Freelove was the daughter of James Whaley (c. 1801-1866) and Elizabeth (Betsy) Rhodes of Hempstead in what is now Nassau County, and the wife of Eben Acker. She lived in New York City most of her adult life.
Freelove appears in 1866 Queens County probate proceedings, along with her three full siblings Sarah Ann Pettit, and James and Stephen Whaley, contesting the will of her father which left everything to their stepmother Nancy. Freelove and her siblings claimed that Nancy had been abusive to them and that they all left home early, ages 12-16, for that reason. Some neighbors claimed that James' real property had belonged to his first wife and that James allegedly was pressured by his second wife to write a will leaving everything to her, and that he feared his second wife would not leave anything to his first wife's children.
Ultimately the court decided on a 1-2 vote to legitimate the will leaving everything to Freelove's stepmother. Whether or not the stepmother was as abusive to her stepchildren as they alleged, they and neighbors were correct to fear that Nancy would not leave them any property. In March 1894 probate proceedings for Nancy's estate, her own three daughters, Ann Eliza Powell, Mary Jane Carman, and Susan Amelia Abrams, produced a will that Nancy purportedly wrote on December 11 1867, shortly after the death of her husband when her stepchildren were alive, and it did indeed leave everything to her own three daughters and nothing to her stepchildren.
Sources:
Death Certificate Manhattan 1885
Wills of Real Estate (Queens Co. Surrogate Court Records)
Vol 13 p 420 f. (probate for father James Whaley's will May 1866)
Vol 51 p 273-275 (probate for Nancy Whaley's will dated Dec 11 1867 leaving everything to her own three children and nothing to her four stepchildren)
Freelove appears in 1866 Queens County probate proceedings, along with her three full siblings Sarah Ann Pettit, and James and Stephen Whaley, contesting the will of her father which left everything to their stepmother Nancy. Freelove and her siblings claimed that Nancy had been abusive to them and that they all left home early, ages 12-16, for that reason. Some neighbors claimed that James' real property had belonged to his first wife and that James allegedly was pressured by his second wife to write a will leaving everything to her, and that he feared his second wife would not leave anything to his first wife's children.
Ultimately the court decided on a 1-2 vote to legitimate the will leaving everything to Freelove's stepmother. Whether or not the stepmother was as abusive to her stepchildren as they alleged, they and neighbors were correct to fear that Nancy would not leave them any property. In March 1894 probate proceedings for Nancy's estate, her own three daughters, Ann Eliza Powell, Mary Jane Carman, and Susan Amelia Abrams, produced a will that Nancy purportedly wrote on December 11 1867, shortly after the death of her husband when her stepchildren were alive, and it did indeed leave everything to her own three daughters and nothing to her stepchildren.
Sources:
Death Certificate Manhattan 1885
Wills of Real Estate (Queens Co. Surrogate Court Records)
Vol 13 p 420 f. (probate for father James Whaley's will May 1866)
Vol 51 p 273-275 (probate for Nancy Whaley's will dated Dec 11 1867 leaving everything to her own three children and nothing to her four stepchildren)
Freelove was the daughter of James Whaley (c. 1801-1866) and Elizabeth (Betsy) Rhodes of Hempstead in what is now Nassau County, and the wife of Eben Acker. She lived in New York City most of her adult life.
Freelove appears in 1866 Queens County probate proceedings, along with her three full siblings Sarah Ann Pettit, and James and Stephen Whaley, contesting the will of her father which left everything to their stepmother Nancy. Freelove and her siblings claimed that Nancy had been abusive to them and that they all left home early, ages 12-16, for that reason. Some neighbors claimed that James' real property had belonged to his first wife and that James allegedly was pressured by his second wife to write a will leaving everything to her, and that he feared his second wife would not leave anything to his first wife's children.
Ultimately the court decided on a 1-2 vote to legitimate the will leaving everything to Freelove's stepmother. Whether or not the stepmother was as abusive to her stepchildren as they alleged, they and neighbors were correct to fear that Nancy would not leave them any property. In March 1894 probate proceedings for Nancy's estate, her own three daughters, Ann Eliza Powell, Mary Jane Carman, and Susan Amelia Abrams, produced a will that Nancy purportedly wrote on December 11 1867, shortly after the death of her husband when her stepchildren were alive, and it did indeed leave everything to her own three daughters and nothing to her stepchildren.
Sources:
Death Certificate Manhattan 1885
Wills of Real Estate (Queens Co. Surrogate Court Records)
Vol 13 p 420 f. (probate for father James Whaley's will May 1866)
Vol 51 p 273-275 (probate for Nancy Whaley's will dated Dec 11 1867 leaving everything to her own three children and nothing to her four stepchildren)
Freelove appears in 1866 Queens County probate proceedings, along with her three full siblings Sarah Ann Pettit, and James and Stephen Whaley, contesting the will of her father which left everything to their stepmother Nancy. Freelove and her siblings claimed that Nancy had been abusive to them and that they all left home early, ages 12-16, for that reason. Some neighbors claimed that James' real property had belonged to his first wife and that James allegedly was pressured by his second wife to write a will leaving everything to her, and that he feared his second wife would not leave anything to his first wife's children.
Ultimately the court decided on a 1-2 vote to legitimate the will leaving everything to Freelove's stepmother. Whether or not the stepmother was as abusive to her stepchildren as they alleged, they and neighbors were correct to fear that Nancy would not leave them any property. In March 1894 probate proceedings for Nancy's estate, her own three daughters, Ann Eliza Powell, Mary Jane Carman, and Susan Amelia Abrams, produced a will that Nancy purportedly wrote on December 11 1867, shortly after the death of her husband when her stepchildren were alive, and it did indeed leave everything to her own three daughters and nothing to her stepchildren.
Sources:
Death Certificate Manhattan 1885
Wills of Real Estate (Queens Co. Surrogate Court Records)
Vol 13 p 420 f. (probate for father James Whaley's will May 1866)
Vol 51 p 273-275 (probate for Nancy Whaley's will dated Dec 11 1867 leaving everything to her own three children and nothing to her four stepchildren)
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