Pictured above is a tractor -- a Model C made by a company called Case, originally from 1934. Like many tractors, it was used by farmers to till the land -- they'd take the machine out in the field and drive it around, digging up the land and overturning it. This prepared the land for seeding, ultimately allowing farmers to grow whatever crop they need to feed their families and sell at market. Tractors are a vital, useful tool for anyone looking to turn a plot of land into something valuable.

And it can also help protect your family in another way -- as the farmer's last will and testament.

When it comes to wills -- and inheritances generally -- it's hard to generalize about the law. Each jurisdiction has its own rules; in the United States and Canada, what's true in one state or province may not be in a neighboring one. But as a general rule, you're better off having a will than not having one. Dying without a will is called "intestacy" (you've probably heard of people who "died intestate") and in most places, if you're in that situation when you pass on, your estate usually needs to go into probate -- which means the courts have to deal with it -- before your next of kin receives your assets. Sometimes, that's not terribly difficult or lengthy of a process, but it's still best avoided when possible. Not only is it inconvenient for your grieving family, but you never know who will come out of the woodwork to try to get a share of your estate.

When Cecil George Harris went out to his farm in rural Saskatchewan on June 8, 1948, he probably wasn't thinking about such legal issues. As CBC News recounted, "the plan was to take his Model C Case tractor to a quarter section a few kilometers north of the home farm to work on the field with a one-way plow." But his day, sadly, did not go as planned. We're not sure exactly what happened (for reasons that are about to become clear, and that you've probably already correctly guessed), but most likely, the tractor stopped working. Harris went to repair it -- something he had done many times before -- but tragedy struck. Per CBC News, "the tractor engaged and rolled backwards. Harris was immediately rolled under, pinned by the tractor's huge left rear wheel, sitting upright between the one-way and the tractor." 

Harris was pinned for hours. Rescuers eventually were able to pull him from the machine, but it was too late; he made it to the hospital but died a few hours later. 

The next day, according to Global News Canada, some of Harris' neighbors came to the site of the accident, perhaps to help figure out what happened. And they found that Harris had left his wife a gift of sorts, as seen below.