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Has anyone ever really inherited millions of dollars from an unknown person?

by Jewel Parrot
February 25, 2026
in Fun Facts
Has anyone ever really inherited millions of dollars from an unknown person?

Most people have dreamt of getting millions of dollars from their long lost relative, or some random person they met once in a bus, or from some business magnate who just wanted to share his money with people and spread happiness. There are some films where this has happened, like Melvin and Howard.  Well, in real life, it seems like an implausible scenario. But it has happened enough times to give you hope.

A real story

Today we’ll tell you a little of a man who left millions to relatively unknown people.

There was a man named Archibald McArthur, who in his early 20’s moved to the city of Dodgeville in Wisconsin. When he came to the town, he had nothing except some clothes and a Lawrence college degree. During his early days in the city of Dodgeville, he worked sawing logs in return for some food and bed for sleep.

He then spent the coming years, making a lot of money for himself and became a rich man. Lived life like a king and then all of a sudden, he liquidated his assets and took a pitiful man’s look. He started living in a small hut and was mostly found reading books and poetry.

After a few years of living like a poor older man, he left the city of Dodgeville to move to Florida. He died in Florida a few years after moving there. His will included giving $15,000 ($216,000 in today’s currency) to the son of Mrs. Jane Joyce, a woman whose family he had friendly relations with when he was a young boy. He also left most of his empire, $300,000 ($4 million in today’s currency) to a clerk named Geoge Rafferty, whom he once met in a park in Florida.

This was the story of Archibald McArthur, and I’m already dreaming of meeting someone like him! HAHA. Well, there’s no harm in dreaming, most of us are already wishing if they get a chance to meet someone like Archibald McArthur.

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