Many thanks to all who have responded to my questions about this will. I
think the second one, on manumitting slaves and assisting them, is
resolved, but I'm still trying to understand the issue raised in my
first question, i.e. how to interpret the fact that the testator
provided large sums of money to several different women.
The will in question is that of Joseph Gallego. He was born in Spain in
1758, resided in Philadelphia for several years around 1783, and spent
the rest of his life in Richmond, where he owned the Gallego Mills, the
largest or second-largest flour mill in the world at the time. He became
very wealthy and associated regularly with the cream of Richmond
society. Joseph's wife, Mary Magee, died in the 1811 Richmond Theatre
fire. He was Catholic but was most often seen in an Episcopal context,
probably because there were no Catholic churches at hand. For example,
he was married in an Episcopal church in Philadelphia and is buried in
St. John´s churchyard in Richmond.
In his will Gallego left money to support the construction of a Catholic
chapel and land to provide a site for the project. The first Catholic
cathedral in Richmond was built on the site. This legacy was the subject
of a lengthy suit because the bequest was not made to a specific
individual or board. A second suit, also lengthy, dealt with the
question of the right of a husband to a legacy left to his wife--Gallego
had left some money to a niece whose husband was indebted to Gallego for
several hundred dollars.
In his will Gallego also provided considerable legacies for a number of
women. Several were for $8000, and some for $4000, $2000 and $1000. He
also showed special concern for the female slaves he emancipated, and he
included $2000 to be distributed among the poor and needy, particularly
"respectful widows." Most of the woman who received legacies seem to
have been the wives and daughters of Gallego's friends. There were also
women for whom he wished to provide special support, among them Jane
Mackenzie, foster mother of Rosalie Mackenzie Poe as well as Rosalie
herself. Also listed were the wives and daughters of some of Gallego's
friends. Women named in the will include the following, among others:
Caroline Pickett Currie, Marian Pickett Lambert, Caroline Homassell
Thornton, Sophia Scott Hancock, Josephine Pascault, Hetty Raubell,
Eleanora Pascault O'Donnell, Elizabeth Lindsay, Susan Duval, Betsy
Gibbon and her sister Mari Carter, Margaret, Elizabeth and Virginia
Picket, Martha Gilliat, Emmeline Robert, etc. Only a couple of men were
left legacies similar to those Gallego provided for the many women he named.
My questions: How should we interpret these legacies? Was it common for
individual women such as those mentioned by Gallego to receive a
significant portion of an estate? We also know that Gallego had
portraits of several of these women in his home, probably from the time
when his wife was still alive. Was all of this common or was there
something special about Gallego's concern for the women he knew?
Understanding the will is part of the research I am doing for an article
about Joseph Gallego.The will itself is clear enough and, actually,
makes a very interesting read, but I feel that some aspects need
interpretation. That's why I have come to you for help. I'd welcome your
thoughts about Gallego's many legacies to women, particularly any based
on knowledge of Richmond society of the period.
Rita Goldberg
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