Estate of Berton

2 Coffey 319
CourtSuperior Court of California, County of San Francisco
DecidedMarch 19, 1892
DocketNo. 7245
StatusPublished

This text of 2 Coffey 319 (Estate of Berton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Berton, 2 Coffey 319 (Cal. Super. Ct. 1892).

Opinion

COFFEY, J.

Flavien Berton was the surviving husband of decedent testatrix (her second spouse) and the executor of her will and a legatee and devisee therein. The will is in the following form, it being premised that the instrument is olographic, and that from the evidence it appears that it was written by a French woman, as may appear from the idiomatic expression:

[320]*320“In the Name of God, Amen.
“I, Bertha Berton, of the City and County of San Francisco, State of California, being of sound mind and memory, calling to mind the frealty of human life, desire to settle my worldly affairs and direct how the estate of which it has pleased God to bless me shall be disposed, at the time of my decease.
“I do make and publish this my last will and testament, hereby revoking all other wills and testaments by me made heretofore.
“I comend my body to the earth, to be buried with little expense by my executors hereafter named.
“My will is, that all my debts and funeral expenses be paid out of my estate by my executors.
“I desire to give to my only two beloved children, Michael Albert Tschurr, born in San Francisco, and now residing with my beloved father, Michael Corai, in Zug-Graubenden, Switzerland, and my daughter, Anna Paulina Catharina Tschurr, born and now residing in San Francisco, the summe of ten thousand dollars each, share and share alike; this to be theyr separate part of my estate, which I give to them.
“I further give and bequeath the balance of my estate, of which I may die seised orposessed, or to which I shall be entitled at the time of my decease, to my beloved husband, Flavien Berton, of the City and County of San Francisco, my beloved son, Michael Albert Tschurr, and my beloved daughter, Anna Paulina Catharina Tschurr, share and share alike. Bach to receive one-third of my estate after my two named children will have received theyr ten thousand dollars each.
“My beloved son shall receive his share of my estate at the time he attains the age of twenty-five years. It is my -wish that my only daughter should not mary before she attains the age of twenty years. At that time, if she maries, she to receive all her part of my estate, this to be forever "her own separate property outside of five thousand dollars, which shall be her mother’s wedding gift. Her husband never to have any right to the ballanee of her estate, but the interests, her estate to be and remain her own separate [321]*321property, at the time of her deease to go to her children, or if there are no children, one-half to be v given to her husband, the other half to her brother or his hevers.
“Should it please God to call one of my children from this earth before they should be maried, or have family, theyr share to go share and -share alike to theyr step-father, or brother or sister.
“It is my will, that my children above named, being the children of my dearly beloved husband, Christian Tschurr, deceased, be well educated, theyr education be paid out of the interests of my estate. My son to choos the profession he wishes, or has talent for.
“I do nominate, constitute and apoint my beloved husband, Flavien Berton, of the City and County of San Francisco, to be the executor of this my last will and testament. I have full confidence that he will do all in his power to promote the welfare of my two named children, and in this confidence he shall not be obliged to give any bonds whatever. He shall ¡have full power to sell at public or private sale, at such time as he may deem best, all the property, real or pen sonall, of which I may die seised or posessed, and to which I may be entitled at the time of my decase.
‘ ‘ Should my dear husband, Flavien Berton, be called from this earth before my children attain theyr majority, his share of my estate to go back to my said two children. Should he remary, he to have only fife thousand dollars of my estate, the ballance to go back to my two children, share and share alike. My beloved husband’s father, Jean Berton, residing at St. Sorlin Drom, France, I wish in case of our decase to get one hundred dollars j early for the time of his life, this contribution to be paid out of the interests of my estate and to cease at the time of his decase.
“I, the said Bertha Berton, has to this my last will and testament set my hand and seal this the eightenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty-seven.
" (Seal) BERTHA BERTON.”

Testatrix was the mother of two children, the issue of her marriage with her first husband, from whom she inherited [322]*322the estate that she disposed of by will. She married the applicant, Mr. Berton, about a year before her death. In the will above quoted it appears that after giving to each of her children $10,000 she undertakes to distribute the residue as follows: “I give the balance of my estate to my beloved husband, Flavien, and my beloved children—share and share alike; each to receive one-third”; the estate to be distributed at the time which she then undertakes to fix, the son to receive his share when he attains his twenty-fifth year, the daughter her share upon her marriage, or, if she die without issue, this share to go to her brother; and, having stated the conditions upon which these two residuary legatees shall obtain their one-third of the estate, she limits the legacy given to Berton, by providing that should he die before her two children attain their majority, the share bequeathed to him shall go back to her children.

It is agreed by all the counsel that the postponement of the son’s interest, there being no intermediate estate and no trust created to support it, is inimical to the absolute nature of the devise, and must be disregarded as void. So, likewise, the limitation over of the daughter’s share after her decease to her children may be overlooked, the estate being all personalty.

It is claimed by counsel opposing the application that; as the evidence before the court shows that these children are not of age, Berton’s application is premature, and he must wait until these children reach their majority before he can claim distribution of the estate.

The court should ascertain and execute the intention of the testatrix.

Redfield in his work on Wills says (volume 1, pages 430-432): “There is, perhaps, no rule of construction of more universal application to wills, or which oftener requires to be acted upon, than that every portion of the instrument must be made to have its just operation, unless there arises some invincible repugnance, or else some portion is absolutely unintelligible. ” (Page 435, rule 14.)

The next rule of construction laid down by him is rule 15: “There is no more clearly established rule of construction, as [323]

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Bluebook (online)
2 Coffey 319, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-berton-calsuppctsf-1892.