Sunday, September 8, 2013

Zayda's Will

written by Dan Jackson
September 2013

When Dad and Uncle Morris shook hands agreeing to be partners in the shoe business in March 1927, Dad had already been an admirer of Uncle Morris for several years. He knew he was a good business man and a hard worker. He was married to Mollie who was Mother’s sister so there was a strong family connection that came along with business. That family connection had played a strong part in the matter of Zayda’s will when Zayda, father to Mother and Mollie, had died the year before.

In Dad's oral history written many years after Zayda’s death, I found his recollection of the contents of the will and the family turmoil it produced. It was Zayda's wishes that the money in his estate be divided equally among the children from his first marriage, the children from his second marriage, and his then wife, Bobie (Mother and Mollie’s mother). At the end of six months any children who wished to give their money to Bobie were free to do so. The amount of money given to each child was $300, not a great sum. Mother and Mollie had put their money in a bank account intending to give it to Bobie at the end of six months. Zayda's other children held a meeting without Mother and Mollie and decided to give their money to Bobie immediately instead of waiting six months. When Dad and Mother next visited Bobie, they were informed about the meeting, and told to sign a paper which had been drawn up agreeing that all the children give Bobie their money at once. Dad was angry for two reasons: First, the family had held a meeting without notifying him or Mother and second, giving the money to Bobie before the six months waiting period was, in a way, breaking the will, going against Zayda's wishes. As a matter of principle Dad could not condone that; Mollie and Morris agreed with him They, too, refused to sign the paper.

The deeply-felt disagreement among the Egers embittered many members and led to long-standing acrimonious feelings that, to my knowledge, were never resolved. I remember there was an attempt to bring peace to the family by organizing a club, the Eger Tree. The effort was unsuccessful; too many bad feelings remained. Wisely, the next generation ignored the matter of the will and peace prevailed once more.

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