James L. Casler

Trying to trace back the ancestors of Draper Daniels.

I went to the County Courthouse in Cooperstown, Otsego County, NY and made a copy of the Petition of J.D. Reed for the Probate of the will of James L. Casler.

I will attach a scan of it. You can see that all his known nieces and nephews had to be notified to see if they wanted to contest the will. Maria (Casler) Doubleday's and Fanny (Casler) Draper's children are listed with others. That makes them both sisters of James L. Casler. Which was the question that I was trying to answer.

The file had a bit more information in it - bills from a Dr. and a nurse, the undertaker, and the monument inscriber, etc.

Of the beneficiaries listed below things went this way. James L. Casler had money in the bank amounting to $1,945.00. He did not have any real estate. After the executor paid all the bills, notified all the next of kin, published a notice to creditors, and paid himself there was about $1,339 left.

That was distributed as follows with his two friends each getting $50 as specified in the will and the three others splitting the remainder and getting $413.xx each.

$50 Maude Bailey, a friend, Richfield Springs, N.Y.
$50 Herny S. Wolcott, a friend, Richfield Springs, N.Y
$413 Grace Hewes Armstrong, grand-niece, Gloversville, NY
$413 Bessie -Hewes Barber, grand-niece, GloverSVille, NY
$413 Anna Hewes Oberg, grand-niece, naraed in the
Will as Annie Hewes, Gloversville, N.Y.

To put that amount in some perspective you could buy a new Ford car for about $290 in 1925.

I also found a short obituary for Mr. James L. Casler at the fultonhistory.com site from the Richfield Springs, NY Mercury, also attached.