Mr. George U. Crocker

There was much to be gained, and thus much to be disputed, regarding the acquisition or inheritance of land located in Boston's back bay and financial district.  One such dispute rose to the level of the supreme court over that of Mr. Uriel H. Crocker, a prominent lawyer whose young widow was named the executrix of his will in place of his surviving children. 

Prior to her union with the late Mr. Crocker, the executrix had been known as Ms. Annie J. Fitz, a clerk at the law firm of Mr. U. H. Crocker and his brother George. In addition to the scandal surrounding this - Ms. Fitz's meeting Mr. Crocker while he was a married man - there was also the conflict of Ms. Fitz's identity as a catholic. The divide between catholics and protestants was a factor which led Bostonians to consider carefully or altogether avoid marrying people outside their denomination.  

Some acquaintances urged the Late Mr. Crocker to reconsider his marriage to Ms. Fitz, which seemed rushed and which was not announced to his children until there were only two days until the wedding ceremony. 

G. U. Crocker and his brothers, Joseph and Edgar, contested the will on the grounds that their father was not of sound mind near the time of his death, and had been coerced to disinherit his children or to modify his will. This was the reason for multiple hearings and cross examination of family members and witnesses. The case dragged on for ten more years, despite the jury ruling in favor of the Crocker brothers, due to speculation as to whether jury members had been bribed.