“Saturday 20th Feb. 1886.”
Will of Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas died June 11, 1861. A copy of his will, together with a codicil thereto, is as follows:
“Know all men by these presents that I, Stephen A. Douglas of the City of Chicago and State of Illinois, in view of the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death at such time as an all wise Providence shall ordain, do hereby declare and subscribe the following as my will which I desire all persons to respect after my death, to wit:
“It is also my will after my said debts shall be paid, all the residue of my property, personal and real shall be divided by my executors into two equal parts, and that one part thereof shall belong to my two children, Robert M. Douglas and Stephen Douglas, and that the other part thereof, that is to say, one-half of all my property real and personal and of all moneys or debts due me shall belong to and is hereby declared to belong to my dear and beloved wife, Adele Cutts Douglas.
“It is also my will and positive direction that my said wife shall be and she is hereby declared to be the sole guardian of my said children, and that she shall have the possession, control and education of them until they shall respectively arrive at the age of twenty-one years, knowing her to be the best person in the world to perform this sacred trust.
“It is also my will that my said wife, Adele Cutts Douglas and my friend and relative, Daniel P. Rhodes, of Cleveland, Ohio, be and they are hereby declared my executors to carry this will into effect, and to that end I do hereby waive all legal process and letters of administration and dispense with any and all security on the part of my said executors and direct that they may proceed and execute this will the same that I could do were I alive.
“Having thus provided for all my worldly affairs, I commit my soul to God and ask the prayers of the good for His divine blessing.
“In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 4th day of September A.D. 1857.
“S. A. Douglas.”