William Young Otis was born Sunday, July 14, 1839 in Maromas, Middletown, CT. He was the son of Erastus Selden Otis and Elizabeth Mary Young Otis. He was the older brother (by 8 years) of Daniel H. Otis.
William died on Wednesday, April 21, 1886; age 47 in Plantsville, Southington, CT. His cause of death was from “sclerodermia following measles,” as the primary cause, and the secondary cause is, "inflammation of the brain or membranes."
There is about 29 pages of various documents in William's estate papers (1 bond, 2 applications and petitions, 1 inventory, 2 returns to court, 1 accounts of administration, and 11 miscellaneous documents). I chose to post only the pertinent (and interesting) pieces here. The full collection of Williams' estate is housed at the Connecticut State Library in Hartford.
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| Funeral Charges for William Y. Otis, 1886 |
The above is a list of funeral charges for William Y. Otis' burial.
A casket cost $50.00
Shaving and laying out, $6.00
Embalming, $6.00
Robe, $5.50
4 Coaches, $16.00
4 Coaches, $16.00
I'm not sure if the next line reads, "hearse and attendance funeral?" Nonetheless, it was $5.00
Opening and Closing grave, $3.00
The total to have a respectable burial in 1886, was $91.50, which is equivalent to $2,522.10 in the year 2020.
I couldn't help but notice the eclectic letter head for these charges. Is J. A. Kenyon an embalmer or furniture dealer? It seemed that not only did Kenyon provide funeral services, but he also sold "furniture, carpeting, oil cloths, window shades, and wall paper!"
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| Enormous charges for "medical advise." William Y. Otis, 1886 |
Above image: This looks like the Estate of William Y. Otis owes Dr. W.G. Steadeau [?] for "medical advise." Look at what this doctor charged for medical advise! $111.00!
$111.00 in 1886 is equivalent to $3,059. in 2020.
This is crazy amounts of money for medical advise. Ha! And nothing has really changed, has it? The medical establishment was price-gouging patients back in 1886, and they are STILL doing it today, in 2020.
And William died anyway, but the "good doctor" still gets paid, doesn't he?
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| Promissory Note, April 1877. William Y. Otis |
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| Promissory Note, January 1882. William Y. Otis |
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| Promissory Note, October 1882. William Y. Otis |
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| Promissory Note, June 1883. William Y. Otis |
The above four images are "Promissory Notes," (aka: IOU's) that William signed promising to owe various individuals sums of money.
I love that William's personal signature has been put to these documents! Personal bits like this are precious.
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| Probate Court documents for William Y. Otis, 1886 |
Above image: Speaking of personal signatures, I included this Probate document because it has William's wife and son's personal signatures. Elizabeth V. Otis and Ervin L. Otis (bottom right-hand corner of document).
The above six images are an itemized inventory of William Y. Otis' estate. Basically, it's a list of his personal belongings and household items, along with how much each is worth.
This was one long document that I had to split up into pieces to fit it on this page here. Documents like this are priceless, as it gives a small peek inside his home.
