Durham's Admr v. Clay

134 S.W. 153, 142 Ky. 96, 1911 Ky. LEXIS 166
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 7, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 134 S.W. 153 (Durham's Admr v. Clay) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Durham's Admr v. Clay, 134 S.W. 153, 142 Ky. 96, 1911 Ky. LEXIS 166 (Ky. Ct. App. 1911).

Opinion

Opinión of the Court by

Judge Lassing

Reversing.

John B. Durham, of Nicholas county, Kentucky, was twice married. By his first wife he had three children. By the second wife he had no children. His second wife had some property of her own, and in March, 1904, made a will, in which she disposed of this property. Thereafter her hnshand died, and hy his will gave to her sixty-two acres of land. In January, 1905, after she had acquired this land from her husband’s estate, she wrote a codicil to her will, in which she attempted to dispose of this land. Some time following the execution of this codicil, she sold the land, and invested the proceeds, along with other money which she then had in hank, in purchase-money and mortgage notes, and land.

Upon her death her will was duly probated, and this litigation grows out of a dispute arising among the respective claimants to the estate left hy her. It is the contention of the grandchildren, they being the only descendants and heirs-at-law of the three children of her husband’s first wife, that they take the money which the testatrix realized out of the sale of the land; whereas, the heirs-at-law of testatrix claim that they take the [98]*98proceedsof this sale as undevised estate; and the devisee, Sallie Seolfc Clay, insists that all of this property passes to her under the residuary clause in the original will. The trial judge was of opinion, and so held, that the proceeds of the. sale of the land all passed under the residuary .clause in the original will to Sallie Scott Clay, and the heirs-at-law of testatrix, as well as those of her husband, named as devisees in the codicil, ask a reversal ■of the judgment of the lower court, and that such construction be placed upon the will and its codicil as will award them the property in litigation.

The following is the will and codicil:

“First. I give and bequeath to Sallie Harper Scott (called by adoption Sallie Durham), the sum of $500, more or less, now in the Deposit Bank of Carlisle, which is mine by inheritance. Should I invest said $500 in any kind of property, then the property is to be .hers at my death.

“I also give and bequeath to said Sallie Harper Scott, my solid gold watch, my sewing machine, my largest zinc trunk with contents, also, as much of my bedding, consisting of beds, bedding, etc., as she may desire, also one pair of gold-rimmed glasses and her selection of dighés outside of those mentioned in this will, also wardrobe.

“Second. I give and bequeath to Bert Durham two shares in the Morefield Deposit Bank, and one pair of gold-rimmed glasses and my large dictionary, also my china press and book case.

“Third. I give to John Baseom Durham, two- shares in the Moorefield Deposit Bank, and a zinc trunk, second size which he once asked of me.

“Fourth. I give to Annie Durham my silver tea set and what dishes she and saidSalíie Scott may agree upon, there must be no dispute or hard feelings indulged in over my effects.

“Fifth. I give to Allie Graves G-rubbs my self-interpreting Bible,-.should she die without heirs, it is to be given Allie Woodson Armstrong.

‘ ‘ Sixth. I give to Jennie Graves Armstrong my large Japan bowl and large cake bowl and silver ladle.

“Seventh. I give to Susan Gregory a set (one-half dozen) of silver teaspoons with ‘Lane’ engraved on bowl of each spoon. To Mae Stone one silver souvenir spoon with ‘Lane’ engraved in bowl.

“Last. There are many other things not specified in the foregoing writing that I wish given as keepsakes to such of my friends as desire them.

[99]*99“I desire that my stock may be sold and the snm of $25 be given the Christian church at Bethel where my membership now is.

“I also desire a heifer calf, or the money .to buy one be given Ellen -, colored, daughter of Henry (Dora) Owings. To Lucy Owings some of my clothing, etc.

“The money left of the sale of stock and the legacies herein mentioned is to be paid over to Sallie Harper Scott, the girl above mentioned, whom I raised. It is my desire and prayer that each one who is heir by this will may be satisfied. I beseech Bert Durham and John Bascom Durham to see that said Sallie Harper Scott never suffers for the necessities of life while they live.

“Written under my hand this day, March third, nineteen hundred and four.

(Attest) . “Ellen Lane Durham.”

“Codicil, March 18, 1905.

“Since making'my will in March, 1904, I have.fallen heir by the death of my dear husband, John B. Durham, to. sixty-two acres of land lying southwest of the home tract on which said John B. Durham resided. The boun-. dary of which is mentioned in the will of said John B. Durham. I do hereby will to Bert Durham during his life, one-half interest in said lands, and to Sallie Scott, the girl we raised, an interest in the other half of said tract as long as she remains single. Should said Sallie Scott marry, Bert Durham is to use her half of the land during his life and to -see that said Sallie Scott never suffers for the necessities of life. At the death of Bert Durham the land is to be sold and the money equally divided among John B. Durham, Charles Ditzler Durham, Jennie Armstrong and Allie Grubbs. Should Jennie Armstrong die before Bert Durham, her daughter, Allie Woodson Armstrong, is to be her heir and the money paid to her when she becomes of age. ’ ’

We will first determine the rights of appellee, Sallie Harper Scott Clay, for, if the judgment as to her is correct, it is unnecessary to enter upon a consideration of the controversy between the Durham and the Lane claimants. The clause of the will, under which appellee claims title is found in the latter part of the original will, and is in this language:

“The money left of the sale of stock and the legacies herein mentioned is to be paid over to Sallie _ Harper Scott, the girl above mentioned, whom I have raised.”

[100]*100For her it is argued that this residuary clause is general in its nature, or at least general or broad enough to support her claim to the proceeds of the sale of this after-acquired land. Page on Wills, section 565, defines a residuary clause of a will to be:

“That part which makes disposition of the residuum of part or all of testator’s property, that is that part thereof not otherwise disposed of by will. A general residuary clause disposes of all of the residum of testator’s property; while a particular residuum clause disposes only, of the residuum of certain specified property. ’ ’

Schouler, in the recent edition of his work on Wills and Administration, page 248, section 519, says:

“A residuary bequest of personal property operates upon all the personal estate which the testator may have at his death, and prima facie carries with it not only whatever remains undisposed of by his will, but whatever despite the will fails of disposition in the event from one cause or another. Nevertheless, this presumption is liable in any case to be rebutted-; and where the will shows that the testator meant that the residuary gift should take only a limited effect, that meaning must operate.”

Section 4839, Kentucky Statutes, provides that:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
134 S.W. 153, 142 Ky. 96, 1911 Ky. LEXIS 166, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/durhams-admr-v-clay-kyctapp-1911.