The surnames in this document are: BAKER, BECKWITH, BONDY, BRANSON, BUCKLEY, BURLINGAME, CHOATE, COOPER, CRANDALL, FULLER, HALL, HAMMOND, HARLAN, HENDRYX, HEWITT, KINNEY, LANNEN, MCNEIL, MCGUIRL, MILLER, MURRAY, MUSTA, REES, SEAGREN, SEELEY, SLADE, STOCKER, TUBBS, VANNESS, WATERS, WHITNEY, YENTZER

The following is taken from the probate proceedings for the admission of the will of Minnie (Hammond) Brown to probate in Allegany County, NY. Minnie Brown was born June 15, 1863 and died in Wellsville on May 5, 1955. Minnie was the daughter of Nathan C. Hammond and Mary (Treat) Hammond of Allegany County NY and McKean County and Potter County PA. Minnie married Frank Brown, her first cousin, the son of Norton Brown and Mary (Hammond) Brown. She left no husband or descendants surviving her. All her siblings predeceased her, and her estate was divided among 43 of her nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, and great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews, as well as some of her husband's nieces and nephews. A wealth of information is in these documents, as descendants of her brothers and sisters are given, together with their locations in 1955. This document has been very helpful in tracing the Hammond descendants from this area of NY and PA.
 

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STATE OF NEW YORK SURROGATE'S COURT County of Allegany

In the Matter of the Proof and Probate of the Last Will and Testament of MIINIE BROWN, Deceased

TO THE SURROGATE'S COURT OF THE COUNTY OF ALLEGANY, STATE OF NEW YORK:

The Petition of Agnes K. Cronauer of Wellsville, in the County of Allegany, and State of New York, respectfully shows: That MINNIE BROWN a resident of the town of Wellsville, county of Allegany, State of New York, died on the 6th day of May 1955 at Wellsville, in the County of Allegany, State of New York, leaving a Last Will and Testament dated the 22nd day of January 1952 executed as prescribed by laws of the State of New York. That your petitioner is the executrix named in said Will. That the said Will relates to both real and personal property, and the value of the personal preperty exceeds the sum of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000), and the value of the real preoperty exceeds the sum of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000), as your petitioner is informed and believes.

That the said decedent left her surviving no husband; that the following named persons are all the distributees, heirs at law and all the next of kin of said deceased testatrix, and that their relationship to said decedent and their places of residence (together with the postoffice address, if different from place of residence) are as set opposite their names respectively:

 
it being intended by the aforesaid "Mary" Hammond and "Jane" Hammond, to designate the two daughters of Harry Hammond, a deceased nephew of the decedent, Minnie Brown.

That petitioner has made diligent efforts to ascertain the names and post-office addresses of all the distributees of said decedent, but has been unable to obtain complete information relative to the following:

Cora Waters, a daughter of Louise Hammond Kinney, has not been heard of for about ten years according to information furnished by Mrs. Alice Slade, William Hammond and George Yentzer, who have assisted petitioner in attempting to locate the distributees. Petitioner also wrote to Hanford Kinney, of Little Genesee, N. Y. a brother of Cora Waters, requesting any information he had as to her whereabouts, but has received no reply from him.

Lawrence Hammond, a son of Ralph Hammond, has not been heard of for over six years according to the same sources of information as set forth above. Petitioner has also written to said Hanford Kinney, a cousin of said Lawrence Hammond, but has received no information or reply from him.

Virgil Tubbs, is the son of Maybelle Tubbs, who was a niece of the present decedent. Said Maybell Tubbs died on March 26, 1955. Petitioner has written to Rev. G. F. Tubbs, the father of said Virgil Tubbs, and he replied that he and his daughter, Constance Cooper, both of whom reside at Port Allegany, Penn'a. had tried to locate their son and brother, but with no success. All the infromation that could be obtained was that he had worked for a firm in Wilmington, Delaware, for about six weeks, and that he quit of his own accord on August 12, 1944, and the letter containing such information was dated September 13, 1945.

*George Yentzer, a son of Mary Treat Hammond Yentzer, and a nephew of the present decedent, disappeared in 1915 and has not been heard from since. This information was given to petitioner by George Yentzer, his son, who resides at Belmont, N. Y. RFD. Said George Yentzer informs petitioner that his father was divorced from his mother, and later remarried and had two children by the second marriage, Duncan Yentzer and Beatrice Fuller. Since his disappearance none of his relatives have had any word from him, and they presume that he is deceased.

Harry Hammond, a son of Dwight Lewis Hammond, (a brother of decedent), is known to be deceased and left him surviving two daughters. That Alice Slade, one of the nieces of the decedent, has written to several members of the Dwight Lewis Hammond family for information as to his children, and has obtained all the necessary information except as to the names and addresses of the two daughters of Harry Hammond. They have, therefore, been designated in the petition as "Mary" Hammond and "Jane" Hammond.

That the names and post-office addresses of the legatees, devisees, executors, trustees and testamentary guardians named in said will, other than the persons named above are as follows:

That there are no persons other than those mentioned interested in this application or proceeding to the knowledge of deponent.

That as your petitioner is informed and believes, all of the foregoing named persons are of full age and sound mind, except the following, to-wit:

Betty Hendryx is an incompetent, is over twenty-one years of age, and is now and has been for many years, confined to Willard State Hospital, at Willard, N. Y. Petitioner has no knowledge as to whether there is a duly appointed Committee of said Betty Hendryx. That the mother of said Betty Hendryx is deceased. Her father, David Hendryx, was married a second time and did not reside with his children and petitioner does not know his present whereabouts.

A/3c Maxwell Hendryx is an infant of the age of about eighteen (18) years, and is at present in the Service of the U.S.A. at 7001st Air Base Sqd., Grey Air Force Base, Killeen, Texas. Petitioner has been informed that one Evelina McGuirl of Shinglehouse, Pa. RFD is the guardian of said Maxwell Hendryx. The mother of said Maxwell Hendryx is deceased. His father, David Hendryx, was married a second time and his children did not reside with him. This infant until the time he entered service resided with his brother, Robert Hendryx, at Portville, N. Y.

Linda Hendryx and Larry Hendryx, are infants of the ages of five (5) and three (3) years respectively. Their father, Gary Hendryx, is dead and they reside with their mother, Mrs. John McName at Nunda, N. Y.

That no petition for the probate of said Will has been filed in any Surrogate's Court of this State, as your petitioner is informed and believes.

Your petitioner, therefore, prays that said will may be proved and that a Citation may be issued according to law, directed to the proper persons, citing them at a time and place mentioned, to show cause why said last Will and Testament should not be admitted to probate and for such other order or decree as may be just and proper.

Dated the 7th day of July 1955 /s/ Agnes K. Cronauer, Petitioner P. O. Address - 329 Scott Avenue, Wellsville, New York.

. . .

The following is a list of the distributees of MINNIE BROWN, as prepared by Agnes K. Cronauer, proponent, with the assistance of several of the distributees, and numerous letters of inquiry: [Note: addresses have been omitted from this list, as they are given above]

A. GEORGE PALMER HAMMOND - brother of Minnie Brown, born 12/24/1846, deceased, leaving:

1. Nina Hammond - daughter - Deceased, - no children

2. Cora Hammond Bassett - daughter, deceased, leaving:

(a) Nellie Whitney . . . daughter

(b) Emily Baker . . . daughter

(c) Celia Murray . . . daughter

3. Louise Hammond Kinney Clark - daughter, deceased, leaving:

(a) Hanford Kinney . . . son

(b) Cora Waters . . . daughter

Address, if living, unknown-

Have not heard from her for Many Years.

(c) Rosamond Seagren . . . daughter

(d) Genevieve Rees . . . daughter

4. Ralph Hammond - son -decceased, leaving:

(a) Lawrence Hammond . . . Son

Address unkown - not heard from for quite a number of years

B. SUSAN CATHARINE HAMMOND HARDER * SISTER of Minnie Brown, born 1/27/1849, deceased, leaving:

1. Maybelle Tubbs . . . daughter, who died 3/26/1955, leaving:

(a) Virgil Tubbs . . . son Address unkown - He left his job at Wilminton, Del. on 8/12/1944 and has never been heard from since.

(b) Ruth Choate . . . daughter

(c) Constance Cooper . . . daughter

Note: Maybelle Tubbs left her husband, Rev. G. F. Tubbs, of 115 Benton Ave., Port Allegany, Pa. surviving. She also had a son, Christopher Tubbs, who predeceased hiw mother, leaving no children.

C. MARY TREAT HAMMOND YENTZER - sister of Minnie Brown, born 8/4/ 51 Deceased, leaving her surviving:

1. John Yentzer . . . son

Deceased - leaving no children.

2. Dwight Yentzer . . . son

3. George Yentzer . . . son - disappeared in 1915 -
has never been heard from since. He left the following children:

(a) George Yentzer . . . son

(b) Everett Yentzer . . . son

(c) Leila Burlingame . . . daughter

(d) Duncan Yentzer . .. son

(e) Beatrice Fuller . . . daughter

Note: George Yentzer, the son of Mary Treat Hammond Yentzer, disappeared in 1915 and has never been heard of since. He was twice married. He was divorced from his first wife. They had three children, (a), (b), and (c) above. He remarried and they had two children, (d) and (e) above. No-one has ever heard from him since his disappearance.

D. FRANK DUNKIN HAMMOND - Brother of Minnie Brown (Born 9/19/1856) deceased, leaving:

1. William Hammond . . . son

2. Mark Hammond . . . son, who is deceased, leaving:

(a) Muriel Harlan . . . daughter

E. CLARA BECKWITH HAMMOND - sister of Minnie Brown, (Born 6/29/1865) Deceased, leaving her surviving:

1. Allan Beckwith . . . son

2. Mary Buckley . . . daughter

3. Ella McNeil . . daughter

4. Alice Slade . . daughter

5. Ruth Van Ness . . . daughter

F. JESSIE HAMMOND MILLER - sister of Minnie Brown (Born 9/25/1867) Deceased, leaving:

1. Jessie Crandall . . . daughter

2. Joseph Miller . . . son

3. Gordon Miller . . . son - deceased, leaving no children.

4. Nella Miller . . . daughter - deceased, leaving no children.

5. Faustina Hendryx . . . daughter - deceased, leaving her surviving:

(a) Robert Hendryx . . . son

(b) Betty Hendryx . . daughter

(c) A/3c Maxwell Hendryx

(d) Gary Hendryx . . . son - deceased, leaving him surviving:

1. Linda Hendryx . . daughter - aged 5

2. Larry Hendryx . . son - aged 3

6. Evelina McGuirl . . . daughter

G. DWIGHT LEWIS HAMMOND - brother of Minnie Brown (Born 10/27/1853), deceased, leaving:

1. Clint Hammond . . . son

2. Carl H. Hammond . . . son

3. Frank H. Hammond . . . son

4. Fred N. Hammond . . . son

5. Clara Seelye . . . daughter

6. Dwight Lewis Hammond . . . son - deceased, leaving him surviving:

(a) Florence Musta . . . daughter

(b) Violet Hall . . . daughter

7. Nellie Hammond Bondy . . . daughter - deceased, leaving her surviving:

(a) Lucille Lannen . . . daughter

(b) Evelyn Stocker . . . daughter

(c) Ralph Bondy . . . son

(d) Dwight Bondy . . . son

(e) Kenneth Bondy . . . son - deceased, leaving no children him surviving.

8. Harry Hammond . . . son (Deceased) leaving him surviving:

(a) Daughter - name unknown

(b) Daughter - name unknown

Note: Harry Hammond died about ten years ago and at that time police and other agencies were unable to locate said daughters.