In re the Estate of Nilsson

1 V.I. 173, 1928 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 914
CourtDistrict Court, Virgin Islands
DecidedDecember 18, 1928
DocketNo. 122 - 1928
StatusPublished

This text of 1 V.I. 173 (In re the Estate of Nilsson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Estate of Nilsson, 1 V.I. 173, 1928 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 914 (vid 1928).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, Judge

The decedent, Carl August Nilsson, died some time in May, 1927, on one of the estates of the concern in St. Croix known as Bethlehem. His correct full name seems to be, as above stated, Carl August Nilsson, but his surname is variously spelled, such, for instance, as “Nielsen” and “Nielson.”

Nilsson came to St. Croix many years ago, that is to say, about 1905, at or about the time Bartrum Brothers sold out their interest in St. Croix to Danish interests. He lived together with his wife, in St. Croix, for many years, and was engaged as sugar boiler by the concern commonly known as Bethlehem. It seems that he was a man somewhere about sixty, who was married, but whose wife had predeceased him. She lived in St. Croix practically all their married life, except when away on vacation or on account of her health. He lived in St. Croix continuously, except for a few trips now and again when on vacation. While in St. Croix he participated in the political life of the island, as the election record reveals that he voted in St. Croix repeatedly, for many years. The records will also disclose that he paid his income tax there. So far as it appears from any accessible information, he has no other home than the one in St. Croix, for his living in St. Croix had all the incidents [180]*180of a domicile, that is to say,.a real home — a permanent, fixed abode. His residence had, at least, all the appearances of fixity and permanence, and there is nothing from which anyone could gather that he ever intended to change the St. Croix residence, except, or even, at a very indefinite time in the future. So far as I have been able to ascertain, there is nothing that his residence in St. Croix lacked to make it a domicile, or a home, that would be ordinarily incident to a domicile, that is to say, a home. His work was there; he lived and voted there; paid his income tax there; and finally died there, and left no evidence — so far as I have been able to ascertain — of any intention of having a domicile elsewhere. I do not say, however, that it is not possible that he might have had some remote or indefinite idea, in the deep recesses of his mind or heart, of returning to either Denmark or Sweden, very probably the latter, if any such intention existed at all; because he was a Swedish subject at the time of his arrival, and he did nothing to change that nationality during his existence in St. Croix, and, whatever his domicile may be, his nationality does not seem to be questioned. When he died the matter was taken up through the Swedish Consul, by a brother, Charles Nilsson, Fri dehem, Ystad, Sweden. As a result, letters of administration were issued and the case proceeded with, and has been now brought to conclusion and submitted for adjudication.

His estate physically present in St. Croix consisted of household furniture and other personal effects; a little cash found in his home; a deposit in the National Bank of the Danish West Indies, in St. Croix; a salary; and several Swiss bonds; and, in addition thereto, the administrator made known to the Court that there is on deposit with the Skandinavirke Kreditaktiebologet, at Ystad, Sweden, as shown by its statement of December 31, 1926, Kroner 15,203.88, which is equal to $4,222.75 local currency; and [181]*181on deposit with the same institution in Skaanke 5 1/2 per cent bonds, as shown by its statement of August 30, 1926, Kroner 10,000, which is equal to $2,777.77 local currency; and on deposit with the Landmandsbanken, Copenhagen, Denmark, as shown by its statement of December 31, 1926, Kroner 14,821.48, which is equal to $4,117.07 local currency —■ total local currency $11,117.56.

It appears from the original record that he left surviving him, as next of kin, or heir, the said Charles Nilsson, who is, apparently, a resident as well as a subject of Sweden. Subsequent to the submitting of the case, however, the administrator, through his attorney, has filed a letter asking that the record be amended so as to include J. E. Nilsson, and Mrs. Olga Hellstrom, widow, all residing in Sweden. The record may be amended as prayed, as the administrator seems to have proper authority and sufficient identification of the parties concerned to warrant the correction.

In filing his petition for adjudication the administrator propounded two interrogatories in the following language:

“(1) The decedent died in St. Croix, where he had lived for many years. He left bank deposits in Denmark and Sweden of the value of $11,117.56 local currency. Decedent was a Swedish citizen. Is this part of the estate constructively here in charge of the Administrator and the same taxable here?
“(2) If the funds abroad are constructively here in the custody of the Administrator, and taxable here, then is the Administrator entitled to compute his fee on same and amend the final account accordingly?”.

In a separate paper filed by the attorney for the administrator, some question as to the domicile of decedent at the time of his death has been suggested. Therefore, the third question is:

[182]*182(3) Was the said deceased Nilsson domiciled in St. Croix at the time of his death?

This question is also impliedly suggested in subparagraph 1. It is obvious that the last question should be taken up first, and the other two should follow in the order given.

In view of the fact that the interested parties are nonresidents, and that it is probable that they, or any solicitor that might be employed, would not have access to an American law library, I deem it advisable to enter into a rather extended discussion of the terms DOMICILE and RESIDENCE, as well as the other questions involved.

A general discussion of those two terms is to be found in 9 Ruling Case Law (commonly referred to as R.C.L.), beginning at page 538, and I shall quote copiously from it rather than from cases, as it gives a full and very fair general discussion of this subject of “domicile” and kindred words.

In section 2, at said page 538, it is declared, that — “The term ‘domicil’ in its ordinary acceptation means a place where a person lives or has his home.

“In a strict legal sense that is properly the domicil of a person where he has his true, fixed, permanent home and principal establishment, and to which place he has, whenever he is absent, the intention of returning. In a sense domicil is synonymous with home, or residence, or ‘the house of usual abode.’ ”

As to the distinction between RESIDENCE and DOMICILE that authority, at page 539, makes his observation : “It is customary to distinguish between residence and domicil, on the ground that any place of abode or dwelling place constitutes a residence, however temporary it may be, while the term ‘domicil’ relates rather to the legal residence of a person or his home in contemplation of law. As a result one may be a resident of one jurisdiction although having a domicil in another. For example, a foreign minister ac[183]*183tually resides and is personally present at the court to which he is accredited, but his legal habitancy or domicil is in his own country. Domicil does not depend upon residence alone, but upon a consideration of all the circumstances of the case. That a person stays at a place is prima facie evidence that he is domicilled there; but, of course such fact may be explained, and the presumption arising therefrom rebutted.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

St. Louis v. Ferry Co.
78 U.S. 423 (Supreme Court, 1871)
Murray v. Charleston
96 U.S. 432 (Supreme Court, 1878)
Kirtland v. Hotchkiss
100 U.S. 491 (Supreme Court, 1879)
Sturges v. Carter
114 U.S. 511 (Supreme Court, 1885)
Kidd v. Alabama
188 U.S. 730 (Supreme Court, 1903)
Wright v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad
195 U.S. 219 (Supreme Court, 1904)
Covington v. First Nat. Bank of Covington
198 U.S. 100 (Supreme Court, 1905)
Buck v. Beach
206 U.S. 392 (Supreme Court, 1907)
Darnell v. Indiana
226 U.S. 390 (Supreme Court, 1912)
Hawley v. City of Malden
232 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1914)
Frick Et Al. v. Pennsylvania
268 U.S. 473 (Supreme Court, 1925)
Blodgett v. Silberman
277 U.S. 1 (Supreme Court, 1928)
In Re the Appraisal for Taxation of the Estate of Houdayer
44 N.E. 718 (New York Court of Appeals, 1896)
City & County of Denver v. Hobbs Estate
58 Colo. 220 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1914)
Kirtland v. Hotchkiss
42 Conn. 426 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1875)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 V.I. 173, 1928 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 914, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-estate-of-nilsson-vid-1928.