Herbert and Felicia go to
Borrough Hall to see what they can find out about the previous owners or occupants of the house.
Herbert & Felicia spend the whole day there sifting through cabinets of files and old books.
With a Library Use skill roll Herbert finds that, besides the current owner Mr. VanCrann, the house was owned by a series of names reflecting the changing immigration into the city across the years. Mr. VanCrann bought the property in 1918 from the city itself as the house was abandoned and serviced for a brief time by the Department of Housing. Prior to that the dates of transferral of deeds and names of the deed holders are as follows.
Joseph VanCrann 1918
Thomas Murphy 1909
Henry LeDuex 1880
Walter Corbitt 1835
Henry Webber 1835 (house built)
Also found by Felicia are legal documents for Henry Webber showing that he died in 1838 and was interned in Green-Wood Cemetary after an Presbyterian service. The executor of his will was a cousin of his in Virginia named Craig Webber.
Walter Corbitt has no listed date of death, but the executor of his will is named as Reverend Michael Thomas, pastor of the Chapel of Contemplation & Church of Our Lord
Granter of Secrets.
No wills or any other information can be found about the later owner's of the property, they may not have provided legal means for settling of inheretance.
Since Dr. Blanck looked so charmingly official (Credit Rating skill roll), the desk clerk suggests that other, more-esoteric records for the property be checked among in the hall.
The Register of Churches lists that the Chapel of Contemplation was closed in 1912. Also there was a police-related case against the church in that same year although no specific details in the city-court are given. The helpful clerk points out that certain higher-priority cases may be handled by state or federal courts or more info may be at the relevant police precinct.
Thanks to an Idea Roll Felicia and Herbet figure out that any news stories related to the house would either be in newspaper files or at the library if the article is old enough.
