Comer v. Citizens & Southern National Bank

185 S.E. 77, 182 Ga. 1, 1935 Ga. LEXIS 1
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedDecember 10, 1935
DocketNo. 10827
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 185 S.E. 77 (Comer v. Citizens & Southern National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Comer v. Citizens & Southern National Bank, 185 S.E. 77, 182 Ga. 1, 1935 Ga. LEXIS 1 (Ga. 1935).

Opinions

Beck, Presiding Justice.

Mrs. Hugh M. Coiner Jr. brought an equitable petition against the executors and trustees under the will of Hugh M. Comer Sr., seeking to have established in her favor the title to a fractional share in certain property held by such executors and trustees, for discovery as to the exact interests, for partition of the share and delivery to her. The .defendants filed a general demurrer, which was sustained and the petition dismissed. The case is here on exceptions to that order. The plaintiff is the widow of Hugh M. Jr., son of the testator, and claims his share under a deed executed by him to her and also by virtue of a will of Hugh M. Jr., in which he devised to her all his property. The case turns on whether Hugh M. Jr. had an interest in the estate held in trust, which was, during his lifetime, alienable by deed, or which was devisable by his will. The question presented requires a construction of the will of Hugh M. Sr. Those portions of the will which are here material are as follows:

“Item second: I give, devise, and bequeath unto my executors . . as trustees . . [certain securities], to be held by them in trust for the sole and separate use . . of my beloved wife . . for and during the term of her natural life only, paying over to her . . of the income therefrom regularly so long as she may live and remain my widow; but if she should see proper to marry again, then she shall receive from said income . . and from and after her death then said securities and the increase thereof, if any, shall go to and for the use of all my children born and to be born to me, share and share alike, under the terms, uses, and limitations as set forth in the third item of this my will. If my wife should so desire, the proceeds of a portion of said stocks may at any time be invested in a house and lot . . as a separate home for my wife, to be held on the same uses, terms, and limitations as the balance of said stocks given by this item. . .
“Item third: All the rest and residue of my estate I give, devise, and bequeath to my executors . . in trust for the use and benefit of all of my children, to wit [two sons and three daughters], and such other children, if any, as may hereafter be born to me, share and share alike, the child or children or lineal [3]*3heirs of a deceased child to represent the parent and to take per stirpes and not per capita, that is to say, the share of any male child born or to be born to me is to be held in trust by my executors till he shall have arrived at the age 'of 21 years, at which time one half of his entire share shall be paid over to him and the other half held until he shall have arrived at the age of 31 years, when said other half or balance, with the increase thereof, shall be paid over to him to be used and disposed of by him during his life as he may see proper; but in case such male child dies without issue, or lineal heirs then living, his share shall go to his surviving brothers and sisters, share and share alike, the child or children ot lineal heirs of a deceased brother or sister to represent the parent and to take per stirpes and not per capita; and if none such, then to my own brothers, the child or children or lineal heirs of a deceased brother to represent the parent and to take per stirpes and not per capita; and the share of any female child born or to be born to me shall be held in trust by my executors for the sole use, benefit, and behoof of such female child for and during the term of her natural life only, and from and after her death then to such child or children as she may leave surviving her, the child or children or lineal heirs of a deceased child to represent the parent and to take per stirpes and not per capita, and in case such female child die without lineal heirs living at the time, then her share shall go to her surviving brothers and sisters, the child or children or lineal heirs of a deceased brother or sister to represent the parent and to take per stirpes and not per capita; and if none such, then to my own brothers, the child or children or lineal heirs of a deceased brother to represent the parent and to take per stirpes and not per capita.”

Item four referred to the testator’s dwelling, and on certain happenings the executors were to sell it and “divide the proceeds among my children, share and share alike, under the terms set forth in item third of this my will.”

“Item fifth: It is my will and desire that the husband of any daughter or granddaughter of mine living at my death, or of any daughter or granddaughter of mine born within the usual period of gestation after my death, shall not take or control the property derived through me of such daughter or granddaughter, but the same shall be held by my executors in trust for the use of such [4]*4daughter or granddaughter during her life, and the same shall go to the child or children of such daughter or granddaughter; and if none such, to her brothers and sisters; and if none such, then to my own blood relatives . . as are nearest of kin to such daughter or granddaughter; and the same is my will in reference to the wife of any son or grandson, the child or children, or lineal heirs, living at that time, of any deceased child, grandchild, or brother to represent the parent and to take per stirpes and not per capita.”

Item nine appointed as executors the wife, a brother, the son Hugh M. Jr., a friend, also another son when he became twenty-one years old; and provided that if the number of executors was reduced to two, a third should be appointed by those two. “In the making of such appointment my children or lineal descendants, if such; and if none, then my relatives are to be preferred.”

The will was executed on April é, 1899. The testator died on February 26, 1900. The widow did not remarry. The five children named in item third survived the testator. No child was born after the execution of the will. Hugh M. Comer Jr. was thirty-one years old when the will was made. No child was ever born to him, but he adopted one. He married the plaintiff in 1901, and died on April 9, 1934. The testator’s widow died in October, 1934. In July, 1928, Hugh M. Jr. executed a deed to his wife (the plaintiff), conveying all property to which he was entitled under his father’s will, specifically mentioning, among other details, the stocks scheduled in item 2 of the will. In this deed Hugh M. Jr. reserved to himself a life-estate in all the property covered by the will. In July, 1931, he executed a will making his wife his sole legatee and devisee. All of the property in terms referred to in item 3 of the will of Hugh M. Sr. was distributed; and it is conceded that Hugh M. Jr. received from his father’s estate everything to which he was entitled, unless he had an alienable or devisable interest in the property conveyed by items two and four, which interest, if that be true, would now be vested in the plaintiff and recoverable by her in view of the termination of the life-estate which was in testator’s widow. The position of the defendant in error is that Hugh M. Jr.’s interest in the trust estate (item two) terminated at his death; that the only interest which could pass to his wife by a deed made to her was his life-estate which was expressly reserved in the deed he executed; and that, no devisable interest existing, his will [5]*5was inoperative as to any interest in the trust estate. This view was concurred in by the court below.

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

Related

Robbins v. Vanbrackle
485 S.E.2d 468 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1997)
Cole v. Robertson
429 S.E.2d 678 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1993)
Brown v. Clifton
276 S.E.2d 41 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1981)
Burnett v. United States
314 F. Supp. 492 (D. South Carolina, 1970)
Arnold v. Richardson
160 S.E.2d 809 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1968)
Green v. Austin
150 S.E.2d 346 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1966)
Cousins v. Brackett
139 S.E.2d 329 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1964)
Harper v. Fuller
102 S.E.2d 553 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1958)
Tarver v. Commissioner
26 T.C. 490 (U.S. Tax Court, 1956)
Patterson v. Patterson
64 S.E.2d 585 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1951)
Davant v. Shaw
59 S.E.2d 500 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1950)
Keen v. Rodgers
47 S.E.2d 567 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1948)
Armstrong v. Merts
43 S.E.2d 512 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1947)
Gilmore v. Gilmore
29 S.E.2d 74 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1944)
Yancey v. Grafton
27 S.E.2d 857 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1943)
Lane v. Citizens & Southern National Bank
25 S.E.2d 800 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1943)
Moody v. Baxley Turpentine Corporation
24 S.E.2d 652 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1943)
Sproull v. Graves
20 S.E.2d 613 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1942)
Bienvenu v. First National Bank of Atlanta
17 S.E.2d 257 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1941)
Buchanan v. Nicholson
16 S.E.2d 743 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1941)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
185 S.E. 77, 182 Ga. 1, 1935 Ga. LEXIS 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/comer-v-citizens-southern-national-bank-ga-1935.