John Watson Dwight and his inheritance

John Watson Dwight (1884-1931) was the son of Harvey Alpheus Dwight and Mary Isabel Burton. When his father's first cousin Emily A. Watson died in 1924 leaving an estate of $12 million, John was one of the primary beneficiaries. John was not married nor did he have any children when he died in 1931. A New York Times article titled "10 Share in Watson Trust: $860,000 Fund Left to Beneficiary, Now Dead, Divided by Court". Aside from John's siblings plus one nephew and niece, the other relatives had unusual names & stories and all lived in Europe.

Aside from the 1 share set to remain in J W Dwight's personal estate, the court divided the funds into 8 additional parts to be disbursed as follows:

His siblings:
1 share each to sisters Harriet D Bailey, Jean B Dwight, Lucia K Dwight
1 share to the children of his deceased brother Harvey L Dwight:     Harvey A Dwight b 1899
    Jessie R Dwight Orage b 1901 (lived in & died in England)

Leaving 4 shares to be granted to his Pratt line cousins living in Europe.

1 share for siblings Herwarth Von Der Decken b 1905 & Elizabeth Grafin Finck von Finckestein

1 share for Comtesse Victoire Louise Niel

1 share for Countess Pauline Andre de Gasquet James de la Metrrie

1 share for  Count George Watson Pratt de Gasquet James

REALLY ? At first I almost thought this was a joke, but no, these Europeans were in fact descendants of Abigail Watson and Zadock Pratt though their only son Col George W Pratt who died of Civil War wounds in 1862.  His daughter Elizabeth Pratt, with her husband Amadee Gasquet James, was the mother of Elizabeth, Victoria, George and Pauline.  More on them later.

Catskill NY: George Austin and Eliza Ludington

George and Eliza married on 24 March 1826 in a joint ceremony with Eliza’s sister Amelia and William McKinstry in Catskill, New York.  George was born in Chenango County, NY to Abner Austin and Eliza Merrill on 17 Dec 1803.  Eliza was the first born child of Tertullus Ludington and his first wife Rebecca Brown. She was born in Catskill on 6 Nov 1805, three years before her sister Amelia.

George and Eliza had six children, half of them moved west.

 1826-1878    Captain William Austin followed his aunt Amelia Ludington McKinstry to Texas where he married Mary Eliza Ives and had 4 children.  After 31 years there he died on a return trip to Catskill.

1828-1869    Celia married John William Smith with whom she 6 children in Rochester, New York.

1833-1878    Edward headed to California where he was an oiler and reported personal wealth of $10,000 in the 1870 census. He never married.

1835-1896    Caroline married German immigrant Augustus G A Brunjes with whom she had 6 children in New York City.

1837-??          Susan has not been found after 1855 – did she marry or die? Not sure.

1839-1871    Louisa married Arthur Hogeboom in 1868, moved to San Francisco, and died within 3 years, no surviving children.

Children of Rufus Wheeler Watson and Fannie Burnitt

Rufus, a native of Rhode Island, married Alabama born Fannie in Monroe County, Mississippi in April 1851; he was 37, she was 19. They had 6 known children (3 of whom I discovered when they contested the 1924 NYC will of Emily Watson) and 15 grandchildren.

Rufus was born in 1814 to Captain John Wheeler Watson and Mary A Watson (his wife & 1st cousin); he was the 10th of their dozen. Both parents died when he was 15 and his uncle Elisha was named guardian. He and his older brothers John and Asa moved to Mississippi before the Civil War.

Fannie was the middle child of 5 born to Greenville Burnitt and Eliza Gillespie. They moved to Mississippi when she was a young child.

Rufus and Fannie are buried at Hawkins Cemetery, West Point, MS. He died in 1865, she lived for another 24 years.

Their children and grandchildren:

1853 - ?        John S married his 1st cousin Lydia, daughter of Asa, in 1878
                                she and their infant son died in 1879; buried at Hawkins
                                not sure if he remarried, single in 1900 census

1854-1912   Edwin Thomas married Mary Dominick (b Miss) in 1883
                                They are buried at Greenwood in West Point, MS
                                3 children: Ada, Edwin, Mary Gertrude

1856-1945   Fannie married Samuel Wells Carothers (b Tenn) in 1883
                                They are buried in Oklahoma
                                 6 children: Rufus, Hattie, Fannie, Carrie, Hugh, Janie

1859-1860   Eliza died at age one, buried at Hawkins

1861-1928   Harriet "Hattie" married Joseph Hunt Sanders in1889
                                They are buried at Greenwood in West Point, MS.
                                2 children: Harriet and Rufie

1865-1936   Mary Rufus "Rufie" married William Bell Foster in 1887
                                They are buried in Alabama
                                3 children: Carrie, Frances and William

The name Rufus is used through the generations in the Watson family, but this is the only branch where I have found the name given to daughers, often shortened to "Rufie".