Missing Will, Said To Have Been Made But Cannot Be Found

The estate of John Johnson of Tinton Falls, who died about six weeks ago, is still without a legal head so far as an administrator or an executor is concerned. Mr. Johnson made two wills during his lifetime and he may have made still other wills but none of them has been found. One will was drawn twelve or fifteen years ago. It was left in his lawyer's safe for a long time and was then taken by Mr. Johnson, who said that he intended to destroy it. Afterward Mr. Johnson said that Squire Edwards of Eatontown had drawn up a new will for him. Mr. Edwards died about two years ago, and some time before he died Mr. Johnson took his will home. A search has been made for the will but it could not be found.

Mr. Johnson left an adopted son. His only blood relatives in this country are the descendants of his dead brother Frank, who died at Tinton Falls some years ago. It is reported that the last will made by Mr. Johnson left one-third of his estate to his adopted son and the remaining two-thirds to the two daughters of his brother Frank, to be divided equally between them. Under the law in New Jersey if a person dies without a will his property goes to his next of kin. An adopted son shares equally with natural children if the son had been legally adopted and the papers have been properly filed. If the adopted son is the only child and there is no will, then the adopted son takes the entire estate.

No papers regarding the adoption of Mr. Johnson's adopted son have been found on file in the court records at Freehold, and unless such papers are discovered Mr. Johnson's adopted son can not share in the estate unless the will turns up. In case the will is not found Mr. Johnson's estate will go wholly to the children of his dead brother Frank, and will be divided equally between them. Mr. Johnson had a sister in England, but she died there without leaving issue, and therefore there will come no claim to his property from England.

Mr. Johnson's estate is much less than was at first imagined. His property consists principally of the farm at Tinton Falls, and on this farm there is a mortgage of about $4,000. The farm contains about eighty acres and it is valued at about $7,500.

Source: Red Bank Register, Wednesday, Sep 4, 1901

Some additional excellent resources for your research are:

• New Jersey Census, 1772-1890 - Ancestry.com

• Calendar of New Jersey Wills, 1670-1760 - Ancestry.com

• Interment.net - NJ ~ New Jersey Cemetery Transcriptions on the net.

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