Mount Auburn Cemetery

Aug. 16 [186]4

Cha^s. F. Shimmin Esq.

Dear Sir,

Your deed had not come to me when I saw you the other day. Since then it was handed in for record together with a very scaly looking deed from Garder to Mrs Hood. -- As you executed it as the Ex^orof Mrs Parkman, I feared you had made an error therein and went to the Probate office here to see if I could trace the title. Not finding it, & remembering being once shown a place in Brighton, when I was a little boy, as that of David Parkman, I thought I would refer to the records in Middlesex county: and there found a will of David Parkman, of Cambridge, in which all his personal estate was given absolutely to his widow, Mary George Parkman, and "all real ^ ^{& personal} estate in reversion or expectancy, to my wife Mary G., to be held and endorsed by her during her natural life, and after her decease to be divided equally between my two youngest children, Charles M. & Mary H. Parkman," &c. -- In the inventory, to which I turned, with a view if possible of further inden-- tification (for I had never heard of his living in Camb.) I found returned "no real estate". & under the head of personal, 2^nd item -- "Lot in Mt Auburn $75." -- This I dare say was the source of your error. The charter of our Corpⁿ declares every lot to be real estate, and no inven-- tory or other process could change it to personal. Real estate then goes directly to the heirs. If the second clause above quoted "real estate in reversion or expectancy" does not cover it -- by which it went to your wife & Mr Chas. M. upon the decease of Mrs P., still it would go as real estate in possession and not referred to in the will, to his heirs general; and I infer from the assent of C.M. & M.H. as the only heirs of Mrs P. to the probate of her will, that Edward B. has deceased, without issue. If that is the case, then the same persons are ^^now heirs general of

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