Robert Edwards (pirate) facts for kids
Robert Edwards (who died around 1780) was likely a made-up Welsh buccaneer. A buccaneer was a type of pirate who attacked Spanish ships, especially in the Caribbean Sea. His family members claim that Queen Anne of Great Britain gave him 77 acres (about 31 hectares) of land in Manhattan, New York, for helping to stop Spanish ships from moving freely.
Edwards supposedly leased his New York land to two brothers, John and George Cruger, for 99 years. The agreement was that the land would go back to his family after the lease ended in 1877. However, Edwards's family never received any of the land. It is said that the Cruger brothers were leaders at Trinity Church, an Episcopal Church in New York City. Today, Trinity Church is one of New York City's biggest landowners. Family stories suggest that all of Edwards's land ended up with Trinity Church.
The Mystery of Robert Edwards
Trinity Church does own a large part of the land that the Edwards family describes. But the church says it received this land directly from Queen Anne in 1705. This information comes from a church booklet published in 1955, a time when Trinity Church was dealing with many claims from Edwards's family.
The Land Claim
The story of Robert Edwards and his land has continued for a long time. Some people have made big claims to this fortune, which is now thought to be worth around $650 billion. One of the most recent claims came from Cleoma Foore. Her research led to the creation of the Pennsylvania Association of Edwards Heirs. This group collected money from donations to try and prove they were the rightful owners of the huge fortune because they were direct descendants of Robert Edwards.
In 1994, the association claimed that the money from Edwards's lease was held in an account at Chase Manhattan Bank. They said it was worth about $27 billion. However, a spokesperson for the bank said there was no such account. The bank also pointed out that its total deposits in America were $40 billion, so it would be "ridiculous" for one account to hold $27 billion. Plus, the bank wasn't even started until 1799, which was 19 years after Edwards supposedly died. The association's fund collected about $1.5 million at its highest point, but no strong proof ever appeared. In fact, the situation ended with a legal case about money problems in 1999.
The Story Continues
More recently, this old claim has been featured in many books, TV shows, and radio reports. A 1998 TV show in the United Kingdom called "Find a Fortune" even tried to find new information about the topic.
A document kept at the Glamorgan Record Office in Cardiff, Wales, called "The Edwards Millions," explains the case as it was in 2002. It shows how claims and counter-claims made the issue even more confusing. Stories about dishonest lawyers and false claims have also made it harder for people researching the truth to find answers.
The Truth Comes Out
In New York, there is a "statute of limitations." This is a law that sets a time limit for how long someone has to make a legal claim after a lease ends. For this type of claim, the limit is fifteen years. This law seems to have ended the Edwards family's claim many years ago. The only document that could prove the matter would be the original 99-year lease signed by the Cruger brothers. But even if it existed, it would now be too old to be used in court because of the time limit.
According to Paul Collins, an American writer, the lease was probably a joke made in 1880 by E.F. Williamson. Williamson was known for playing pranks throughout his life. He even owned a seat in Trinity Church and was later put in prison for bothering the church's leader, Morgan Dix, with a long prank that lasted for weeks.
