Notes |
- In 1857, Eurasie Hillebrandt died, leaving no will, and because of inheritance and other family quarrels with his two older children over her estate, the old rancher disinherited his oldest son Levi and his daughter, Caroline Brewer. In 1857, at the time of their mother's death, Levi had moved to West Texas, perhaps as a result of a quarrel with his father, and Caroline Brewer had eloped and moved to Sabine Pass. Whatever the quarrels were, Hillebrandt cut them off without a cent, even though legally, he could not cut them out of one-half of his wife's community estate, and left his second son, Christian Espar, as the sole executor and major beneficiary of his will.
However, A year later, the father died as well, and a series of suits and countersuits in the district court in Beaumont left the Hillebrandt estate in limbo for two years. In their suit, Levi and Caroline alleged in their petition that their father "was mentally incapable of making a will." Finally, all of the children reached a family agreement out of court in June, 1860, which broke the will and settled the estate share and share alike.
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