Darr v. Darr

206 N.W. 2, 114 Neb. 116, 1925 Neb. LEXIS 16
Nebraska Supreme Court·Decided December 8, 1925·No. No. 28495·Published·Cited by 18 cases

Opinion

Thompson, J.

This action comes to this court on appeal from the district court for Douglas county. The sole question for our determination is the construction to be given the last will and testament of George B. Darr, deceased, which, omitting [117] the formal parts, is as follows: “Being of sound mind I make this my last will and testament. I bequeath all my property, both real and personal, to my beloved wife, Kate E. Darr, to have absolutely. At her death without issue one-half of all property remaining shall revert to my brothers and sisters in equal share.”

Kate E. Darr and the administrator, appellants, contend, that by this will George B. Darr gave all his property to her absolutely and that by the last clause he did not intend to curtail or limit her right to such absolute ownership and. enjoyment of the property, but by such clause simply expressed the wish that, upon her death without issue, one-half of the bequeathed property remaining should pass to his brothers and sisters in event she was of a like notion. John Darr, Anna Mary Scanlon, and Elizabeth Darr, by John Darr her next friend, brothers and sistérs of George B. Darr, and heirs of such as are deceased, appellees, contend in their amended and supplemental petition that a proper construction of the will should be: “That the brothers and sisters of George B. Darr each took an undivided one-fourth interest in and to an undivided one-half of said estate, real and personal, subject to the life estate of the widow, Kate or Katherine E. Darr. That Kate E. Darr took only a base or determinable fee to said estate,, and that if she dies, which she now must, without issue, that one-half of the fee should and does go to the brothers and sisters of George B. Darr.”

Upon the issues raised the district court construed the will to give Kate E. Darr “a full, absolute, complete and unrestricted title in and to one-half of said estate, both real and personal, of which said deceased died possessed and seised, and that the said Kate E. Darr should have and take, upon the death of the said George B. Darr, under and by virtue of said will, a base or determinable fee in and to the other one-half of the lands, to be determined and terminate should the said Kate E. Darr die without issue, and conditional title and ownership in and to the other one-half of the personal property should the said Kate E. Darr die [118] without issue, but that should said Kate E. Darr die with issue, then the said Kate E. Darr should have and take all of said estate,, both real and personal, under and by virtue of said will, by a full, absolute, complete and unrestricted title in and to all of said estate.”

It must be noted at the outset that appellees present a somewhat different contention in this court from that presented in the district court, as shown by their allegations hereinbefore quoted, for on pages 62 and 63 of their brief they say: “She (Kate E. Darr) had, and has, the use and benefit of this whole estate in any event, as long as she lives, and one-half of it is hers absolutely to dispose of as she sees fit. At her death without issue, one-half of all property remaining should revert to his brothers and sisters in equal share.”

In our further consideration we shall use the term brothers and sisters in referring to the appellees, and the word widow in referring to appellants. The brothers and sisters contend that, as the first clause of the will is without words of inheritance, a fee simple title and full ownership were not intended to be given the widow. In this they are answered by section 5590, Comp. St. 1922, which provides: “The term ‘heirs,’ or other technical words of inheritance, shall not be necessary to create or convey an estate in fee simple.” Furthermore, section 1242, Comp. St. 1922, provides : “Every devise of land in any will hereafter made, shall be construed to convey all the estate of the devisor therein, which he could lawfully devise, unless it shall clearly appear by the will, that the devisor intended .to convey a less estate.” It will be noticed that this section specifically directs as to the proper construction of wills. That the word “clearly” in such section is significant in such construction has been held by this court ever since the decision in Little v. Giles, 25 Neb. 313. It was this word that caused the supreme court of the United States to reverse itself in Roberts v. Lewis, 153 U. S. 367, wherein it is held: “Under a will, by which the testator devises and bequeaths to his wife ‘all my estate, real and personal, of which I may die [119] seised, the same to be and remain hers, with full power, right and authority to dispose of the same as to her shall seem most meet and proper, so long as she shall remain my widow, upon the express condition, however, that if she should marry again, then it is my will that all of the estate herein bequeathed, or whatever may remain, should go to my surviving children, share and share alike,’ the widow has power during widowhood to convey to third persons an estate in fee simple in his lands.” Then, again, the word “absolutely” used in the will in the instant case means: “Without condition, exception, restriction, qualification or limitation.” Black, Law Dictionary.

As to the contention of the widow that, having disposed of the entire estate to her in the first clause of the will, the second clause should not be considered, it is sufficient to say that section 5594, Comp. St. 1922, provides: “In the construction of every instrument creating or conveying, or authorizing or requiring the creation or conveyance of any real estate, or Interest therein, it shall be the duty of the courts of justice to carry into effect the true interest (intent) of the parties, so far as such intent can be collected from the whole instrument, and so far as such intent is consistent with the rules of law.”

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