in 1843 by the Society for the Publication of Oriental Texts and was sold by James Madden & Co. The only markings on the title page are the name of Goodrich and the date, January 1885. (This particular book can be found in rare book stores for approximately $300.) [4] George B. Rose was the son of U. M. Rose and Margaret Gibbs. He was born 10 July 1860 in Batesville, Independence County, Arkansas. He died in 9 July 1942 in Little Rock. He was a renaissance art authority and author on the subject. He was also an attorney at Rose, Loughborough, Dobyns & House. [5] Uriah Milton Rose,1834-1913, was appointed chancellor of Pulaski County, Arkansas, Chancery Court, 1860. He was President of the American Bar Association in 1901 and was appointed commissioner to the International Peace Conference at the Hague, Holland, by Theodore Roosevelt in 1907.
[6] Ralph L. Goodrich died on 6 October 1897. He is buried in Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Burial Index, 1843-1993, compiled by Sybil F. Crawford & Mary Fletcher Worthen, records that Ralph rendered Confederate service, was a mason, belonged to the Eclectic Society, and held a job as Clerk of the U.S. District Court (1880 census). |
