Bergman v. Bogda

46 Ill. App. 351, 1892 Ill. App. LEXIS 368
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedNovember 11, 1892
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 46 Ill. App. 351 (Bergman v. Bogda) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bergman v. Bogda, 46 Ill. App. 351, 1892 Ill. App. LEXIS 368 (Ill. Ct. App. 1892).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Waterman.

July 24, 1884, Johann Giese, being the owner of certain real property in Cook County, made a mortgage of the same to one Ferdinand Bogda. Minna Giese, the wife of Johann, joined in this mortgage. Ferdinand Bogda then held the joint note, dated July 24, 1884, of Johann and Minna G-iese, for the payment to his. order of $100 on or before three years after date, with interest at six per cent per annum.

The mortgage described this note in all respects save that it failed to state for what amount the note was given; it was therefore impossible to tell from the mortgage what sum it was given to secure.

The mortgage was duly recorded upon the day of its date, but under the authority of Battenhausen v. Bullock, 11 Ill. App. 665, and Bullock v. Battenhausen, 108 Ill. 28, the record thereof was not notice to creditors and bona fide purchasers of the amount of the indebtedness for which the promissory note, thus incompletely described, was actually given.

Thereafter Johann Giese died, and his will was, on October 20, 1886, admitted to probate in the Probate Court of Cook County.

The first clause of his will is: “ First, I direct that all my just debts, funeral expenses and expenses of administration upon my estate shall be paid by my executrix hereinafter named, out of my estate.”

The second clause reads: “Second, I give, devise and bequeath unto my beloved wife, Wilhelmina Giese, all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, real and personal and mixed, of whatsoever name and nature, * * * to and for the sole, proper use, benefit and behoof of my said wife and to her heirs and assigns forever.”

By the third clause the testator appointed his wife, Wilhelmina, the executrix of his will, and directed that no bonds or surety be required of her for the faithful performance of her duties as such executrix.

February 27, 1888, Jacob E. Bergman obtained in the Superior Court of Cook County a money decree against Wilhelmina Giese for the sum of $159, besides $37.15 costs.

November 16, 1888, Ferdinand Bogda filed in the said Superior Court his bill for the foreclosure of the aforesaid mortgage, making Wilhelmina Giese and Minna Giese, executrix, defendants; to this bill Jacob Bergman was, by amendment, made a party defendant. June 18, 1889, Bergman filed his cross-bill, setting up the will of Johann Giese, the money decree against Wilhelmina Giese, the issuance of execution thereon, and claimed that thereby his decree became a lien upon the property mortgaged as aforesaid, having-priority over said mortgage, because of the failure of the mortgage to specify the amount of indebtedness which it was intended to secure. Therefore he prayed that the mortgage might be held void as to him.

Ferdinand Bogda filed a special demurrer to this cross-bill, and the same "was sustained, "whereupon Bergman elected to stand by his cross-bill and the same was dismissed at his cost. Thereafter Bergman filed an answer to the original bill, in which he set up by way of defense, the matters contained in the cross-bill which had been dismissed. Exceptions filed to this answer were sustained, and the bill having been answered by Wilhelmina Giese, known and served as Minna Giese, executrix, the cause was referred to a master to take proofs and report.

Before the master, Bergman testified that at the time his decree against Wilhelmina Giese was obtained, he had neither knowledge nor information of the making of the said mortgage; he also introduced in evidence a copy of the will of Johann Giese. Upon a report favorable to the complainant, the court entered a decree finding the equities of the cause with the complainant, and ordered that in default of thq payment of the amount found due upon the said note, the premises be sold. To reverse this decree this writ of error is prosecuted.

In this State a creditor who has by virtue of judgment and execution obtained a lien upon premises, occupies the same position with respect to prior unrecorded conveyances as does a purchaser. Massey v. Wescott, 40 Ill. 160; Martin v. Dryden, 1 Gilm. 216; McFadden v. Worthington, 45 Ill. 363; Milmine v. Burnham, 16 Ill. 362; Col. Buggy Co. v. Graves, 108 Ill. 459; Munford v. McIntyre, 16 Bradw. 316.

The record of the mortgage was constructive notice, only, of what appears upon its face. Bullock v. Battenhausen, swpra. There being no amount stated in the mortgage, its record afforded no security as against a judgment creditor of the mortgagor.

Appellant is a creditor, not of Johann Giese, the mortgagor, whom he alleges in his answer died seized of the premises in controversy, but of Wilhelmina Giese, the devisee under the will of Johann Giese. Appellant is seeking to hold, not an interest Wilhelmina Giese, the wife of Johann, had in these premises when the mortgage was made, but the interest she acquired as devisee under the will of Jokann Giese. That she had when she joined in the mortgage any interest other than that possessed by her as the wife of Johann, does not appear, and appellant charges that Johann died seized in fee of the premises.

Appellant, if a purchaser, would be chargeable with notice of whatever appeared of record in his chain of title, therefore, of the terms of the will. School Trustees v. Wright, 12 Ill. 432-442.

Appellant can therefore hold only such interest in the premises as Wilhelmina Giese has; the recording act does not give to him a title freed from the burdens imposed by the will.

Turning now to the title of Wilhelmina Giese, put in evidence by appellant, we find that the first, the primary direction of the will of Johann Giese, is, that all his just debts, etc., be paid by his executrix, Wilhelmina Giese, and that it is only the “ rest, residue and remainder ” of his estate which is given to her.

Whenever a testator directs, first, that his debts shall be paid, such direction amounts to a charge of the debts upon the real estate in all cases where the real estate is afterward disposed of by the will. Pomeroy’s Eq. Juris., Sec. 1247, note 1; Jones v. Williams, 28 Eng. Ch. R. 156-160; 2 Jarman on Wills, 585; Shallcross v. Tinden, 3 Vesey Jr., 740; Cook v. Dawson, 29 Beav. 123; Lupton v. Lupton, 2 Johns. Ch. 614-624.

So too, when an executor is directed to pay debts, and real estate is devised to him, either personally or as executor, the land so devised is charged. Pomeroy’s Eq. Juris., Sec. 1247, note 2; Jarman on Wills, Yol. 2, 596; In re Tonquerey v. Willaume & London R. R., 20 Chan. Div. 465-476; Henvell v. Whitaker, 3 Russell, 343 (Eng. Ch. 343); Graves v. Graves, 8 Sin. 43; Gross v. Kennington, 9 Beav. 150; In re Bailey, L. R., 12 Ch. Div. 266-273; Greeville v. Brown, 7 House of Lords Ca. 688-704; Hays v. Jackson, 6 Mass. 148; Jane Gallagher’s Appeal, 48 Penn. St. 121; Lewis v. Darling, 16 How. (U. S.) 1-8.

It is difficult to see how a devise of the “rest, residue and remainder ” of an estate can be thought to be otherwise than subject to all that has gone before; in other words, to be a mere residuum.

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Bluebook (online)
46 Ill. App. 351, 1892 Ill. App. LEXIS 368, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bergman-v-bogda-illappct-1892.