Muhlenberg County Kentucky
Wills: A
Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander, 1867
I Robert S.C. Aitchison Alexander some time of Airdrie Scotland & now residing in Woodford Co. Kentucky being aware of the uncertainty of life & deeming it proper to make a will for the distribution of my estate as I would desire it to be distributed declare this to be my will & testament revoking any & all others heretofore made.
First I appoint my brother Alexr. J. Alexander & James B. Waller my Executors for the carrying out of the wishes expressed in this will.
To my said brother A.J. Alexander I leave all my lands, houses & tenements in Woodford Co. together with all my negroes & stock of all sorts & kinds also all my agricultural implements, wagons, harness &c. &c. pertaining to the farm also all my carriages, wagons & buggies & every thing like furniture, pictures, books & plate of which I am possessed either in this country or abroad.
My land in Scott Co. recently sold I desire my Executors to collect the proceeds from and to apply them when received to paying my debts & the legacies left by this will.
I desire that the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10.000.) shall be paid to Dane Swigert as a bequest from me; also that the sum of two thousand dollars ($2000.) shall be paid to Annette M. Swigert as a bequest from me to her and that the further sum of ten thousand dollars ($10.000.) shall be invested in some safe & proper manner in the names of J.B. Temple, A.J. Alexander & J.B. Waller as trustees for the benefit of the said Annette M. Swigert during her life, the interest to be paid to her annually or semiannually; and at her death should she leave a child or children who are of the age of twenty one years the money shall go to her, him or to them, but should there be several children & some be of age & others not of age, those who are of age shall receive their due proportion of this money upon her decease and any child or children not of the age of twenty one years at this time shall receive their portion as he, she or they become of age, the interest being paid for the maintenance or education of these latter should the trustees see proper to pay it. Should Annette M. Swigert die leaving no child or children, this money ($10.000.) shall be paid to my two sisters or their heirs.
I direct my Executors to repay to my sister Mary or her trustees the money due to her or to them for the security of which the said trustees hold a mortgage on the Woodburn farm which latter I desire to leave to my brother A.J. Alexander without any debt or incumbrance of any sort on it and till this debt be paid off the interest on it shall be paid from the income derived from the Airdrie estate.
Of my properties in the city of St. Louis or the country back of the city or my property in Kenton Co. near Covington or my properties in Chicago or my land &c. in Muhlenberg Co. Ky. I desire my Executors to sell a portion such as they may think it most advanageous to sell to the extent of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.) worth which sum as received together with any other money belonging to my estate which shall come into their hands not disposed of by this will shall be invested in some secure & interest yielding investment in the names of A.J. Alexander, J.B. Waller & some one other person selected by A.J. Alexander & J.B. Waller as trustees for the benefit of my two sisters to whom the interest shall be paid annually or semiannually, one half to each sister during her life & upon the death of either of them one half the annual interest shall be paid to her who remains alive, the other half of the interest shall be paid to the child or children if there should be any of her who is dead, but should she who is dead leave no child or children, then the interest on the above sum shall be paid to her who is still living, and upon her decease the said interest shall be paid to the child or children of my sister till the youngest child shall be of the age of twenty one years when the money originally invested shall be realized & the sum equally divided between my nephews & nieces, the children of my sister or sisters.
All my other properties in the country I desire to be valued and about one half of it to be sold, the proceeds of the sale to be divided between my two sisters or should they or either of them be dead & leave child or children one half of the proceeds of this sale shall go to this child or these children, the other half to the sister who is living; but in case both be dead the proceeds of this sale shall be given one half to the child or children of one sister, the other half to the child or children of the other sister. In making the sale above desired to be made I request that portion of the property to be disposed of which is least likely to improve in value.
The remainder of my property in this country I desire my Executors to hold as trustees for the benefit of my nephews & nieces, the children of my two sisters (should my sister Mary have any children) and to manage it that it may improve in value till the youngest child of either of my sisters shall be of age when it shall either be divided amongst them, my nephews & nieces, or sold & the proceeds divided.
Should my brother A.J. Alexader desire to retain the Airdrie estate in Scotland he can do so & I will it to him, but should he choose to have it shold he may dispose of the property & the proceeds of it as he thinks best. My other property in Scotland is entailed & belongs of right to him. All my other property not disposed of by this will I desire to go to my brother & two sisters, one third of each. Witness my hand this 21st day of March 1860.
R.S.C. Aitchison Alexander
Witness
H.S. Avery
F.V.R.L. Hull
Since writing the above I have undertaken the education of a little girl Melinda Cox; this child I request my Executors to educate (in case of my death) in some good school in Kentucky & should she turn out a good girl deserving the regard of those about her, I beg them to consider her in the light of my adopted child so far as attention to her welfare & comfort are to be considered; I request them to see that she has a comfortable home & that all her proper expenses are paid till she finishes her education & after that is completed still having an eye to her welfare I desire that they my Executors shall pay to her till her marriage, should she marry, the interest of five thousand dollars ($5,000.) which sum I request them to take from the remainder of my property as listed in my will & invest for her benefit in some safe investment.
On her marriage, should she marry, my Executors may if they think she has married a prudent man pay over to her the proceeds of this investment to be used for the benefit of her family; but in case there should be the least doubt on this point I request them to continue to hold the ($5,000.) money above mentioned in trust paying her the interest on the investment during her life & at her death should she leave children I desire the proceeds to go to these children but should she have no children at the time of her death, this money shall revert to those who by this will would have recd. it but for this condicil.
Witness my hand this 18th day of Oct. 1860.
R.S.C. Aitchison Alexander
Having as a Christmas present given to D. Swigert five thousand dollars ($5,000.) to enable him to pay off a debt he owed, with the understanding that he was to realize or sell out his horse stock & invest the amt. for his wife & children, I desire that this sum ($5,000.) shall be deducted from the ten thousand I desired to be paid him, making the bequest to him five thousand dollars instead of ten thousand dollars.
Witness my hand this 4th day of Jany 1865.
R.S.C. Aitchison Alexander
I also leave two thousand dollars to be invested in the names of same trustees as I have named to take charge of sum left Annette M. Swigert for the benefit of Robert Alexander Swigert, the interest to be paid for his benefit if thought proper or to accumulate till he becomes of age when it shall be paid to him if he should be alive; if not the amt. to revert to my heirs. Witness my hand this 4 Jany 1865.
R.S.C. Aitchison Alexander
State of Kentucky
December term 1867
December 24. 1867
Woodford County Court
The foregoing instrument of writing purporting to be the last will and testament of Robert S.C. Aitchison Alexander, deceased, was this day produced in open Court and proved by the oath of F.V.R.L. Hull one of the subscribing witnesses thereto who made oath that said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander signed and acknowledged said instrument of writing to be his last will and testament in his presence and in the presence of H.S. Avery the other subscribing witness thereto and that he and the said H.S. Avery subscribed the same as witnesses in the presence of each other and in the presence and at the request of said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander.
The three codicils annexed to said will the first dated October 18, 1860 and the other two dated the 4th of January 1865 were also produced in open Court and proved by the oaths of F.V.R.L. Hull and W.J. Stelle who made oath that they are familiar with the handwriting of said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander now deceased and that said three codicils together with the will and the signatures thereto are wholly and entirely in the handwriting of said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander whereupon the said will and codicils are laid over and continued until the 27th of December 1867 for further proof.
And afterwards towit at a Court continued and held as aforesaid on the 27th day of December 1867. An instrument of writing purporting to be the last will and testament of Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander deceased was this day again produced in open Court and fully proved by the oath of H.S. Avery one of the subscribing witnesses thereto who made oath that said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander signed and acknowledged said instrument of writing in his presence and in the presence of F.V.R.L. Hull the other subscribing witness thereto to be his last will and testament and that he and the said F.V.R.L. Hull subscribed the same as witnesses in the presence of each other and in the presence and at the request of said Robert S.C. Aticheson Alexander, said Avery also made oath that he is familiar with the handwriting of said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander and that said instrument of writing and the three codicils thereto annexed the first dated October 18, 1860 and the other two dated the 4th of January 1865 and the signatures thereto are wholly and entirely in the handwriting of said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander whereupon it it is ordered that said insturment of writing together with the three codicils thereto annexed be and the same is allowed and established as the last will and testament of said Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander deceased and as such duly admitted to record. And said estate declared not to exceed $1,125,000.00 ($562.50) the necessary United States revenue stamps were hereto attached and cancelled by the Court.
Attest Sam S. Darneal Clerk
Source: Woodford County Kentucky Will Book T, pp. 127-130.
Note: Robert S.C. Aitcheson Alexander founded the the town of Airdrie in Muhlenberg County and the iron foundry there. After this business venture failed Alexander returned to Woodburn, the family estate in Woodford Co., Kentucky, and became one of the most successful thoroughbred and trotting horse breeders in Kentucky. He owned the stallion Lexington, who was the leading sire of champion horses for 16 years.
Updated July 27, 2022