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Note: In the name of God Amen I, John Vedder, of the city of St. Augustine, Florida, do make publishand declare this paper writing and for my last will and testament, hereby revoking and making void all former wills by me at any time made. Item 1st. I will that all my just and lawful debts and funeral expenses are first paid. Item 2nd. I give, devise and bequeath to my son, Daniel James Vedder, my brick house and lot upon which it is located, on Green Street, in the city of Schenectady, state of New York, to have and to hold the same unto him, and his heirs and assigns forever, also my dental instruments, utensils, and office furniture, now in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. Item 3rd. I give, devise and bequeath to my son, Charles John Vedder, the frame house and lot upon which it stands, owned by me, and situated on Green Street, in the city of Schenectady, State of New York, to hold thesame unto him, his heirs and assigns forever. Item 4th. The bequest of the brick house and lot upon which it stands, in the city of Schenectady, State of New York, above mentioned, to my son, Daniel James Vedder, is made with the understanding, and upon condition, that he shall pay and fully satisfy a entire mortgage of six hundred dollarsand interest which may be or become due on the lot of land with the frame house thereon having bequeathed to my son Charles John Vedder;and the title of the said property herein above bequeathed to my said son Daniel James Vedder, shall remain in my estate until said mortgage is paid and satisfied, then said title shall vest in my said son herein forever provided. Item 5th. I give and bequeath to my daughter, Ada May Vedder and to my sons, George A. Vedder and Eugene Vedder each the sum of fifty dollars. Item 6th. All the ... and residue of my property, real, personal and mixed, I desire shall be reverted into cash as soon as practicable, by my executors herein after named, and the proceeds applied by them toward the erection of a suitable monument on my lot in Vale Cemetery, in the city of Schenectady, State of New York, (in which lot I desire to be buried) such monument to contain the re... and proper inscriptions thereon, in memory of myself and the members of my family now buried therein, and if practicable to be left with spaces for the filling in from time to time of proper and appropriate.... commemorative of my family who may hereafter be buried therein. Item 7th. I hereby nominate and appoint my friends, Jacob V Vrooman, ofthe city of Schenectady, state of New York, W. A. MacWilliams, of the city St. Augustine, Florida, and my son Daniel James Vedder, of the city of Utica, state of New York, as the executors of this my last will and testament to serve without bond, and with full authority to sell and convey any and all of my property not herein specifically bequeathed and devised, without application to, or order of court, and to execute title to the same, in carrying out the purpose of this will. In witness whereof, I have hereunto ... my hand and seal this thirteenth day of March, A.D. one thousand eight hundred and ninety nine. John Vedder Signed, sealed, published and declared by the testator, in our presence who signed the same as witnesses thereto at the request and in the presence of the testator, and of the said testator after declaring the previous instrument as and for his last will and testament and signed the same with his own hand. Jasper V. Colvin of St. Augustine, Fla. Wm. J. Mowry of St. Augustine, Florida Filed record Apr. 22, 1899 Recorded Apr. 22, 1899 Walter B. Drysdale, county judge ST. AUGUSTINE Death of Dr. John Vedder, an Old and Valued Resident St. Augustine, April 22 [1899].- In the death of Dr. John Vedder, which occured at his home in this city at 8:39 o'clock this morning, St.Augustine has lost another of her old and valued citizens. Dr. Vedder has not enjoyed good health for a number of years; he had suffered much with asthma, and this, together with a weak heart was the direct cause of death, aided by his weak constitution due to old age being 90 years old. His life had been a notable one in many respects. He was well known by every resident of St. Augustine and thousands of visitors through hisconnection with the museum run under his name on the Bay for a great manyyears. He had devoted many years to the study of fish and animals, and was considered the best authority on such subjects during the twenty five years he lived in this city. Dr. Vedder is said to have been the oldest locomotive engineer in the United States at the time of his death. He saw the first locomotive ever run in the America, and in 1839, when but 20 years of age, was an engineer on the Syracuse & Albany Railroad, before it became the New York Central. In his early life Dr. Vedder was very successful in his business speculations, and had laid away a neat fortune, which made him in his latter years happy and independent, but nevertheless he was always to be found at his museum busy at his profession as a taxidermist. Dr. Vedder was a widower, but leaves two sons, James and Charles, both ofwhom reside in Utica, NY. They have been telegraphed for and will arrive here tomorrow. The remains will be taken to Utica for interment.* *This info is incorrect. While he was a widower from his first marriage,Dr. Vedder was actually divorced from his second wife. Daniel "James" and Charles were from his first marriage. Three more children from the second marriage (George A, Eugene and Ada) are not mentioned in this obit. Also he was not interred in Utica but in Schenectady in accordance to his will. Ironically both of his wives are buried in Utica. source: "The Florida Times-Union" 23 Apr 1899 "Meanwhile the Society's exhibit collection had expanded to include historical material and a variety of heterogeneous curios. From the manse's parlor the museum was moved to an unused room of the Alcazar Hotel and then to a ground floor room in the public library on Hospital Street. In 1899 the Society bought the Vedder Museum collection of natural curiosities when its curator, Dr. John Vedder, died. Vedder was adentist, but he also ran a menagerie and museum which occupied a large, old coquina stone building on the bayfront north of the plaza. The $600 to purchase the collection for the Society was advanced from Dr. Webb, and it would be years before the Society could reimburse him. With the lease of the building the Society, for the first time, had its own homeand headquarters.8" source: ST. AUGUSTINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1883-1983 by Thomas Graham(Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 64, issue 1, July 1985) Baptismal Date: 06 Sep 1819 Father: John J. Vedder Mother: Maria Brower Child: John Birth Date: 22 Jul The live animals in Dr. John J Vedder's collection were sold to CF Lathamof the New York Zoological Society. In Peter Carr's Journal: "Caribbean Historical & Genealogical Journal" There are lists of the Index to United States Citizens' Register of Havana, Cuba. In Jan 1998 issue: 1871 Vedder, Elihu No. 244 1871 Vedder, Sarah No. 1314 In Apr 1998 issue: 1871 Vedder, John No. 1315 1871 Vedder, Elihu No. 244 Mr. Carr states that these records are from the US National Archives, Record Group 84. I will be on the lookout for anything else that I find with your surname. Mariela Fernandez http://www.cubangenclub.org ARC Identifier: 1277657 ARC Identifier: 1307276 Title: [Cuba - Matanzas - Consulate] Passports, 1857 - 1870
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