Beck v. McGillis

9 Barb. 35
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 1, 1850
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 9 Barb. 35 (Beck v. McGillis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beck v. McGillis, 9 Barb. 35 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1850).

Opinion

Harris, J.

In the examination of the questions which this case presents, I propose first, to determine the capacity of the defendants McGillis and wife, and their children, the principal objects of the testator’s bounty, to take under the will, and then to examine the provisions of the will, and ascertain its legal effect, in reference to such capacity.

1, As to the capacity of McGillis and wife and their children to take under the will. Mrs, McGillis was born a citizen of the United States. While yet a minor she intermarried with a subject of Great Britain, but neither her marriage nor her residence in a foreign country constitutes her an alien. Whether, indeed, a citizen can, by any mere act of his own, dissolve his native allegiance and become an alien, is not definitively settled in this country. The question has been regarded as one of much difficulty as well as delicacy, and, though frequently discussed before the supreme court of the United States, it has never, I believe, been regarded as the leading point in the case presented, so as to call for the judgment of the court. But it has been decided by that court, that the marriage of a feme sole with an alien husband, does not produce a dissolution of her native allegiance. (Shanks v. Dupont, 3 Peters, 242.) The converse of this proposition has been held in this state, where an alien widow claimed to he endowed of the lands of [50]*50her deceased husband, who was a citizen. (Kelly v. Harrison, 2 John. Cas. 29. Mick v. Mick, 10 Wend. 379.) There is, therefore, no obstacle in the way of Mrs. McGillis taking as a devisee under the will.

But in respect to the husband, and the children of the marriage, it is otherwise. They were at the time of the testator’s death, aliens, and, of course, incapable of taking by devise, any interest in real property. (2 R. S. 57, § 4.) The statute declares, that the interest so devised shall descend to the heirs at law of the testator. But this disability does not extend to personal property. There is nothing to prevent these parties from taking the benefit of the provisions of the will in their behalf, as legatees.

2. We are next to examine the provisions of the will itself, with a view to determine their legal effect. And here the first question relates to the character of the devise to Mrs. McGillis. Subject to the “ limitations and poioers in trust therein expressed.the testator gives to her certain real and personal property specified in the first clause of the will, for her sole and separate use, during her natural life; and then, apprehensive that his declared purpose of giving his daughter such life estate might otherwise be defeated, he appointed her husband a trustee “ to take possession of all and singular the property devised to her, and to receive the rents, issues, interests and profits thereof, and to apply the same to her use, during her natural life, as she should direct.” What is the effect of this provision 1 Does it vest the legal estate, during the life of Mrs. McGillis, in her, or in her husband in trust for her 1 If in her, is the authority to receive the rents, &c. valid, as a power in trust merely ? There are no words in the will indicating an intention, or which can have the effect, of creating a trust estate. On the contrary, the obvious purpose of the testator was, to vest the title in his daughter, and, so far as consistent with her situation as a feme covert, to subject the property to her control. Hence the unequivocal terms employed: I give, devise and bequeath to my daughter Eliza,” “ To have and to hold all and singular the property both real and personal above described to my said [51]*51daughter Eliza“ Whereas in the preceding devise I have given a life estate to my said daughter Eliza.” On the other hand, there are no words indicating an intention to vest any title in the husband. His object, on appointing a trustee, the testator declares to be, that he may “ thereby secure to his daughter the enjoyment of the property, free from all claims and liabilities to which it might otherwise be subject.” For this reason, he proposes to appoint a trustee, not to take the legal title, but “ to take charge of the property “ to receive the rents, &c. and to apply the same as his daughter should direct.

Nor do I think a valid power in trust was created. The legal title being by the devise vested in Mrs. McGillis for life, it carried with it, as a necessary incident, the right to collect the rents and profits. If it were not so, the wife would hold the legal title in trust for her husband to collect the rents as trustee for her. This would be absurd. Indeed, I understand it to be an invariable rule, that a seisin of the legal estate, and the legal right to receive the rents and profits, are inseparable. A devise of the legal estate carries with it, by necessaty implication, the right to the rents and aufit (Wood v Wood. 5 Paige, 596. Knight v. Wetherwax, 7 Id. 152) On the hand, a devise of the rents and profit::, of land, is a On O nf the land itself. (4 Kent, 536.) My conclusion, üieroítoo 0, that Mrs. McGillis, under the first clause of the will, took a life estate in the property specified, in her own right, and that no valid trust, or power in trust, was vested in the husband.

I think it very clear, too, that Mrs. McGillis took an absolute life estate in the property given her by the codicil. She ivas to hold the gifts, devises and bequests made, or given to her by the codicil, subject to the same restrictions, limitations and powers in trust, specified in the will. It was, obviously, the intention of the testator to connect these latter devises and bequests with those already made, and to bring them within the provisions of the first clause of the will. But for their alien-age, the husband and children would have taken the same [52]*52estate in the real property devised to Mrs. McGillis by the codicil, as they would have taken had it been included in the first clause of the will. And as their alienage does not affect their right to take personal property, they do take under the codicil the same interest in the personal property there bequeathed to Mrs. McGillis for life, as they take under the provisions of the first clause of the will, in the personal property there bequeathed.

Two other questions of considerable difficulty have been raised in relation to specific portions of the testator’s estate. Each of these questions, though they are kindred in their character, will require a distinct examination:

1. The property described in the will as a lot in what was formerly called “ the Colonie,” on the west side of Broadway, <fcc. and which by the will is devised to Mrs. McGillis, was, after the execution of the will by the testator, sold by him. For a portion of the lot he had received payment, and, for the price of the residue, he had taken the bond of Mr. Kirk, the purchaser, for $3,000, secured by a mortgage upon the lot, which bond and mortgage was a part of the testator’s estate at the time of his death. The question is, whether the sale of the lot was a revocation of the devise, or whether the bond and ««migage taken for the purchase money, took the place of the lot 1 Upon this question it might be enough for me to say, that it has been settled by a decision in the late court of chancery, where this precise question was the only point in judgment, and where it was carefully and ably considered. (See Adams v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 Barb. 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beck-v-mcgillis-nysupct-1850.