Notice of the late (Sheldon Clark. 227 



He then gives in form, and with certain conditions, the above 

 named sum to the Chesnut-tree hill school district. He gives 

 also to his three sisters a valuable farm, which fell to him from 

 his and their brother, besides other lands acquired after his will 

 was made ; also, all his personal estate* not otherwise disposed 

 of; and on his death bed he expressed a wish, that the sisters 

 should receive each one thousand dollars, and that the college 

 should pay it.f 



He named Abel Wheeler, Esq. of Oxford, and Benjamin Sil- 

 liman of New Haven, his executors, and as Judge Wheeler was 

 dead, the duties, of course, devolved on the surviving executor. 



This will he brought to my house early in the spring of 1823, 

 when he read it to me, and requested me to keep it sacred, and 

 secure. The lady of the house was also entrusted with this con- 

 fidence, that the will might be found, if I were gone ; by Iiis 

 direction I sealed it, in his presence, and wrote upon the envelope, 

 " the last Will of Sheldon Clark, to be delivered to no one but 

 himself in person, or in case of his death, to be opened by the 

 President of Yale College." 



It was now placed in a private drawer in my secretary, in the 

 presence of us three only, and there it remained untouched and 

 unknown, until the melancholy condition was fulfilled. His last 

 visit at my house was in the evening of October 8, 1839, and 

 when he was on the door-step taking his leave, I reminded him 

 of the important document, which, sixteen years before, he had 

 confided to me. and offered to surrender it to him, provided his 

 purpose was changed. He replied, "No, I do not wish to make 

 any alteration," and these (with a warm shake of the hand) were 

 to me his words of farewell. I never saw him more, until I be- 

 held him in his coffin on the 11th of April, 1840. 



* Furniture, apparel, &c. 



t It appears also tiiat he had been liberal in private benefactions to his family. 

 A memorandum in his hand writing now lies before me, dated April 22, ISl] , a 

 few days after his grandfather's death, entitled, "an account ofmone}' that I have 

 given to my relations out of my own earnings." He then enumerates the sums of 

 $200, ,fl50, $100, $100, $53, and $55,75, amounting to $658,75, which, between 

 April 20lh, 1811, and March 20th, 1813, he had given chiefly to female relatives. 

 Among his receipts also, is one for fifteen dollars, being a contribution for a church 

 bell in a neighborfng Episcopal society. He was very liberal to the Congregational 

 society to which he belonged, as also to the town of Oxford, and he made frequent 

 donations to individuals. 



