In Re the Final Judicial Settlement of the Accounts of Reynolds

26 N.E. 954, 124 N.Y. 388, 36 N.Y. St. Rep. 332, 79 Sickels 388, 1891 N.Y. LEXIS 1377
CourtNew York Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 3, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 26 N.E. 954 (In Re the Final Judicial Settlement of the Accounts of Reynolds) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re the Final Judicial Settlement of the Accounts of Reynolds, 26 N.E. 954, 124 N.Y. 388, 36 N.Y. St. Rep. 332, 79 Sickels 388, 1891 N.Y. LEXIS 1377 (N.Y. 1891).

Opinion

*394 Parker, J.

The testator’s office was in the building devised to his son by the third subdivision of the will; connected with it was a vault, and within the vault a safe in which money and securities were kept. When he died, a bank-book, certain securities of different kinds and money were.there. These, the appellant contends, passed to Mm under such subdivision, by which the testator devised to him, subject to a charge, the “ Arcade * * * including all the furniture and personal property in and upon the same, or in any manner connected therewith.” And he challenges the determination of the Surrogate’s Court that a proper construction of the will limits the bequest to such personal property in addition to furniture as properly belonged to and was employed by the testator in the use which he made of the building devised.

Our attention has not been called to any authority in this state which can be made serviceable in determining the question presented. But in England and in several states in this country, the courts have had under consideration the rule which should guide the court in determining whether general words following an enumeration of articles in a bequest should be limited to things of the same general character as those enumerated, or be given the most enlarged meamng of which they are capable.

Appellant’s counsel calls special attention to Campbell v. Prescott and Hotham v. Sutton (15 Ves. 500 and 319). In CampbeWs case, the court refers with approval to the observation of Lord Mansfield that the word “ effects ” is equivalent to “property” or “worldly substance.” And in Hotham's case, the words “ other effects,” in the connection in which they were there used, were held not to be restricted to things, of the same kind as those specially enumerated. In the first case the general words following an enumeration occurred in a residuary disposition, and in such cases the settled rule is that they will be given the broadest and most comprehensive meaning of which they are susceptible, in order to prevent intestacy as to any portion of the testator’s estate.

In the latter case the testatrix, having two sons and a *395 daughter, B, C and D, bequeathed for their benefit a sum in consols, and gave all the residue of her personal estate to her youngest children, O and D. On the same day she executed a codicil and revoked so much of her will as related to the bequest to her son C of a share of her “ plate, linen, household goods and other effects (money excepted),” and gave the whole thereof to her daughter.

It was held that the words “ and other effects ” were not restrained by the prior terms to articles ejusdem generis, and, therefore, the revocation extended to the general residuary personal estate. Lord Eldon, in delivering the opinion of the court, declared the doctrine to be settled that the words “ other-effects in general mean effects ejusdem generis? But held the rule not applicable to the,case under consideration, because the exception made it apparent that the testatrix did not so understand it. He said “money cannot he represented as ejtisdem generis with plate, finen and household goods.” The express exception of money out of the “ other effects ” shows her understanding that it would have passed by those words that express words were required to exclude it; and by force of the exclusion in the excepted articles she says she thought that the words of her bequest would carry things not ejusdem generis.

In Swinfen v. Swinfen (29 Beav. 207), the will recited: “ I give to Mrs. Swinfen, my son’s widow, all my estate at Swinfen, or thereto adjoining, also all furniture and other movable goods here.” It did not contain a residuary clause. And it was held that the general words were not restricted to things ejusdem generis. And, therefore, the live stock and implements of husbandry on the lands, as well as money in the house at testator’s death, passed to the legatee.

In Michell v. Michell (5 Mad. 69), the bequest was of “ all and singular his plate, linen, china, household goods and furniture and effects that he should die possessed of.” The court said that while the words furniture and effects are frequently used in a restricted sense, meaning goods and movables, that the fact that the word furniture was preceded by the word *396 and,” and effects ” followed by the phrase “ that he should ■die possessed of,” leads to the conclusion that it was used in a more enlarged sense and embraced all his personal estate.

In Fleming v. Burrows (1 Russ. 276), the bequest was to ■testator’s son of “ my furniture, plate, books and live stock, or what else I may then be possessed of at my decease.” It was followed by a few specific bequests and the question was whether the general residue of the testator’s personal property passed to the son. It was urged that the word then ” was ■evidently written by mistake instead of “ there; ” that it should be read as intended; and if that be done, the bequest having reference to locality must be treated as specific and not general. 'The court did not agree with such construction and held that it disposed of the entire personal estate, remarking' in the course of the opinion that the instrument contains no residuary ■clause unless the words or what else I may then be possessed ■of at my decease ” are to be so construed.

In In re Scarborough (30 L. J. Prob. 85), the bequest was ■of all my personal effects, and everything of every kind that I now have or may have at the time of my decease in my apartments at the above-named 13 Plaistow Grove, West, or elsewhere.” Upon the application for letters of administration, a doubt was suggested whether the personal estate of testatrix, not in her apartments in Plaistow Grove or other apartments, was embraced in the bequest or passed to the next of kin, 'because as to it she died intestate. It was held that the words ■or elsewhere referred not to the locality of apartments, but to the effects of deceased and disposed of all the personal estate.

In Taubenhan, v. Dunz (125 Ill. 524), the bequest to the devisee and legatee named in the will was as follows: “ Also $3,000 in money, to be paid to her by my executor; also all the loose property in, on and around the homestead consisting •of one cow, two hogs, and a lot of wood, and all other property of every kind.”

The testator owned other promissory notes for money loaned. It was held that as to them he did not die intestate. That they passed to the legatee under the will. In Mahony v. *397 Donovan (14 Irish Ch.

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Bluebook (online)
26 N.E. 954, 124 N.Y. 388, 36 N.Y. St. Rep. 332, 79 Sickels 388, 1891 N.Y. LEXIS 1377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-final-judicial-settlement-of-the-accounts-of-reynolds-ny-1891.