Fay v. Taft

66 Mass. 448
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1853
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 66 Mass. 448 (Fay v. Taft) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fay v. Taft, 66 Mass. 448 (Mass. 1853).

Opinion

Shaw, C. J.

This is a writ of entry, and it can be maintained by this demandant, only by showing that he has an estate of freehold in the premises. "Such an estate he claims to hold, as trustee under the will of ■ Charles M. Taft, which has been duly proved and allowed in the probate court of the county of Suffolk. The tenant, not denying in this stage of the cause, but admitting, for the purpose of raising this question, that the testator died seised of the estate demanded in this suit, insists that by force and effect of this will, no estate was devised to the demandant, as trustee; that all the provisions of the will may be satisfied, by holding that the trustee was appointed by the will to exercise a power, analogous to that of a guardian, during the minority of the minor, without holding that he took any estate or proprietary interest in the real estate devised to the daughter. Or, if he took any interest, it was for a term only, and not an estate in fee. If he did not take a legal estate, it is very clear that he cannot maintain a real action; this is the whole question, and it depends on the legal construction of the will.

By the will, the testator first gives real and personal property to his wife absolutely, and the real property in fee. By nine other clauses be gives money in trust for his parents and' sisters. In terms, the property is not given to a trustee, but a trustee is afterwards appointed. Then come the only provisions, bearing directly on this question, as follows:

“ 8. The residue of my estate, real, personal, or mixed. [449]*449stock and securities of every description, I give and bequeath unto my beloved daughter, Susan E. Taft, to have and to hold to her sole use and behoof forever, subject, however,” &c.

This will presents, naturally, two questions: 1. Whether any estate or proprietary interest in the real estate was thereby vested in the trustee. 2. If so, what was the nature and quality of such estate.

1. It is obvious, that here are no words of direct devise, bequest, or gift to the trustee; but there are such words of devise in fee, to the daughter. If it stopped here, it is quite manifest that it would have been a plain devise of the legal estate to the daughter. But it is a settled rule in the construction of a will, that every clause and word in the will, in whatever part it is found, is to be taken into consideration, to ascertain the testator’s intention, in any particular provision; and that the intention of the testator, in whatever mode or form of words it may be expressed, must regulate the construction. As the testator has a full disposing power, if it can be fairly gathered from the terms of the will, that he intends that any one shall have an estate or interest, in property devised, such person will take such interest, in trust, or for his own benefit, according to other provisions of the will.

In the present case, the gift to the daughter, to her sole use forever, is immediately followed by these words, in the same sentence and qualifying the gift, “ subject, however, to the condition of the trust, herein mentioned, to wit: I hereby authorize the trustee hereinafter named, to receive, hold, and manage said property,” applying, &c., “until said Susan E. Taft shall arrive, at the age of twenty-one years, or shall marry; in either case, said trustee shall pay over or deliver up such property, as may then be in his hands, under this bequest.” In the subsequent clause, he appoints a trustee of each of the bequests, wherein he has ordered the same to be held in trust, with power to manage the same in such manner as in his judgment will carry out the testator’s wishes, and best promote the interest and comfort of the respective heirs and legatees ; and he provides for the appointment of a substituted [450]*450trustee by the judge of probate, should the trustee nominated by him desire to resign.

From all these provisions construed together, we are of opinion, that the testator intended to place the property for his daughter in trust, and not merely appoint a guardian, or give a naked power to manage. The trust is immediately annexed to the gift, as a condition and qualification. The trustee is to receive, hold, and manage. The word “ receive ” is equivalent to the word “take;” the word “hold,” applied to real estate, is technical; “ manage ” is a general term of large meaning, and taken in connection with the subject-matter, which is to apply the proceeds, may well mean to cultivate and improve lands, to let and receive the profits of any and all real estate, if not, in case of necessity to accomplish the objects of the testator, to sell the estate. A devise that one shall take, hold, and manage real estate, especially when it is in trust for a minor, who, although the property is intended for her benefit, is incapable of managing it, vests an interest and estate in the land in such trustee. This seems best to subserve and promote the declared purposes of the testator. The property must vest in the trustee or in the minor daughter ; it cannot be in abeyance. The only apparent reason for denominating and appointing Fay trustee, and not guardian, is, that he may take and hold the property. This is one oi the usual modes in which property, intended for the beneficial use of one, shall be vested legally in another.

We do not see how this case is distinguishable from that of Braman v. Stiles, 2 Pick. 460, where the residue was devised to the testator’s children in fee, but directing that the share falling to one named, should be deposited by the executor, in the hands of two others named, to be retained by them and dealt out, &c. They were not even named as trustees; but the court hold, that this proviso applied to real estate as well as to personal, and vested the share in the two as trustees.

Where there is no express devise to the trustees, it must appear that it is the intention of the testator that they shall take an estate, and where from the nature of the duties to be performed, it appears that the taking of an estate is necessary [451]*451the intention of the testator will be presumed; and when that intention is clear, an estate in the trustees will vest by implication. So where a will, so executed as to pass real estate, directed certain sums to be paid to younger children, and it could be gathered from the will, that the testator intended that the money should be raised out of the real estate, and in a subsequent part of the will, three persons were appointed trustees, it was held that they took a fee, upon the general principle, that in all cases trustees must be presumed to take an estate commensurate with the charges or duties imposed upon them. Trent v. Hanning, 7 East, 97.

In a late case, Tenny v. Moody, 3 Bing. 3, it appeared that a testatrix by her will gave real estate to a niece, a married woman, in terms sufficient to carry a freehold, but subsequently, in order to prevent the niece and her husband from receiving the rents, and to guard against any neglect of needful repairs on the estate, she appointed two persons, as receivers of the rents, with powers, &c. Subsequently, by a codicil, she recited the death of the two receivers, and appointed three trustees by more direct terms. The question was, whether the trustees took a legal estate. Here the two named in the will had no estate given them, nor were they even named as trustees, but only vested with certain powers. It was decided, upon the ground, that it was clear upon the codicil, that a legal estate was devised. But Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
66 Mass. 448, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fay-v-taft-mass-1853.