It might seem somewhat peculiar to be presented to a page on the subject of Inheritance, because this would also indicate someone has died, and - as we all know - no talking characters die in the duck universe. Still, Carl Barks did in fact write a small number of stories, in which the subject is implied, mentioned, or demonstrated. Here are some of them in chronological order...

 

 

 

  FC0189 The Old Castle's Secret - 1948

Synopsis:
Scrooge's treasure is in peril at the old family castle in Scotland. He takes Donald and the nephews along only to discover that the castle may be haunted...

Comments:
In this story we get to know that Scrooge has inherited the castle, and we also learn about several of his ancestors from the McDuck clan in Scotland: Sir Eider McDuck who was killed by the Saxons during a siege in 946, Sir Quackly McDuck who buried a treasure along with himself(!) in the walls of his castle in 1057, Sir Roast McDuck who died in 1205 from overeating after robbing the King's pantry, Sir Swamphole McDuck who had the castle's dungeon door sealed in 1220, and Sir Stuft McDuck of whom we just know his name from a tombstone.

 

  FC0456 Something Fishy Here - 1953

Synopsis:
Donald tricks Scrooge into believing that money is now worthless. Hereafter fish is the currency. Who says that money don't smell?

Comments:
Donald succeeds in cheating poor Scrooge in a big way, because the old miser believes his fairytale. He starts from scratch collecting as many fish as he can in order to be rich again. Realizing that the new currency is too hard to handle for him, Scrooge then lets Donald inherit his newly gotten fortune. This must be the ultimate inheritance advancement from the old miser...

 

  WDCS155 'The Rainbow Heir Story' - 1953

Synopsis:
Scrooge decides to find an heir for his vast fortune. He gives his next of kin a pot of money to see what they each will do with it.

Comments:
Obviously, Scrooge does not hold his relatives in high regard when it comes to their inheriting his fortune. He enumerates: My only relatives are my nephew, Donald, and his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and my distant nephew, Gladstone Gander!... What a collection!

 

  FC0495 'The Horseradish Story' - 1953

Synopsis:
Chisel McSue presents Scrooge with a legal paper that enables him to obtain all Scrooge's wealth. It can be avoided, though, if Scrooge finds a certain case of horseradish at the bottom of the sea...

Comments:
We learn of one of Scrooge's ancestors, Captain Seafoam McDuck, who in 1753 agreed to transport a case of horseradish to Jamaica aboard his ship The Golden Goose. Now McSue presents his inheritance, the damaging contract, from his ancestor Swindle McSue...

 

  U$10 Heirloom Watch - 1955

Synopsis:
Scrooge's old heirloom watch needs to be repaired in order to receive an inheritance.

Comments:
Scrooge tells Donald about his watch that has been with the McDuck family for two hundred years. He is also named sole heir to his great uncle Quagmire McDuck's estate in Scotland. As it turns out Scrooge only inherits a tiny ruby to complete a watch but the transaction costs him more in lawyers' salaries.

 

  U$11 The Great Steamboat Race - 1955

Synopsis:
Scrooge participates in a steamboat race with Horseshoe Hogg in which they fight over a southern mansion on the Mississippi River.

Comments:
An old wager from 1870 between Scrooge's uncle, Captain Pothole McDuck, and Horseshoe's uncle, Captain Porker Hogg, restarts the race that was never completed back then. The winner inherits the mansion.

 

  WDCS187 'Two is Company' - 1956

Synopsis:
Scrooge is pondering who shall inherit his business. Donald or Gladstone? He decides to put them to the test...

Comments:
Scrooge gives a featherbed company to Donald and a house-moving company to Gladstone, but this is not out of the goodness of his heart; Scrooge's hidden agenda is simply to judge who is the better man to take over his activities when the time comes...

 

  U$16 Back to Long Ago! - 1956

Synopsis:
Scrooge is hypnotized and learns that in a former life he was a Spanish captain who hid a treasure chest. He rushes off to find it...

Comments:
Scrooge is transported back in time by hypnosis. He is the British Captain Matey McDuck who is sailing the Spanish Main in the 16th Century looting for Queen Elizabeth. Simultaneously (what are the odds?), Donald remembers that he once was Boatsman Pintail on the very same boat (what are the odds??), and they both travel to find the buried treasure - which has now become their own inheritance!!! (what are the odds???).

 

  WDCS206 'Hotel Manager' - 1957

Synopsis:
Donald persuades Scrooge to give him a decent job. Scrooge makes him manager of a hotel. He then registers in disguise to see how his nephew is doing...

Comments:
Scrooge does much more than 'just' give Donald a management job. He gives his nephew the solemn promise of also making him manager of his other 9,999 hotels if he succeeds. Quite an inheritance...

 

  U$25 'The Pyramid Story' - 1959

Synopsis:
Scrooge - the business man - claims that a cobbler should stick to his last but h
e becomes interested in an Egyptian archaeological dig anyway...

Comments:
After spending a lot of money and manpower Scrooge gets inside the treasure chamber of a king's pyramid. Sadly, he only finds a stone tablet announcing: 'King Nutmost the Rash regrets that he has no treasure to leave in this treasure room! He spent all of his fortune building this pyramid!'

 

 

EXTRA

In 1994, Barks was asked who would inherit Scrooge's money:
Probably Donald's nephews because they are so much more practical than Donald. And I'm sure they will do a lot of good in the world from their Junior Woodchucks organization. They will save all the birds and all the whales.

 

 


http://www.cbarks.dk/THEINHERITANCESTORIES.htm   Date 2007-03-23