Communicating Your Will
There is an ancient story of a rich old bachelor. He did not want his wealth to go to his spendthrift distant relatives. So, much to everyone's surprise he made out a will in proper legal form leaving all of his property to the Devil.
His administrator was unable to find the Devil and turn the estate over to him. He got an order of the court therefore to give the estate to the nearest of kin, which was the very thing that the old bachelor had tried to avoid. The story goes on to say that most of the relatives in spending the money went to the Devil. So... the old bachelor's Will was carried out after all...!
Early Communicators Of Their Will
It has been claimed that Noah made a Will leaving the whole world to his three sons.
The father of the prodigal son had evidently made a Will, but he executed it while still alive.
Thomas Walker, an Englishman, made a Will on April 25, 1666. It provided that loaves of bread be given to all persons who attended church, if they were not loiterers or drunkards.
The earliest known American Will is that of William Smith, made September 22, 1635, soon after the colonist arrived.
An Egyptian Prince of the Fourth Dynasty made a Will about 2845 B.C.
Cortez found that Wills were used by the Aztec Indians.
The Quran contains regulations about Wills.
Wills are known to have been written on barks of trees and carved in wood as early as the 7th Century.