The will of James L. Howard was admitted to probate

1. Property under the will was given as follows:

• Howard gave his library to his daughters, Alice H. Bennett, Edith Mason Howard, and Mary Leland Howard.
• All personal property in the house at 67 Collins Street, other than money, securities, evidences of indebtedness, and the library, went to Anna G. Howard.
• The “horses and other stable contents” also went to Anna G. Howard.
• Additionally, Howard requested that property in Springfield that he owned jointly with George E. Howard be sold and that the proceeds be divided equally between George and James’s estate, but that an amount for any advancements made by James for a mortgage or other expenses not be deducted from the proceeds of the sale.

2. Money under the will was given to family members as follows:

• $30,000 each to his three daughters
• $20,000 to Julia Howard Bush
• $5,000 to James Leland Howard
• $5,000 in trust for the benefit of Sarah H. Chatterton

3. Bequests:

• $3,000 to the deacons of the Baptist Church in Hartford, with a third each going toward expenses of the Sunday school, the expenses of the Suffield Street Mission, and fund for the poor at the church
• $5,000 to the American Baptist Home Missions Society in New York
• $5,000 to the American Baptist Missionary Union in Boston
• $2,500 to the American Baptist Publication Society in Philadelphia
• $2,500 to the Connecticut Baptist State Convention
• $2,000 to the Connecticut Baptist Education Society

4. The remainder of the estate was to be placed in trust, with the income from that trust being paid quarterly to Anna G. Howard.
5. Provisions for the future

• After Sarah H. Chatterton’s death, the remaining principal in her trust will be divided equally among Alice H. Bennett, Edith Mason Howard, Mary Leland Howard and Julia Howard Bush or their children, should any of them pre-decease Sarah.
• After Anna G. Howard’s death, the remainder of the estate that had been placed in trust for her will be divided equally among Alice H. Bennett, Edith Mason Howard, Mary Leland Howard and Julia Howard Bush or their children, should any of them pre-decease Anna.

1. The article referred to Sarah H. Chatterton as Sarah H. Chatterson.
2. The “Baptist Church in Hartford” likely refers to the First Baptist Church, of which Howard was a member.

1. James L. Howard executed his will on March 13, 1889, with Henry E. Taintor, Thomas Evans, and John P. Harbison serving as witnesses.
2. James Howard died on May 1, 1906, and his funeral was May 3, 1906.

1. Alice H. Bennett, Edith Mason Howard, and Mary Leland Howard were James Howard’s surviving daughters.
2. Anna G. Howard was Howard’s wife.
3. George E. Howard was Howard’s brother.
4. As a reference point for the amounts listed in the will, $1,000 in 1906 is the equivalent of $35,718.33 in 2025.
5. Julia Howard Bush was Howard’s granddaughter.
6. James Leland Howard was Howard’s nephew and namesake, and in some articles in the Courant he was designated “junior.”
7. Sarah H. Chatterton was Howard’s sister, who lived in Rutland, VT.

Unattributed.  “Will of James L. Howard admitted to probate,” Hartford Courant, May 9, 1906, page 13.