Genealogy Chat

Thank you so much for all your replies! Anne....yes i should check after 1858 really....he didn't have a widow though....was a widower! Nell....His daughter's will does suggest he made a will, but that doesn't have to be right, I realise...... Val.....I will do that Chrispy......I told a white lie in my original post.....John Emslie wasn't my relative, but one of his daughters married my relation. As this cousin of mine accepted a wife who was 14 years older than himself, I wondered if MONEY was the reason? Before anyone says ''maybe he prefered older women''....I have to tell you that after his wife died, his second bride was more than 50 years younger than the first had been, and she had no money!! Lisa....I have looked at Ancestry, to no avail! I am exhausted ....two performances today!! Dragging costumes on and off 5 year olds.....doing hair, doing makeup, taking them to the toilet.....nightmare....and it rained each time we left the building! (thanks for asking....) Paul....see the reply to Chrispy, above! Georgina....thanks I will investigate those Fuzzy.....thankyou! Janet....nothing on a2a unfortunately......you are probably right about your other points! Thank you all!!!! Merry.....where's the bottle opener??.....................

Pre 1857/8 wills were often proved in the local area of the executor, rather than in the area of the deceased - often this was the same place, but not always. So, any ideas who his executor may have been, and where they lived? Also, I think it made a difference if the parish was a peculiar - it possibly then had to be proved in a different court? Have you tried a2a, just incase a copy was with a firm of solicitors - many firms in my area are having clear outs and send stuff to the local CRO jay

Merry, Searched the national archives for you, but there was only one John Emslie and the will was for 1844 and he was a captain in the army from aberdeenshire. Fuzzy x

Merry there are 2 wills on scotlands people for John Emslie between 1852-1858, this is just info from the free index. Georgina.

I have found wills pre 1854 at local county record offices so you could try the one for Hackney, The London Metropolitan Archives? Janet

Merry, you don't have an artist called John Philip Emslie in the family do you? I have some of his sketches from the 1880's.

Merry, I checked for wills (I guess from the PCC) and found a few for my families. I thought I was all done until I had free access to Ancestry one day and as I was just looking around at their services, saw another will that I didn't have! I looked at PCC again later and they do not list it! Perhaps someone could look at Ancestry for you? Hope you had fun at the ballet show (and stayed cool).

Merry, no ideas about the will I'm afraid, but wonder if your John Emslie had any connection to my Gavin Emslie who was born in Scotland and married into my mum's family (Mathieson). Gavin died in 1855 and his wife's family came down to the Hackney area of London. Who knows John could be Gavin's brother!!! Enjoy the afternoon Chris

Scotlandspeople have wills right back costs £5 if it is on there and sometimes if they move to England they left wills in Scotland worth putting his name in and see won't charge for look up

Well its possible he didn't leave a Will, but the daughter inherited as that;s how the property would have been divided if he died intestate. I don;'t know much about all this, except that there would have had to be some legal formalities. When my uncle died intestate I had to swear an oath that my other uncles and father were my uncles and father so that they could administer his estate. (at the time it occured to me that if it was a scam I could easily have told a porky. I do not recall having to produce any evidence that my dad was my dad. The solicitor made me sign my full name, but at the time I said that I never wrote my middle name and therefore it wasn't a true signature.) nell

Presumably it was proved (if there was one) in a lower court than the PCC. I don't know London well enough to suggest where though! I think wills only went to the PCC if they were regarding property in more than one diocese. I think I would still check in the probate calendars for after 1858. One of my ancestors left a will that wasn't proved for 20 years!! The archivist suggested that because it was mostly property and was going to the widow it wasn't urgent!!! Anne

A relation died in Q3 1852 in Hackney. He should have left a will (he owned property....his spinster daughter's will says she was left 2 houses by him).....but there isn't a will proved through the PCC (between 1852 and 1858). Which other court might this will have been proved through and where might I try looking? His name was John Emslie b abt 1772 in Scotland, but he had lived in Hackney for several decades by the date of his death. On the 1851 census he is down as ''Proprietor of Houses''. I won't be able to reply to this thread until about 10pm as my dau is in a ballet show.....so think of me suffering with 200 kids in this heat!! Happy Hunting....Merry x