Strangest Bequeaths Known To Man … With the Exception of Offshore Account Bequeaths
We’re all going to die, that’s just a fact of life that the realistic among us accept. Some of us even have a sense of humor in this regard, which can be reflected by the types of things we bequeath to those who are left behind. On the other hand, individuals who feel a bit slighted by life can offer a token of their anger or disillusionment in the form of a bizarre after death gift.
This is why there have been several stories of eccentric wills that have made their mark in history. These unusual gestures have provided us with laughter or food for thought, enabling us to look at matters of death in a different way.
Below is a list if the more noteworthy bequeaths that have struck a chord, or even a funny bone or two, with the living.
1. Bequeath to the cats – People aren’t the only lucky recipients of strange bequeaths. Take for instance the story of Jonathan Jackson of Columbus Ohio. Having departed the earth in 1880, his will stipulated that his family create a house that was to be enjoyed solely by cats. These lucky felines would partake in numerous “creature” comforts, including an exercise area, bedrooms, a dining hall, auditorium, a conversation room and roofs that were made so that frisky felines could climb them!
2. To the beat of a different drummer – An American hatter named S. Sanborn who died in 1871 bequeathed his body to one Oliver Wendell Holmes., SR for Harvard Medical School. He did ask that his skin be made into two separate drums that were to be presented to his friend Warren Simpson, so he could play the YANKEE DOODLE tune at Bunker’s Hill every June 17th at the crack of dawn.
3. Soul searching – literally – Most of us wonder if there is life after death. But James Kidd, and Arizona Miner who was declared dead in 1956 after disappearing in 1949, put his money where his mouth was. In his will, he asked that his $275,000 dollar estate be bequeathed to any organization that could prove the existence of the human soul. Hundreds of agencies applied, but the money was finally awarded to the American Society for Psychological Research in New York City in 1971 after its existence could not be proven.
4. Napoleon Master of Life and Posthumous bequeaths – Napoleon was just as apt at doling out his possessions after death as he was at barking out orders on the battlefield. With a large catalogue of his smallest properties mapped, he willed used toiletries to specific relatives, family members, descendants and even his faithful manservant.
5. Pink Monkeys and snakes – When Memphis Tennessee resident and alcoholic E.J. Halley died in 1910, he decided to leave a little something to everyone who had did him a good turn. One example was $5,000 for a hospital cook who “took snakes out of his broth.” A nurse was also given the same amount for removing a “pink monkey” from under his bed. Imagine … “of sound mind and body”.
6. Displaying a love of life – when philosopher Jeremy Bentham left this world, he decided to give his body to the University College London, where it is currently on display for any and all who decide to visit the hallowed halls he once roamed.
7. To be or not to be — In 1955 Juan Potomachi bequeathed his skull to the Teatro Dramatico Theatre so it can be used in the Shakespearean play Hamlet. The theatre happily complied since the request came with a $ 50,000 dollar price tag.
8. The great escape – Harry Houdini died in 1926 when his appendix ruptured. Shortly after this tragedy, he bequeathed books on magic and the occult to the American Society for Psychological Research but only if the research officer and editor, ASPR Journal, J. Malcolm Bird, resigned. Bird would not resign, so the books were left to the Library of Congress.
9. A gram worth of love – Famed scientist Marie Curie died in 1934, but astounded the world once more with a most unusual Bequeath. She willed a gram of radium to the University of Paris. She also stipulated that her daughter, Irene Curie, have the ability to use the gram at will to continue on her research.
10. I bequeath to you a party – Janis Joplin was a free spirit and with a bitter sweet existence that was exemplified by the instructions in her will. Made just two days before her death, Janis left $2,500 dollars for a night long party at her fave hangout in San Anselmo, California, for all her friends.
11. I leave you five cigars a day – Californian Robert Brett loved cigars—unfortunately his wife did not share this passion and incessantly nagged him to quit. She even went so far as to not allow him to smoke in their house. Upon his death, he obtained grave justice. His wife could obtain his massive estate—if she would smoke five cigars a day for the rest of her life…
And here was a particularly weird way to obtain a bequeath:
12. A roll of the die — Executed in 1921, Bermudian tycoon Henry Durrell left an estate that overlooked Hamilton Harbor to nephew Richard Durrell. While this is not an odd bequeath, the method of attainment was. Stipulated in the will, was that his three nephews, whom he loved equally, roll a pair of dice to see who would get the land.
As a modern society places more of an emphasis on living highly individualized lives, our last will and testaments will underscore this social trend. Not a bad thing, since life and death are all very personal events and we all have the right to define how we wish to live and what we wish to leave to others once we go.
This trend will most likely not end any time soon and in fact, some people will reach beyond the grave to ensure that others do their bidding. An example is someone who creates a will that stipulates the terms of an inheritance.
Who knows what the future will bring in this regard, but it will moist certainly be interesting and perhaps more than a bit bizarre.
Wc 1026
Resources:
http://www.trivia-library.com/c/weird-and-bizarre-last-will-and-testaments-part-1.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/30/america/30leona.php
http://www.legalzoom.com/legal-articles/article13204.html
http://people.howstuffworks.com/9-strange-last-wills-and-testaments.htm
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