Giraud v. Crockett

142 S.W.2d 243, 1940 Tex. App. LEXIS 531
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 19, 1940
DocketNo. 9031
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 142 S.W.2d 243 (Giraud v. Crockett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Giraud v. Crockett, 142 S.W.2d 243, 1940 Tex. App. LEXIS 531 (Tex. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

BLAIR, Justice.

This is a suit to construe the holographic will of E. A. Giraud,. deceased. He died in Travis County, July ¾ 1921,. and his will was admitted to probate October 4, 1921. The independent executors named in the will qualified October 2Q, 1921, and the inventory and appraisement of the estate was filed and was approved January 21, 1922. The will, except that for. convenience we number the paragraphs, reads as follows:

“The State of Texas,
“County of Travis.
“1st. I, E. A. Giraud, of said County and State, do hereby declare this my last will [244]*244and testament: — I leave no debts subject to demand or execution and such current bills as I may leave I desire liquidated at once.
“2nd. I owe some unpaid balances on School Lands to the State of Texas and some rentals on State and other mineral leases, which I request my executors to keep in good standing and dispose of as soon as practicable.
“3rd.- í I own'some 33 pertenencias in four mining claims in the ‘Papanton’ State of Durange, Mexico, and the real estate they cover and adjacent thereto, as well as the ‘Hacienda de Beneficio’ known as ‘La V.africa’ and ground adjacent thereto in the City, of Santiago Papasquiaro, together with an .aqueduct of some three lcilo7 metres in length leading to said ‘Hacienda’ and,a water right frop the town Creek as will appear by the Public Archives , at the cities of Durango and Santiago, Papasqui-aro; the said ‘La Fabrica’ grounds and water rights and aqueduct, having been .acquired through mesne conveyances from Julio Rodriquez et al; all of which Mexican property is but of small real value at present; I have been carrying in trust for my brother, Francis M. Giraud, of San Antonio, Texas, two-tenths interest in the mines and lands there at, or thereabouts and one-fourth interest in the Santiago Papasquiaro. property and water rights, etc., but I now devise to him sufficient of my interest to make his holdings an undivided two-fifths (2/5) in the whole of said property in the Republic of Mexico, free of any claims from my estate for taxes, etc., up to the date of my demise, but subject to the right of any executors to convert the whole of said property into cash and account to him for his interest; Mr. Gerald E. Norton, of Durango, Mexico, is my agent, and the taxes are payable, during Jany., May and September of each year in advance of 4 mos. periods, and I further bequeath to him, F. M. Giraud, Seventy-five Hundred Dollars out of my estate, when realized in the ordinary course of administration.
“4 th. I bequeath to my half-sister, Mrs. A. M. Raphall, of San Antonio, Texas, Twenty-five Hundred Dollars out of the first moneys available from my estate.
“5th. I have two daughters, my sole issue, Frances Caroline and Virginia Wilkinson, both feme soles; they have a separate estate as will be shown by my income tax returns as their agent and the records of Brazoria County, Texas. In no other county in Texas or elsewhere do we hold a community interest.
“6th. I give and bequeath all of my property, real, personal or mixed, and wherever situated to my daughter, Virginia W: and enjoin upon her that if owing to loss of health or from any other cause or reason her sister, Frances C. should be compelled to abandon the Holy Cross Sisterhood, which she had elected to enter, that she shall divide, share and share alike with her, the property herein bequeathed to her solely; but no part of my separate estate is by this (my) will vested in my daughter Frances C. except in the contingency herein provided for, or in the event of my daughter, Virginia W. dying without issue, then Frances C. if she should survive her, is to inherit and dispose for herself or for some charitable purpose, exclusive of her own sisterhood, or to her relatives, one-half of my estate — the other half to go to my brother, Francis M. or his heirs.
“7th. If my daughter, Virginia W. should die without issue and my daughter Frances C. not survive her, then three-fourths of my estate shall go to my brother, Francis M., or his heirs, and the remaining fourth to my brother, Leon J., or his heirs.
“8th. I hereby appoint my friends, William L. Stark and Ike D. White, both of Travis County, Texas, executors of this my will and request that no bond be required of them and that the Probate Court have no control of my estate other than requiring them to file an inventory, appraisement, and list of claims. My said executors shall administer my estate disposing of the Mexican property and wild lands as soon as practicable at such prices and on such terms as they may deem to the best advantage of my estate investing the proceeds in interest bearing securities.
“9th. Such stocks and bonds as I may die possessed of are to to held in trust for my daughter, Virginia W. and the income therefrom and from such additional securities as they may purchase after deducting costs of administration shall be paid to my said daughter from time to time when realized, but no part of the principal of my estate shall be paid her until she attains the age of thirty years, if unmarried, or until five years after marriage, unless some grave necessity should warrant it, and as to this I leave my executors to. judge. After arriving at the age of thir[245]*245ty years unmarried or a feme sole or after five years of married life, she will be entitled to demand full possession of my estate from my executors.
“10th. In the event of the death, refusal or inability of one of my executors to act, the other shall perform all the duties hereunder, but in the event both should refuse or be unable to act hereunder, then and in that event I leave it to my daughter, Virginia W., to name the administrator hereunder under the direction of the Probate Court until the termination of the five year period after marriage or until she attains the age of thirty years unmarried and thereafter is she should not elect to take personal charge of the estate, which she shall have the right to do.
“Written with my own hand and I now sign it as my act and deed this 27th day of October, A. D. 1920, in the City of Austin, Texas.
“E. A. Giraud.”

The evidence showed that testator was married once; that his wife died in 1904; that he never married again; that the two daughters of this marriage survived him and are referred to in the will as “my sole issue, Frances Caroline and Virginia Wilkinson, both feme soles.” Frances C. died in the year 1933 without issue, and at the date of her death she was still a member of the Holy Cross Sisterhood.

The evidence further showed that the special bequests were paid by the executors. The interest of F. M. Giraud in the Mexico land was tendered to him and refused by him; and the Mexico land was abandoned because found to be worthless. The $7,500 bequest was paid to F. M. Gi-raud.

The evidence further showed that appel-lee Virginia W. Giraud married John G. Crockett on October 4, 1921, and of this union two daughters, Constance Eugene and Carolyn Giraud Crockett, were born, and that they were at the time of the trial about 16 and 14 years of age, respectively, and were in good health.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
142 S.W.2d 243, 1940 Tex. App. LEXIS 531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/giraud-v-crockett-texapp-1940.