In re the Construction of the Last Will & Testament of Seif

212 A.D. 558, 209 N.Y.S. 341, 1925 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 9506
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedApril 17, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 212 A.D. 558 (In re the Construction of the Last Will & Testament of Seif) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Construction of the Last Will & Testament of Seif, 212 A.D. 558, 209 N.Y.S. 341, 1925 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 9506 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

Manning, J.:

The testatrix, Sybilla M. Seif, died a resident of Queens county on or about May 19, 1923, leaving a holographic will, executed May 22, 1922, which was duly admitted to probate and a decree entered thereon. Subsequently on January 24, 1924, a petition was filed by the appellant John Kursteiner, a cousin and the divorced husband of the testatrix, and sole next of kin, for a judicial construction of the will in certain respects, and proceedings were had thereunder, resulting in the decision and decree appealed from, construing clauses 4, 5 and 6 of the will.

The will was written by the testatrix herself, and it is apparent from a reading thereof that she used expressions with the legal meaning of which she was unfamiliar. It reads as follows:

“ 1. I, Sybilla M. Seif divorced wife of John Kursteiner, of Flushing, N. Y., hereby make publish and declare this as and for my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all earlier Wills by me heretofore made.
“ 2. I direct that my body shall be buried according to the rites of the Protestant Church in my family lot in the Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, N. Y.
“ And all my just debts and funeral expenses out of my estate [560]*560as soon as conveniently may be after my decease, by my Executor hereinafter named.
3. I give and bequeath my antique rug unto Laurence Baisil Halleran of Flushing, N. Y., absolute free of all taxes.
“4. All my house hold furniture, china and cloths to Annie T. Burns of 57 Main St., Flushing, N. Y.
“Also my property at 5013 Pacific Ave., Wildwood, N. J., and sole executrix of the same.
“ 5. I give devise and bequest my Property known as 55 & 57 Main St., Flushing, N. Y., unto Anna Burns and Laurence Basil Halleran both of Flushing, N. Y. to be held in trust for 5 years or more until all bequests are made and any time after the Property sold or kept and both to share equally. During which time Laurence B. Halleran as my executor he shall have full power and control thereof, to make necessary repairs collect & receive all rents issues & profits there from, and make and deliver all leases and other papers and instruments relating to the care and use thereof, and out of the net profits therefrom he shall pay unto Isabel Carson now living at 1621 Butler St., Phila., Pa., the gross sum of One thousand ($1,000) payable at the rate of Two hundred dollars a year in equal quarterly yearly payments. Also the sum One thousand Dollars to the Flushing Hospital of Flushing, N. Y., in equal yearly payments, all said bequests to be free of all taxes to the respective legatees. Should the net profits not amount to the said gross totals the trust shall continue until said entire totals are paid.
“ 6. All the rest residue and remainder of my estate of every nature and character and whereever situate I give devise and bequeath unto Annie T. Burns & Laurence Basil Halleran as sole executor and Trustee of this my last Will for all purposes hereunto without any need or necessity for him to enter any security whatever any where in either capacity and with full power and authority to make execute and deliver any and all deeds & instruments for the sale or other disposition or encumbrances of any of my real estate without any Liability on his part, to see to the application or non-application of any purchase money.
“ 7. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed seal this the Day 22 of May, 1922.
“ SYBILLA M. SEIF. [seal]
“ Signed sealed and published and declared by the above named testatrix as and for her last Will and Testament in the presence of us who at her request in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses and further we do certify that we did hear the Testatrix above named, sign, seal, & publish this her last Will and that when doing so [561]*561she was of sound disposing mind, manner and understanding to the best of knowledge and belief, and we each subscribe our own proper signatures hereto.
William Burns, 57 Main St., Flushing, N. Y.
Mart Burns, 57 Main St., Flushing, N. Y.
“ Annie T. Burns, 57 Main St., Flushing, N. Y.”

The surrogate, without opinion, made the following decision:

1. By clause 4 of the last will and testament of Sybilla M. Seif, all her household furniture, china and clothes wheresoever situated were given to Annie T. Burns, also her property at 5013 Pacific avenue, Wildwood, New Jersey.
2. By clause 5 of the will, Miss Burns and Mr. Halleran are vested with an estate in fee simple in the property known as 55 and 57 Main street, Flushing, subject to a charge thereon of $2,000 payable in annual installments of $200 each to Mrs. Carson and The Flushing Hospital, with liberty to Mr. Halleran as executor and trustee to defer such payments if the income from said property is insufficient,to meet the annual payments required.
“3. By clause 6 of the will all of the residuary estate of the testatrix is given to Miss Burns and Mr. Halleran and Mr. Halleran is appointed sole executor and trustee.”

In the decree entered, the surrogate construed clause 4 as a bequest by the testatrix of all her household furniture, china and clothes wheresoever situate, to the respondent Annie T. Burns; and that by said clause the testatrix devised and bequeathed all her, property, real and personal, situate at 5013 Pacific avenue, Wildwood, N. J., to the respondent Annie T. Burns; and that by clause 5 the testatrix devised to and vested in the respondent Annie T. Burns and the respondent Laurence B. Halleran an estate in fee simple in the real property known as 55 and 57 Main street, Flushing, N. Y., subject to two charges thereon, each in the amount of $1,000, each payable in annual installments of $200, with liberty to Laurence B. Halleran as executor and trustee to defer such annual payments if the income should be insufficient to meet the annual payments; and the decree also provided that by clause 6 the testatrix gave, devised and bequeathed all her residuary estate to the respondents Annie T. Burns and Laurence B. Halleran, in equal shares; and appointed the respondent Halleran sole executor and trustee.

On the hearing, at the request of the surrogate, certain facts were stipulated which appellant maintains in a preliminary point are immaterial and throw no light on the interpretation of the [562]*562will; and he further maintains that the decision fails to show on what basis it was made, and he has no conception upon what theory it can be justified in law; as the result is in complete .disregard of the terms of the will; and he maintains that from the will itself the intention of the testatrix must be discovered, and that because of errors, mistakes, incongruities, or whatever they may be called, which permeate the will, it is necessary to give it the most careful scrutiny to obtain the true interpretation; and that the will must stand or fall, entirely or in part, as drawn.

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Bluebook (online)
212 A.D. 558, 209 N.Y.S. 341, 1925 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 9506, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-construction-of-the-last-will-testament-of-seif-nyappdiv-1925.