Adamson v. Wolfe, Trustee

139 S.W.2d 674, 200 Ark. 360, 1940 Ark. LEXIS 275
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 15, 1940
Docket4-5873
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 139 S.W.2d 674 (Adamson v. Wolfe, Trustee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Adamson v. Wolfe, Trustee, 139 S.W.2d 674, 200 Ark. 360, 1940 Ark. LEXIS 275 (Ark. 1940).

Opinions

Smith, J.

Major J. T. W. Tillar died testate June 5, 1908. He was survived by his widow, Antoinette, and the following children: three sons, Ben J., Thomas F., and Garland; three daughters, Flora V., who married Nathaniel Holmes, May T., who married Dr. D. C. Carroll and, upon his death, married W. T. Simmons, and Idee T., who married W. S. Allen. In addition, he was survived also by one grandchild, Alma Holmes Adam-son, the only child of his oldest child, a deceased daughter, Calista Antoinette Tillar Holmes, who had married W. W. Holmes, a brother of Nathaniel Holmes, who had married the daughter, Flora V.

The will, copied in its entirety, reads as follows:

“I, J. T. W. Tillar, declare this to be my last will and testament.

“My wife and children are to take the personal property just as if I had died without a will, except as herein provided:

“I desire that my daughters Flora V. Holmes and May T. Tillar shall receive only the income of the part of my personal property and choses in action which would otherwise be inherited by them. I desire that all my real estate, wherever situate, shall be kept together, and the income and rents thereof applied and appropriated to the support of my children and their families; each of the children receiving an equal share of the rents and income of the real estate. To this end I constitute and appoint my wife Antoinette and my son Ben J. Tillar Trustees and Executors of this my will, and I devise and bequeath to them all of my real estate, wherever situated to have and to hold in trust to apply the rents and profits equally among my children: Ben J. Tillar, Thomas Franklin Tillar, Garland Tillar, Flora V. Holmes, May Carroll and Idee Allen, after first applying and using whatever amount of such rents may be needed to support and maintain my wife, if her dower in my personalty should prove insufficient at any time. If any of my children die leaving no children or their descendants, then the trustees are to hold their share of the land in trust for the other children; but if any child die leaving bodily heirs, such bodily heirs shall take such deceased child’s part of the real estate in fee simple.

“As to the personal property which would otherwise be inherited by my daughters Mary and Flora V., I devise that, including dioses in action as part of such personalty to my wife and to my son Ben J. Tillar in trust, to keep the same invested in or loaned out on lands or good stocks applying or appropriating the income thereof to the support of said Flora V. and May during their lives, respectively, and at their death to be paid over to their children, if they have any, and if none, then to be paid over to their heirs.

“I except from the real estate above devised all the real estate which I own situated in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, which I hereby devise and 'bequeath to my granddaughter Alma Holmes and the heirs of her body, and if I sell any of the real estate in Pine. Bluff then Alma is to receive as much as the proceeds thereof out of my personal estate.

“I have advanced to my daughter Flora V. Holmes $16,500 and to the other five children $5,000 each, all of which is charged in a book kept for that purpose, and I may advance to and charge them with more, and these advancements are to be accounted for and charged to them in dividing my personal estate.

“I request my friend W. S. McCain to settle any and all disputes among my children as to their rights under this will as I do not want them to litigate with each other in the courts over my property, and if they refuse to abide by his decision any of them so refusing shall forfeit one-half of his or her share of my real estate.

“The trustees may sell any of my real estate and re-invest the proceeds of the sale in other real estate, taking the real estate so purchased on the same trust as that which may he sold.

“My executors are not to be required to give any bond for the performance of their duties as executors, but they are to settle my estate as expeditiously as practicable.

“Witness my hand and seal this July 16th, 1901.

(signed) “J. T. W. Tillar.”

. - 1 It is obvious that Alma, the granddaughter, who married after the execution of the will and became Mrs. Adamson, was given no interest in the testator’s real estate except the testator’s real estate in the city of Pine Bluff, which was specifically devised to her. But not so as to the personal property. The real estate was devised to Ben, a son, and Antoinette, the widow, as trustees for the use and ¡benefit of the children. The personal property was to be distributed as if the testator had died without a will except as therein stated.

After the will had been probated, the granddaughter, Alma, who had then married, took the position that, as the testator, her grandfather, had died intestate as to his personal estate except as above stated, she was entitled to share in the division thereof as the sole heir of a deceased daughter of the testator. This claim was disputed by Ben, her uncle, whose mother, the widow and co-trustee, appears to have entertained the same view. Mrs. Adamson obtained the written opinion of a leading law firm to the effect that she was entitled, subject to ■the widow’s dower, to a one-seventh interest in the personal estate, the full share of a child; and we concur in that opinion.

The will imposed no inhibition upon the division of the personal property, and it might have been divided had any heir insisted that this be done. Had this been done, the shares. falling to the daughters, Flora and May, would have been subject to the control and' management of their trustees during their lives, the trust terminating upon the death of the respective beneficiaries thereof, “and at their death to be paid- over to their children, if they have any, and if none, then to be paid over to their heirs.”

Litigation was threatened by Mrs. Adamson, who testified that, accompanied by -her. husband, she was called into a conference with her uncle Ben, who insisted that she was not entitled to share in the division of the personal estate. 'Children had then been born to Flora, but none to May. Ben proposed that, if she would relinquish her claim to share in the personal estate, his mother and eo-t.rustee would devise to her the sum of $100,000, to be paid out of her dower interest, and to induce Mrs. Adamson to accept this proposition Ben stated to her that she had her contingent interest in the trust estate belonging to her aunt May. The court below held, at the trial from which this appeal comes, that this testimony was incompetent, as contradicting the terms of the quitclaim deed which Mrs. Adamson later executed. The testimony is to the effect that the one-seventh interest in the personal property which Mrs. Adamson claimed was worth much more than $100,000. In view of what will hereinafter -be said, we find it unnecessary to pass upon the competency of this testimony, which, if admissible, would establish the fact that it was intended that Mrs. Adamson, by her deed, released only her claim to share as an heir in the division of the personal estate.

Pursuant to the understanding arrived at between Mrs. Adamson and Ben Tillar, Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
139 S.W.2d 674, 200 Ark. 360, 1940 Ark. LEXIS 275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/adamson-v-wolfe-trustee-ark-1940.