In re Estate of Garratt

3 Coffey 394
CourtSuperior Court of California, County of San Francisco
DecidedMay 24, 1892
DocketNo. 9,293
StatusPublished

This text of 3 Coffey 394 (In re Estate of Garratt) 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
In re Estate of Garratt, 3 Coffey 394 (Cal. Super. Ct. 1892).

Opinion

COFFEY, J.

The court has been favored with approximately one hundred pages of briefs and an equal number of pages of oral statement, argument and testimony in this matter, and it is proper to say that both sides of the controversy have been presented with exemplary clearness and ability. It has been most thoroughly and fairly discussed, and whatever difficulty the court labors under in deciding the points at issue is due to the strength with which the respective counsel have presented their opposing theories.

This is an application for distribution before close of administration under section 1658 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

[396]*396The application depends upon a certain clause in the will of William. T. Garratt, who died on January 14, 1890, in San Francisco. The will bears date April 4, 1883, at which time the testator was the owner of a brass foundry on the corner of Fremont and Natoma streets in San Francisco, with the land upon which the foundry was situated, the buildings, stock, tools, machinery and fixtures, and all the appurtenances of such a business.

The will is here inserted in full:

“San Francisco, April 4, 1883.
“This is my last will disposing of my worldly effects.
“To my daughter Emma the residence property she now resides in, also the springs and lands known as the California Seltzer Springs, and the sum of ten thousand dollars. To my daughter Amelia the residence property she now resides in, also the five-acre lot in Oakland, and the sum of ten thousand dollars. To my daughter Clara the lot on Howard street, between Twenty-second and Twenty-third streets.
“To my daughter Julia the lot on Fremont street, between Howard and Folsom streets, also the sum of ten thousand dollars. To my daughter Mary Alice all interest I have and am to have in the two fifty-vara lots on Bryant street, between 4th and 5th streets. The" land known as the tide lands to be equally divided with Emma, Amelia, Clara,- Julia and Mary Alice, hoping that it will be kept as a whole for many years.
“To my brother Benjamin F. Garratt, and my son William, and my son Milton, the business and real and personal property corner of Fremont and Natoma streets, consisting of buildings, land and tools and stock, with what stock may be at the different agencies, the moneys bequeathed in this my last will to be paid out of the moneys due me on book accounts and to be paid in equal installments of one-third and to be paid in .three years, my just debts to be paid first, and the balance of the book accounts to be equally divided or left as a whole to the firm of William T. Garratt & Co., consisting of my brother Benjamin, my son William and my son Milton, the firm to allow my father, Joseph Garratt, the sum of seventy-five dollars for each and every month of his life; [397]*397and also the sum of five thousand dollars to my sister Bose, and three thousand dollars to Miss Ellen Little, these sums to he paid in three installments, same as above mentioned. To my wife Anna all my stocks, consisting of insurance and steamboat and railroad, and my life insurances, together with the homestead property of every kind. To my son William and my son Milton the land and buildings known as Nos. 513 and 515 Market street, near First. My wife Anna to take charge for William and Milton, collect or have collected the rents, and use the same, if needed, for William and Milton’s benefit; all property not mentioned, real or personal, to my wife Anna. In case of my wife’s death, then the property, both real and personal, to be divided as follows, this being the property left for my wife Anna: To my daughter Emma my life insurance in the Connecticut Mutual Insurance Company, amount ten thousand dollars. To my daughter Amelia my steamboat stock in the California Steam Navigation Company, excepting one hundred shares I leave for Capt. Domingo Marcucci. To my daughter Clara one-half of the lots and buildings now used as the homestead, No. 405 Sixth street, the other half of the lots and building No. 405 Sixth street, and all the furniture and personal property, to be divided as follows, excepting what I shall dispose of as per schedule attached: My sons-in-law, William A. Allen and James Bond, to have my books in library and book-cases, and portraits of the family to go to each as painted for, the other painted by Nahl to go to my son William, those painted by Wise to go to my son Milton. My scrap books to my brother Benjamin, with what cabinet I may have including my desk and papers in the library desk meant the writing table and fixtures, and what is in the laboratory to go to the firm of W. T. Garratt & Co.; I prefer this style of the firm to be kept; the personal and one-half of the homestead lots and buildings, No. 405 Sixth street, to be disposed of as follows: To my daughters Emma and Amelia and Julia each to have one-third, and any property not mentioned that would of become the property of my wife Anna by this my last will to be divided between my daughters Emma, Amelia and Julia. I appoint my wife Anna to take charge and administer on the same, and without bonds, and in case of her death then my [398]*398brother Benjamin F. Garratt, and my father Joseph Garratt, and without bonds; the word Emma was written in the margin before signing.
“W. T. GARRATT.
“Witness, GEO. W. GATES.
“Witness, ARCHIBALD L. TAYLOR.”

The clause under which this application is made is as follows :

“To my brother Benjamin F. Garratt, and my son William, and my son Milton, the business and real and personal property corner of Fremont and Natoma streets, consisting of buildings, land and tools and stock, with what stock may be at the different agencies, the moneys bequeathed in this my last will to be paid out of the moneys due me on book accounts and to be paid in equal installments of one-third and to be paid in three years, my just debts to be paid first, and the balance of the book accounts to be equally divided or left as a whole to the firm of W. T. Garratt & Co., consisting of my brother Benjamin, my son William, and my son Milton.”

At the time of making this will the sole constituent of the firm of W. T. Garratt & Co. was the testator himself.

It is manifest, therefore, that in mentioning the names of his brother and sons as members of the firm he was alluding to the future. About two years after executing the will he conceived the idea of incorporating the business, and a corporation was formed bearing the name of W. T. Garratt & Co., in which the testator was the prime mover, holding about four-fifths of the stock. Shortly thereafter, and on June 15, 1885, the testator executed a lease and agreement between himself, W. T. Garratt, as party of the first part, and the corporation, W. T. Garratt & Co., as party of the second part, whereby he leased this business and personal property, not including the real property upon which it was situate, to the corporation for nine years at an annual rent of $20,111.11, or an aggregate sum of $181,000, and provided that when the last payment should have been made, with interest at four per cent per annum on overdue payments, he would execute a bill of sale to the corporation, or the property should be[399]

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Bluebook (online)
3 Coffey 394, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-estate-of-garratt-calsuppctsf-1892.