Post date: 24-Jul-2010 01:09:08
Foiled again.
The probate records from Huron County finally arrived this past week. There was a significant amount of material on Mary Anne Halls who died intestate, James Halls, and John Halls.
There was nothing on Samuel Halls. I am left with two options - he disposed of all of his personal property before he died, or the will was contested and as a result it took much longer than normal to probate it. This all deepens the mystery around Samuel. He apparently has no will. The will of his son Samuel Jr. has been misfiled. It is in Illinois somewhere in the Cook or McHenry County records, but with it being misfiled, who knows where? The coincidence is rather odd - father and son, both with the same name, and no findable will for either? It stretches the bounds of credulity, at least for me.
Further, Samuel is not mentioned in the wills of his brothers James or John. I know from the will of Maria Sewell (sister-in-law) that Samuel's two daughters were written out in codicils. What happenned? Estrangement between Samuel and his brothers? But what? Conversion to Roman Catholicism would suffice. I know by great grandfather took his religion very seriously, and I James and John did if their donations to the British and Foreign Bible Society are any indication. But other things could have caused it too.
All in all very frustrating, and very mysterious. I suppose I will have to look at land records to see what became of his property, when it was sold and who it was sold to.