Acken v. Osborn

45 N.J. Eq. 377
CourtNew Jersey Court of Chancery
DecidedMay 15, 1889
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 45 N.J. Eq. 377 (Acken v. Osborn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Court of Chancery primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Acken v. Osborn, 45 N.J. Eq. 377 (N.J. Ct. App. 1889).

Opinion

The Chancellor.

By his will, dated on the 20th day of January, 1854, and admitted to probate on July 10th, 1855, William Acken, after making sundry bequests, provided as follows:

Fourth. It is my will and I hereby order and direct that all the residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, be sold and disposed of by my executors hereinafter mentioned as soon after my decease as may be convenient, and for the real estate to make, execute and deliver good and sufficient deed or deeds to the purchaser or purchasers thereof, that the interest arising yearly on the one-half of the proceeds of the sales of the said real and personal estate shall be paid yearly and every year to my said daughter Frances Yermule, during the period of her natural life, and after her decease I direct that said principal sum, viz, the said one half of the proceeds of the said sales shall be equally divided among such children of my said daughter as she may then have, provided always, that if any child of my said daughter shall die before its mother, leaving children or a child, such child or children shall take the share of such deceased parent.
“ Fifth. I give and bequeath to the children of my deceased daughter Eliza, a judgment for f>900 or thereabouts which I hold against their father Joseph M. Osborn; I also give and bequeath the interest accruing yearly on the remaining half of the said proceeds of the sales of the said real and personal estate, to the children of my said daughter Eliza, until they both arrive at the age of twenty one years, and to the survivor of them and when the said children arrive at such age the said principal sum, that is to say, the said remaining half of the proceeds of the said sales of the real and personal estate shall be equally divided between the said last mentioned children or to the survivor of them, provided that if either of the said children shall die before arriving at the age of twenty-one years leaving a child or children, such child or children shall take the share of such deceased parent.
Sixth. It is my will and I hereby order and direct that if both the children of my said daughter Eliza, should depart this life before they arrive at the age of twenty one years without having any lawful children, the bequests herein given to them, shall go to the children of my said daughter Frances, and if it should so happen that all the children of my said daughter Frances should depart this life before they arrive at the age of twenty one years, the bequests herein given to them shall go to the children of my daughter Eliza, [379]*379and in case the whole of my said grand-ohildren should die before arriving at the age of twenty one years without leaving any child or children, then all the bequests herein given to them shall be equally divided among the children of my brothess and sisters, share and share alike.”

Frances Vermule died in August, 1885. She had one daughter, Annie, who intermarried with Hildreth Graham, in June, 1874. Annie Graham died in May, 1875, at the age of twenty-six years, leaving her husband and one child, Annie May Graham, her surviving. This child, Annie May Graham, died in July, 1879. Hildreth Graham is yet living.

The testator’s deceased daughter, Eliza, whose married name was Eliza Osborn, left two children-* — Elizabeth A. Hetfield, who became twenty-one years of age, and thereafter, in May, 1880, died, leaving her husband, Garmon R. Hetfield, and one son,. Newton J. Hetfield, who died in January, 1882, under the age of twenty-one years, and without issue, and William A. Osborn, who died in October, 1870, above the age of twenty-one years, leaving a daughter, Jennie Osborn, who is now living.

When the children of Eliza Osborn attained the age of twenty-one years, one-half of the testator’s residuary estate was divided among them, according to the directions of the will.

The question submitted is, as to what disposition shall be made of the remaining half of the residuary estate. It is claimed by Jennie Osborn, Garmon R. Hetfield, in right of his wife, and Hildreth Graham, in right of his daughter. Obviously, it must be treated as personal property, for the testator directed the conversion of the entire residue into money, and made provision for the disposition of. the “interest ” therefrom. In the disposition of both interest and principal, he must be regarded as dealing with personalty.

Hildreth Graham claims as the father of Annie May Graham. Both his wife, Annie, and his daughter, Annie May, died before Frances Vermule. The bequest- was to divide, at the death of Frances Vermule, the principal equally among “such children of my said daughter as she may then have,” to which was added the proviso that if a child of Frances should die before her, leaving a child, such child should take the share of its parent.

[380]*380It is an established rule of interpretation of a testator’s intention, that, where the time specified in a bequest is annexed to the payment only, as where a legacy is given, payable when the legatee reaches a certain age, the legacy vests immediately upon .the testator’s death, for it is a present gift, of which the day of payment is postponed. But where the time specified is annexed to the gift itself, as where the legacy is given to the legatee at twenty-one, “if” or “when” he attains that age, the legacy is contingent upon his reaching that age, and does not vest until then. If he does not reach that age, it never vests. Gifford v. Thorn, 1 Stock. 702; 2 Wms. Ex. 1225. In Van Tilburgh v. Hollinshead, 1 McCart. 32, this rule was applied where a testator devised to his son certain real estate during his life, and provided that “at the decease of my son William I will that his said part of my landed property be given to his surviving children according to law,” and it was held that the estate was contingent, and not vested, and that the estate vested, at the death -of the devisee for life, in his children that survived him.

In Howell v. Green, 2 Vr. 570, the rule was applied where the testator bequeathed $1,000 to his sister for life, and then provided, “and after her decease I give and bequeath the said $1,000 to her two daughters, viz., Deborah and Sarah, equally to be divided.”

And where the gift is made only by a direction to pay, or to divide and pay at a future time, or on a given event, the vesting will be postponed until after that time has arrived, or that event has happened, unless, from particular circumstances, a contrary intention is to be collected. Post v. Herbert, 12 C. E. Gr. 540. It is said, in 2 Wms. Ex. 1232, that “ this doctrine, in fact, only assimilates the gift of a legacy under the form of a direction to pay or divide at a future time, or on a given event, to the instance already considered of the simple and direct bequest of a legacy at a like future time, or a like event.”

So far as the wife of Hildreth Graham is concerned, I see nothing to take the case out of the rule just stated. She died before her mother, Frances Vermule, and thus the possibility of the happening of the contingency upon which the legacy was to [381]*381vest in her was destroyed. But Hildreth Graham claims through his daughter, Annie May Graham.

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Related

In Re Estate of Coe
185 A.2d 696 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1962)
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167 A. 224 (New Jersey Court of Chancery, 1933)

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Bluebook (online)
45 N.J. Eq. 377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/acken-v-osborn-njch-1889.