Greene v. Rathbun

78 A. 528, 32 R.I. 145, 1911 R.I. LEXIS 6
CourtSupreme Court of Rhode Island
DecidedJanuary 11, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 78 A. 528 (Greene v. Rathbun) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greene v. Rathbun, 78 A. 528, 32 R.I. 145, 1911 R.I. LEXIS 6 (R.I. 1911).

Opinion

Parichurst, J.

This is a bill in equity praying the construction of the will of Reynolds Greene, late of North Kingstown, deceased.

The bill was filed in the Superior Court for Washington county, and answer made thereto by the several respondents, admitting all of the essential allegations of the bill; and the cause, then standing for hearing upon bill and answer by the Superior Court, was certified to this court Jor its determination as being a cause ready for hearing for final decree, and as being a billlor the construction of a will, in accordance with the statute in such case made and provided (Gen. Laws, 1909, cap. 289, § 35).

The essential facts as alleged and admitted by the bill and answers are, that the testator Reynolds Greene deceased at .North Kingstown on the 29th day of March, 1881, leaving a last will, with a codicil, which was duly probated June 28th, 1881; that Rachel R. Greene was by the will named as executrix, and was duly appointed and qualified as such and acted in that capacity during her lifetime; that said Rachel R. Greene died on the sixth day of September, 1905, and that the respondent, Thomas W. D. Rathbun, was duly appointed administrator, d. b. n., c. t. a., in succession to the said Rachel R. Greene, deceased, and duly qualified, and is now acting as such; that at the time of the demise of the said testator, his son, Oliver W. Greene, had then living children as follows, to wit: Walter R. Greene, one of the complainants; Thomas A. L. Greene; Sarah L. Curtis; Samuel W. Greene; Oliver W. Greene; and Elizabeth Greene Nichols, wife of Joseph B. Nichols; that after *148 the death of the testator there was born to the said Oliver W. Greene, James H. Greene, born July 29th, 1882, and Lottie B. Greene (now Rouse), born September 17th, 1887; that the testator’s said son Oliver W. Greene died June 10th, 1895, intestate, and said Elizabeth Greene Nichols had died February 25th, 1884, intestate, and without ever having issue born alive to her, leaving her father, the said Oliver W. Greene, son of the testator, her sole heir-at-law, and was also survived by her husband, the respondent, Joseph B. Nichols; that at the time of the death of said Rachel R. Greene all of the said children of Oliver W. Greene, the son of the testator, save Elizabeth Greene Nichols, were living; that by the said last will and codicil of the testator there was devised to Rachel R. Greene all the rest and residue of his real and personal estate for and during her natural life, in the words following, to wit: *‘give, devise and bequeath unto my daughter Rachel R. Greene all the rest and residue of my real estate and personal property for and during her natural life she to support and furnish my son William Greene in sickness and in health with board and clothing and see that he is well provided for and taken good care of during his natural life. I hereby bind all the real estate and personal property given to my daughter Rachel R. Greene to secure his support as aforesaid after the death of my daughter Rachel R. Greene I give, devise and bequeath unto the children of my son Oliver W. Greene all the remainder of my real and personal estate to be divided in equal shares between them, to them their heirs and assigns they being bound to the support of my son William Greene in case of the death of my daughter Rachel R. Greene as aforesaid;” that the residuary estate so devised and bequeathed to the said Rachel R. Greene for her life consisted of the east half of the Roomes farm with the homestead thereon lying easterly of the Boston Neck road in the town of North Kingstown, and of personal estate, as shown by her inventory filed in the Probate Court, amounting to $11,524.45; that Rachel R. Greene during her lifetime kept and performed the conditions attached to the devise and bequest; that the respondent administrator is possessed as such administrator, succeeding *149 said Rachel R. Greene, of personal estate of said Reynolds Greene of the value of $9,615.19, as of December 3, 1909, the date of the oath to the answer; that upon the death of Rachel R. Greene, Walter R. Greene was appointed guardian of the person and estate of Wm. Greene, and has now in his possession of the personal estate of his ward, the sum of $8,500.00, not, however, derived from the estate of Reynolds Greene; that since the death of Rachel R. Greene and the appointment of the guardian of William Greene, said guardian, under the advice and order of the Probate Court of North Kingstown, has applied the sum of $10.00 per week out of the estate of William Greene for his support and maintenance; that a difference of opinion has existed between the complainants and respondents as to the rights of William Greene in and to the real and personal estate devised and bequeathed to the children of Oliver W. Greene; and as to whether the support of William was and is a charge upon the real and personal estate and whether said guardian is entitled to have and receive from said real and personal estate, or from said devisees in remainder and said administrator, the ■sum said guardian has applied from said ward’s estate, to wit, the sum of $2,000.00.

And the bill prays that said will be construed by the court as regards the following questions, viz.: •

1. Did the devise and bequest in remainder in said Reynolds Greene’s will vest in the children of Oliver W. Greene living at the time of death of'said Reynolds Greene?

2. Did the said children born to Oliver W. Greene after the death of said Reynolds Greene take any estate under his will?

3. Has William Greene the right to have and recover the ■sum applied by his guardian aforesaid to his support, out of the said real estate and personal estate?

4. Did the said real and personal estate vest in the children ■of Oliver W. Greene, the son of said Reynolds Greene, which were living at the time of said Reynolds Greene’s death, or did it vest in said children of Oliver W. Greene living at the time of the death of said Rachel R. Greene?

And the bill further prays that, if the court is of the opinion *150 that said William Greene has the right to have and recover the sum applied by his guardian to his support out of said real and personal estate, that an order and decree be made that the same be paid by such of the respondents as are liable to pay the same; and by said decree, to charge the same as a lien and charge upon said real and personal estate; arid, upon the parties charged, not paying the same, to direct the application of said personal estate to the payment of the same, or the sale of said real estate for the satisfaction of the same out of the proceeds of the sale thereof; and that the court further order and decree that such certain sum as this court shall deem just for the future support of said William Greene shall be fixed and charged as a lien on such of said real and personal estate as may remain, and providing time for payment.

The answer of the respondent Rathbun, administrator, admitting substantially all of the essential allegations of fact-as above set forth, joins in the prayer for the determination of the rights of the respective parties to the bill.

The other respondents, by their joint and several answer, admit all of the essential allegations of fact as above set forth, and pray for the determination of the following questions, viz. :

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Bluebook (online)
78 A. 528, 32 R.I. 145, 1911 R.I. LEXIS 6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greene-v-rathbun-ri-1911.