Following the death of Charles Losch (1835-1913) in Allentown, Pennsylvania on 17 November 1913, the extent and sources of his vast wealth and those of his other family members were revealed during the reading of his last will and testament — details that were subsequently reported by multiple newspapers across and beyond Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. According to the actual text of that will, which was written by his own hand, these were his specific directives:
- I order and direct, that my body shall be decently interred in a manner corresponding with my state, and situation in life.
I devise the benefit and income, of all that certain house and lot, situate on Florence Street, between South and Eighth Streets in the City of Allentown, Shown as Number 728 Florence Street, for the following purposes. To the Trustee of St. Paul’s, German Lutheran Church on South 8th, Street Allentown Pennsylvania, for which the said Trustees or the successers [sic, “successors”] shall be for all time, keep my Monument and Grave, and my Father’s Monument and plot, and all the graves thereon, and also my Brother Constantine’s grave, plot, stones and Monument in good order and repair, and keep the three Cemetery lots butified [sic, “beautified”] with flowers during summer. But the said mentioned house and lot shall forever the property of the Charles Losch Estate, should the Officers or Trustees of St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church fail or neglect to comply, with this my request, I direct that the Orphans Court of Lehigh County, to make a decree directing the fulfillment of my wish and desire. The said Trustees, or custodian, as the case may be, shall pay all taxes and repairs to said property. I order and direct that the said Custodian, shall throw the three adjoining lots on Fairview Cemetery together into one plot.
- I give devise and bequeath to my son Andrew Losch, Five hundred Dollars cash, and the income of my farm with the contents, situate in South Whitehall Township Lehigh County Pennsylvania, to have and enjoy the same during his natural life, and after his death it shall revert back to my estate.
- I give and bequeath the sum of Fifteen hundred dollars to Miss, Abby Hause of No 835 North 12th, Street Philadelphia Pennsylvania.
- I order and direct my hereinafter named Executors, to apply the sum of Twelve thousand dollars towards a Monument, and improvement of the lot, to be placed on my burial plot on Fairview Cemetery Allentown Pennsylvania.
- I order and direct my hereinafter named Executors to apply the sum of Three thousand dollars, to the purchase of a Monument and plot, to be placed on the burial plot marking the grave of my deceased brother William Losch, of Calafornia [sic, “California”]; and furthermore order and direct the sum of Five hundred dollars, to be invested in first Mortgage security, the interest of which to be used and applied annually, to the keeping in proper condition, and butifying [sic, “beautifying”] the burial plot of my deceased Brother William Losch.
- I order and direct my hereinafter named Executors, to apply the sum of Ten Thousand dollars, to the purchase of a Monument, to be placed on my Father’s burial plot, in Fairview Cemetery Allentown Pennsylvania.
- I order and direct, that before any portion of my estate divided or paid to any of the legatees herein before mentioned, that the provisions relative to the erecting of the Monuments on the burial plots of the deceased, at the time of my death, be strictly complied with, and all the Monunents erected.
- It is my wish that my hereinafter named Executors, shall so arrange that the different amounts set forth, for my monument and that of my Father’s monument in the the above items, be so applied by them, so the cost of each monument be comparatively equal in design cast.
- And as to all the rest, residue and remainder of my Estate, real, personal or mixed, of whatever nature or kind, or wheresoever situate at the time of my decease, I do hereby give devise and bequeath as follows to wit: one share to my sister Alice Losch, one share to the legal heirs of my Brother J. Frank Losch, and one share to the legal heirs of my Brother William Losch.
- And lastly, I do make, constitute and appoint my Son Andrew Losch and my esteemed friends Reuben Helfrich, and James Kressler to be the Executors of this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former Wills and Testaments by me at any time heretofore made, and declaring this to be my last Will and Testament.
That will was “signed, sealed, published and declared by the testator above named” (Charles Losch) on 4 April 1913 as two men — E. J. Schmoyer and M. S. Weidner — witnessed the signing process. Roughly four months later, Charles Losch then attached the following codicil, which was signed and sealed by him on 30 August 1913 as those same two witnesses watched him set his hand to the paper:
I Charles Losch of the City of Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, do hereby make and publish this codicil to my last will and testament, bearing date the Fourth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirteen (1913).
I devise and bequeath unto the Trustees of the Congregation of the Gospel Chapel of the City of Allentown, All that certain lot or piece of ground, now in ther [sic, “their”] possession, and occupied by them, situate at the North East Corner of Church and Linden Streets, in the City of Allentown, Lehigh County Pennsylvania, Containing Thirty feet in front on said Linden Street, more or less, and in depth of an equeal [sic, “equal”] width to a line of a brick house on the North of other property of the said Charles Losch. So long as the same shall be used for Christian or Church purposes…