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Author: grizziesgirl
Surnames: CLARK, MARTIN, ZIMMERMAN, CHANCE
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.chance/1073/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
6 Oct 1912, Jacob K. ZIMMERMAN died at The Elms Hotel in Excelsior Springs, Mo., age about
70. He died leaving neither widow nor will but an estate worth more than a million
dollars. It read like a serial in the Kansas City Star as people sent their family trees
in hopes of proving they were a legitimate heir. In all, there were twenty-seven heirs,
one of them was my gg grandfather, John Hancock MARTIN, a tailor in Kansas City and
"nephew of the half-blood" to Mr. ZIMMERMAN. Also on the list of nieces and
nephews were Emma M. CHANCE and Sarah A. CHANCE but no addresses were published. Jacob K.
ZIMMERMAN had three sisters - whose names I don't know - and I presume these CHANCEs
to be their descendants.
Here is my family relationship to Jacob K. ZIMMERMAN: Jacob's mother was Hannah
(Clark) MARTIN (1798-1875), widow of Thomas D. MARTIN; Hannah and Thomas MARTIN had one
son who lived to adulthood: William Davison MARTIN (29 Jul 1820-2 Mar 1896) father of John
Hancock MARTIN. Hannah was widowed in 1823 and was remarried (date unknown) to John
ZIMMERMAN and Jacob K. was born about 1841. The MARTIN family, and allied lines, are to be
found in Dauphin, and Lebanon Counties of Pennsylvania. A newspaper article places Jacob
ZIMMERMAN's burial at "his old home in Hanover, Pa." Assuming the reference
is to the town rather than several small townships, this would be York County.
I am hoping to find CHANCE descendants who know more of our common family history as well
as stories about the inheritance. I have collected numerous newspaper articles and am glad
to share what I know.
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