I say “discovered,” because being an heir to the Cronkhite fortune had become a national pastime by 1902. Cronkhite descendants began holding meetings across the country in in 1895 in anticipation of receiving their inheritance in April 1896.
The Cronkhite estate story begins with three brothers, Kasper, John and Jacob Cronkhite, who came to the U.S. from Haas, Holland, around 1754, and lived in Conn. and New York. The Revolutionary War with Great Britain was on the horizon, and Kasper, a bachelor, sympathized with the British. His brothers John and Jacob, on the other hand, sided with the United States and enlisted in the military to defend their new homeland.
This did not sit well with Kasper. He wanted his brothers to go back to Holland. When they refused, he swore that he would he would go back, make a fortune, and then make a will that would cut them off.
While living in the U.S., Kasper had learned that the U. S. was a good market for gin. He went back to Holland and started manufacturing the juniper berry spirits, having almost entire control of a big estate left by his forefathers. Jacob and John Cronkhite were both married and raised families. Their children and their children’s children gradually spread across the U.S.
True to his word, Kasper established a gin distillery and soon his investment began bringing him a fortune. Still a bachelor, he had no direct descendants. He knew of the children of his two brothers in America, and also remembered the threat he had made. He drew up a will, which included some very unusual provisions.
It stated that his fortune was to be held by the government of Holland and a rate of three percent interest to be paid. The will was to be opened after 100 years, and the proceeds, with interest, were to be distributed among descendants of his two brothers. The will became operative on April 6, 1896, 100 years after Kasper’s death. Heirs suddenly began to pop up all over the country.
The story seems to have been just that: a story. According to Larry Cronkhite, a Cronkhite family genealogist, no one ever received a dime from the supposed estate.
The Minneapolis Journal; “Klein’s Discovery. Red Wing Laborer One of the Heirs of a Vast Holland Estate.”; January 08, 1902; p. 2.
Press and Horticulturist; “May Be Heirs To Millions. Clarence Stewart One of the Claimants of $80,000,000 Awaiting Owners in Holland.”; Riverside, Ca.; Jan. 17, 1902; p. 3.
Cronkhite, Larry; “Some Branches of the Cronk, Cronkite, Cronkhite Family Tree”; http://www.4csons.com/GenealogyPDFFiles/CronkiteBranches.pdf
http://www.nht-avocat.com/inheritance-lawyer.php
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