Weird wills

 When it comes to the final wishes of the dearly departed, most wills are fairly straightforward: property is divided, money is allocated, and loved ones are remembered in customary ways. Yet, throughout history, a fascinating handful have chosen to use their last legal act to leave the world with a legacy as unique as their lives. From musical requests involving human skin to bequests determined by a lucky throw of the dice, let’s explore the peculiar, whimsical, and downright bizarre world of weird wills.

S. SANBORN, an American hatter, who died in 1871 left his body to science stipulating that two drums were to be made out of his skin and that every June 17th at dawn a friend would drum out the tune “Yankee Doodle” at Bunker’s Hill.

In 1948, CECIL GEORGE HARRIS, a Canadian farmer, was repairing his tractor when he inadvertently put the vehicle into reverse, pinning his left leg underneath one of the rear wheels. Believing no one would come to his rescue, he used his jackknife to scratch onto the tractor’s fender: In case I die in this mess, I leave all to the wife. Cecil Geo. Harris. Harris died of his injuries two days later and the etched fender was admitted as a valid will.

Canadian lawyer and financier CHARLES VANCE MILLAR offered the bulk of his sizeable estate to the Toronto woman who had the greatest number of children in the ten years after his death.

SAMUEL BRATT used his will to get even. His wife never allowed him to smoke so he returned the favour. The embittered Bratt left her £330,000, provided that she smoked five cigars per day.

The tiniest will was written on reverse of an ordinary postage stamp, and properly signed by witnesses. It obviously had to be deciphered with a magnifying glass.
The world’s longest will consisted of ninety-five thousand words. It was written painstakingly by a woman who took more than twenty years to complete her task.

HENRY DURRELL, a Bermuda tycoon was equally fond of his three nephews, and stipulated in his Will, in 1921, that a game of dice should determine which one was to inherit his grand estate overlooking Hamil-ton Harbor. After his death the trio dutifully rolled dice for the inheritance, and Richard Durrell won.

An old Finnish man bequeathed all his possessions to the Devil. Ultimately, the government took possession of his property. Some may say that his will was rightfully passed on to the correct party.

Death is certainly not a joke, however, some of these wills are certainly worth a laugh.