Healey v. Toppan

45 N.H. 243
CourtSupreme Court of New Hampshire
DecidedJune 15, 1864
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 45 N.H. 243 (Healey v. Toppan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of New Hampshire primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Healey v. Toppan, 45 N.H. 243 (N.H. 1864).

Opinion

Sargent, J.

The testator first gives and bequeaths to his wife, " all my property in possession and all and every contingent interest arising or growing out of any property now in my possession or in expectancy,” subject to the following conditions : First, that his wife should pay the sum of six hundred dollars per year to the testator’s two sisters, during their lives and the life of the survivor; and, second, that, after the death of his wife, one-half of all his property should be held in " trusteeship," (the trustees to be named in the will,) to be disposed of in the following manner:—His faim in Hampton is to be for the use of Christopher Grafton Toppan, during his life, then to his son, &o., and, in default of such son, to Hampton Academy, if then in existence and in active operation ; but if not, then to the Congregational Society in Hampton. "The remainder of my property being personal, with some real estate situated in the city of Portsmouth, the income arising therefrom shall be equally divided and paid to all my nephews and nieces, yearly, so long as they or any of them may live; and the last survivor of them shall be the receiver of all the property held by my trustees for their account.”

[259]*259There might at first be doubt whether the testator, after disposing of his farm, in speaking of the remainder of his property, did not mean all the rest of his property. But, taken in connection with what precedes and follows, it must be held to refer to the remainder of the half which he had provided should go into the hands of trustees for the benefit of his nephews and nieces.

In the third article in the will, the testator gives to his wife " all the furniture, fixtures, silver ware, jewelry, watches, clothing, apurtenances, carriages and horse, if any I own, in the city of Portsmouth, cows and oxen, live stock, and farming utensils, either at Hampton or Portsmouth, and any property on my place in Hampton, either in the house, barns, corn-house, wood-house, or sheds, or in any of the out-houses, considered as personal property,” for her sole use and benefit; and he provided that said property should not be taken into account as any part of the estate for which luis wife was to be in any way responsible; nor was it to be reckoned in ascertaining the amount of his property, unless it became necessary to do so that it should amount to such a sum that the annual income of it all might be eleven hundred dollars ($500 for his wife and $600 for his sisters.) In that event only it was to be included in ascertaining the whole amount ofhis property. When thus included,if all his property should be so small,that, after paying debts, the income of it all would not be over five hundred dollars, with her house rent, then she was not to pay anything to the testator’s sisters. But if the income of all his property should exceed five hundred dollars besides the house rent, and not be sufficient to pay the whole six hundred dollars to his sisters, then they were to be paid a proportional part of said sum.

But the estate proves to be of sufficient amount after paying all debts, so that this property, thus specifically given to the widow, does not need to be included in making up the amount of the estate, for which, or for the income of which, the widow is to be in any way or at any time responsible. For the same reason, the two thousand dollars, bequeathed to the Hampton Academy, in the fourth article in the will, and the one thousand dollars to the Portsmouth Atheneum, in the sixth article, both of which are given on condition that the estate shquld exceed a certain amount, became absolute bequests, and have been properly paid by the executors. The five hundred dollars given to Sarah P. T. Healey, in the seventh article in the will, was an unconditional bequest, and has also been properly paid by the executors. The inventory shows that there was live stock and produce, such as corn, potatoes, hay, oats, &c., to the amount of $578 ; farming utensils to the value of $75 ; household furniture at Portsmouth $3000, and at Hampton, $300 ; making in all $3953,00 — all of which is specifically given to the widow. All that the executors, as such, have to do with this property, is to have it inventoried, and deliver it over to Mrs. Toppan, taking her receipt therefor, and this will be the end of their responsibility for this property.

Now, since the amount of the testator’s property, without including the articles specifically bequeathed to his wife, is known largely to exceed the sum of $50,000, after paying all debts, let us see what is the [260]*260construction to be given to the will, and what are its substantial provisions, stated in the order in which such provisions are usually placed in instruments of this kind. Omitting the conditions dependent upon the amount of his property, and the will provides :

1. For the payment of debts.

2. For the payment of a legacy of five hundred dollars to Sarah P. T. Healey.

3. It gives certain specific articles of personal property to Mrs. Top-pan for her sole use and benefit.

4. It gives a legacy to Hampton Academy of two thousand dollars.

5. It gives a legacy of one thousand dollars to the Portsmouth Atheneum.

6. It gives to his wife all the rest, residue and remainder of all the testator’s property in possession, and all and every contingent interest arising or growing out of any property then in his possession or in expectancy, subject to two conditions which have already been stated.

In any view that can be taken of the will, the result is the same in regard to the bequest to the wife, she is residuary legatee of all his property that shall remain after the payment of debts and the legacy of five hundred dollars, and the gift to the wife of specific articles, in One event; and, in another, it is what should remain after deducting these, and, also, the legacy to Hampton Academy and to the Portsmouth Atheneum. And it is not a bequest of any particular property specifically, but of all his property in possession or in expectancy, or the residue of it all.

Now, it is a rule of long standing, and well established, in the English Court of chancery, that, where a testator makes a general gift of his estate or the residue of his estate generally to, or in trust for, any person for life, with remainder over, so much of the property as is of a perishable nature must be converted and invested in permanent securities for the benefit of the remainder-man, and the tenant for life shall have only the income arising therefrom. The same rule applies to articles qucc ipso tisu consumuntur, such as corn and other provisions, wines, fruits, live stock, and the like, when such articles, instead of being specifically bequeathed, are included, with other property, in such a general gift of all, or the residue of all the testator’s estate generally, to one for life, with remainder over.

But the rule is different where the bequest is of specific articles to one for life, with remainder over. There the tenant for life is entitled to the possession and use of the property; and, should the article be worn out, or damaged, or wholly destroyed, during the life estate, the remainder-man has no remedy.

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Bluebook (online)
45 N.H. 243, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/healey-v-toppan-nh-1864.