Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Probate Record for Frances Cleveland (Dodge) Nemetzky

I just found something this morning that I have been wondering about for a long time. I found on newspapers.com a newspaper titled Sacramento Legal Press. This newspaper was a weekly publication that gave notice of the court proceedings for the Superior Court in the County of Sacramento. In this newspaper, I found three references to the Probate case for my great-grandfather's sister, Frances Cleveland (Dodge) Nemetzky. She lived in San Francisco for many years, and owned and operated the Fogalsang's Pru-Nut Creams candy store there. She moved to the town of Broderick, California (a smalltown just outside Sacramento) in the early 1950's. Frances passed away on October 3, 1955 in Sacramento.

Soon after her death, a probate case was filed in Superior Court, County of Sacramento. Below is the first clipping I found this morning. 

This first clipping was published on October 21, 1955. A hearing was scheduled for October 27, 1955. This hearing would have been to appoint an administrator for her estate.


The second clipping I found was published on May 25, 1956. This would be for a hearing scheduled for May 29, 1956, requesting the removal of the administratrix (female administrator) of the estate. 


The third clipping I found was published on October 4, 1957. This would be for a hearing scheduled for October 11, 1957, regarding the sale of real estate that would have been in her name. 

A very long time ago, I found a letter that her sister, Rachel (Dodge) Newitt wrote to my grandpa in October 1957. This letter explained that their sister, Ann (Dodge) Graham, said nothing of Frances' death to anyone and took over her estate without anybody's knowledge. Once Rachel and the other family members found out what was going on, they hired an attorney to put a stop to Ann's handling of the estate. Rachel also explained in this letter that there was a will that spelled out what everyone was to receive. My grandpa, Robert Dodge, his brother, Alfred, as well as the children of their oldest sister, Clara Belle (Dodge) Morgan, Bill Morgan, and Mary (Morgan) McNab, were all to have received an inheritance from this will. I still have a copy of this letter.

As a side note, their oldest sister, Clara Belle (Dodge) Morgan, immigrated to Canada in 1911, and passed away in 1943. Another side note - they had a brother, Dwight Dodge, who was still alive and living in southern Oregon during this time, but all contact with him had been lost after he left Colorado in 1920.

The reason Ann would have been involved with Frances' estate in the first place was that Frances was living with her and her husband, Earl Graham, in Broderick, when Frances passed away. Ann and Earl Graham moved to Broderick in the late 1940's, following their move from Colorado Springs to Salt Lake City in 1942. They would return to Colorado Springs around 1958, shortly after this probate case was completed.

I am going to request a copy of this probate case from the Sacramento Superior Court. It will be interesting to see how this probate case played out. 

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