In re Miller's Estate

19 Pa. D. & C. 141, 1932 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 247
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Lancaster County
DecidedNovember 3, 1932
DocketNo. 7
StatusPublished

This text of 19 Pa. D. & C. 141 (In re Miller's Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Lancaster County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Miller's Estate, 19 Pa. D. & C. 141, 1932 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 247 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1932).

Opinion

Appel, P. J.,

John B. Miller was for many years a faithful and competent official serving in the prothonotary’s office of Lancaster County. Because of failing health about 1928, he withdrew from his former activities and lived a retired life in the Borough of New Holland, this county. He had accumulated a large estate, consisting of real estate, stocks, bonds and other securities. Realizing the necessity for assistance in the management of his affairs, on January 23,1932, he executed and delivered to Jacob F. King, his friend and adviser, the following letter of attorney, recorded the same day in the recorder’s office at Lancaster in letter of attorney book 16, at page 213:

“Know all men by these presents that I, John B. Miller of the Borough of New Holland, County of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have constituted, made and appointed, and by these Presents do constitute, make and appoint Jacob F. King, of the City of Lancaster, County of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, lawful Attorney for me and in my name and stead, and to my use, to ask, demand, sue for, levy, recover and receive, all sueh sum and sums of money, debts, rents, goods, wares, dues, accounts, and other demands whatsoever, which are or shall be due, owing, payable, and belonging to me or detained from me in any manner of ways or means whatsoever, my said Attorney to have full power and authority to receive all checks for rents, dividends, interest on bonds, etc., and all moneys whatsoever and to endorse checks for the same, to invest any surplus income, to change and sign for all sale and transfer of bonds and any and all securities, and in any re-organization of any companies to sign and receive all necessary papers; to have power and authority to visit my bank box in the Lancaster Trust Company whenever necessary, also to have full power and authority to sign all checks on my account in the Lancaster Trust Company and in any other banks that I may have an account; also to endorse all checks, and sign necessary papers, to pay all bills, to employ help for me, to make any and all contracts and agreements that might be for my benefit and welfare; also to sell any or all real estate, to execute deeds for the same; in general to attend [142]*142to and to complete in detail all kind and manner of business that might be necessary to be attended to, giving and granting unto my said Attorney by these Presents my full and entire power and authority, in and about the premises, to have, use, and take all lawful ways and means, in my name for the purposes aforesaid; and upon the receipt of any such debts, dues, or sums of money aforesaid, acquittances, or other sufficient discharges, for me and in my name to make, seal and deliver, and generally all and every other act and acts, thing and things, device and devices in the law whatsoever needful and necessary to be done in and about the premises, form and in my name to do, execute and perform, as fully, largely and amply, to all intents and purposes, as I might or could do, if I were personally present, or as if the matter required more special authority than is herein given; and Attorneys, one or more under me for the purpose aforesaid, to make and constitute, and again at pleasure to revoke; ratifying, allowing, and holding for firm and effectual, all and whatsoever my said Attorney or my substitute shall lawfully do in and about the premises, by virtue hereof.
“In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal the 23rd day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and thirty-two.
“Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of
Cora L. Bair John B. Miller (seal)
J. A. Hoffman (seal)
“State of Pennsylvania County of Lancaster } ss.
“This twenty-third day of January, A. D. 1932, personally appeared before me, a Notary Public in and for the State and County aforesaid, residing in Lancaster City, the above-named John B. Miller, and acknowledged the foregoing Power of Attorney to be his act and deed, and desired the same to be recorded as such, according to law.
“Witness my hand and notarial seal, the day and year aforesaid.
Pauline K. Shiffer,
(N. P. seal)
Notary Public My Commission expires March 5,1933.”

King accepted the appointment contained in the above letter of attorney and performed the duties entrusted to him until June 25,1932, when the said Miller executed and delivered a letter of revocation of the above letter of attorney to the said King, which letter of revocation was subsequently recorded in the recorder’s office aforesaid in letter of attorney book 16, page 276. Due notice of this revocation was given to King, from which time the authority given in the letter of attorney was revoked and ended. On July 28, 1932, Miller executed and delivered a letter of attorney to Lewis M. Storb, Jr., which letter of attorney was subsequently recorded in the recorder’s office aforesaid in letter of attorney book 16, page 294. This new and subsisting letter of attorney is substantially in the terms and phraseology of the letter of attorney given to King, now under consideration.

At the time when the first letter of attorney was executed and delivered to King the assets of Miller consisted of bonds, stocks and other securities deposited in a safe deposit box in The Lancaster Trust Company in the name of John B. Miller and a balance on deposit in the Farmers Bank & Trust Company of New Holland. He was also the owner of real estate. Pursuant to the authority given [143]*143him in the letter of attorney of January 26, 1932, King had the balance on deposit in the New Holland Bank transferred to “John B. Miller, Jacob P. King, attorney-in-fact”. He also opened a new bank account in the Pulton National Bank of Lancaster, Pa., in the name of “John B. Miller, Jacob F. King, attorney-in-fact”. Pursuant to further authority given him in said letter of attorney to have access to the safe deposit box of the said Miller in The Lancaster Trust Company, King proceeded to collect the due and payable coupons from the bonds deposited there from time to time, received checks in payment of dividends on corporate stocks owned by Miller and found in the safe deposit box, depositing the proceeds of the coupons and cheeks to the credit of the “John B. Miller, Jacob F. King, attorney-in fact”, in the Fulton National Bank. This procedure was continued until the letter of attorney was revoked. At no time during this period was Miller deprived of his right of access to the safe deposit box. The registration was not changed. King was simply given access to the same under the power contained in the letter of attorney as attorney-in-fact for Miller. There was no change in the ownership of the bonds and no transfer of any of the certificates of stock. Neither was there any transfer by deed of any of the real estate from Miller to King. Subsequently on August 16, 1932, King filed in the register’s office of Lancaster County an account, designated as follows: “The account of Jacob F.

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Bluebook (online)
19 Pa. D. & C. 141, 1932 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 247, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-millers-estate-paorphctlancas-1932.