This document issued by Emily MacDonald on 26 July 1878 details her renunciation of the letters of administration for the estate of her deceased husband, John Earn MacDonald. It is part of a collection of legal documents from the 19th and early 20th centuries which provides a glimpse into the work of the notable personalities who left their mark on Singapore’s legal history, and the economic and other transactions undertaken by ordinary immigrants in 19th century Singapore that tell stories of misfortune and indebtedness which would otherwise have disappeared from history.