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Archiver > BRETHREN > 2007-06 > 1180849135


From: John McLeod <>
Subject: Re: [BRE] Daniel Leatherman (Lederman)
Date: Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:38:55 -0600
References: <ce7.107833bc.338da602@aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <000501c7a218$978b44b0$2d8e4847@your4dacd0ea75>


I took the trouble of looking up these two wills and discovered that each
of them is most unusual, in two very different ways.

Michael Beighler's will is extremely brief; terse is better word. He left
everything (except for a mere 5 pounds) to his "beloved wife Rosinah, her
heirs and assigns forever, making her to be my only and sole
executor." With this much power in the hands of the widow, there is no
need to list the children. She knows who they are and is empowered to make
her own decisions about who gets how much and when. It simply does not
follow from such a will that Michael had no children living at that time.

Rosannah Bigler's will is quite complex, with nine "children"
mentioned. Since 19 years had elapsed since her second husband's death,
every one of these must have been fully adult. To produce 9 adults would
usually have required upwards of 12 births. This would be quite a busy
life all by itself without the complication of a husband dying on her. How
could she ever have found the time to acquire the legal acumen to be
trusted as "only and sole executor"??? Based only on what I see in this
will, I think we are looking at two families intermingled, or possibly
three. HIS children from a previous marriage, HER children from a previous
marriage, and, perhaps, one or two of THEIR children from this marriage,
e.g., Susannah Funk.

Rosannah apparently has a gripe against the executors of her first
husband's estate and is attempting to launch a legal counterstrike against
them using a son-in-law as her champion. This seems a bit odd after a
lapse of about 25 years. Is she sending the husband of Julianna Boyer
against her own siblings or is sending the husband of Julianna Bigler
against a bunch of strangers?? I would bet on the latter.

It is clear that there is no Bigler son listed in Rosannah's will. Drawing
the same conclusion about daughters is not warranted by this datum alone.

At 01:41 PM 5/29/07 -0400, "geshoneyman" <> wrote:
>Ben,
>
>Are you sure Catherine was a Bigler? Rosina (unknown) Bigler's will
>mentions that she is entitled to the dowery of deceased husband Adam Boyer
>of Adams Co PA and names among others, daughter Catharine as it is here
>spelled, wife of Daniel Leatherman who is named Rosina's executor.
>Frederick County MD Will Liber GM-2, folio 172, dated 9 Sep 1785. Rosina
>was the second wife of Johannes Michael Bigler whose 1763 will under the
>spelling of Michael Beighler names wife Rosinah to receive personal and real
>estate, but makes no mention of or provision for any children. He does
>leave 5 pounds to his nephew, Mark Beegler, son of my brother Mark Beigler.
>Daniel Leatherman and John Arnold were witnesses to his will. It should be
>noted that Michael's first marriage in 1741 was preformed by Rev. Johann
>Casper Stover, to Susanna Reuscher. Reuscher and Recher are somewhat
>similar names.
>
>You mention an estate for Catherine Leatherman. When and where was she
>probated? That should help with her location after the death of her husband
>Daniel.
>
>Gale
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <>
>To: <>
>Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2007 11:51 AM
>Subject: Re: [BRE] Daniel Leatherman (Lederman)
>
>
> > Does anyone know where the 2nd wife of Bishop Daniel Leatherman
> > (1718-1797),
> > namely Catherine Bigler Leatherman (b. 6/22/1733), is buried ? She is
> > not
> > buried on the family farm or locally. She may have gone to Ohio when
> > elderly.
> > Her son Joseph Leatherman was her executor. His 2nd wife was Deborah
> > Stoner
> > -- not Deborah Recher as previously thought. Catherine Bigler Leatherman
> > left
> > her estate to the family of Joseph's first wife, so she may have been
> > living
> > with the Recher's.
> >
> > Ben Palmer
>
>
>
>
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