In re the Judicial Settlement of the Account of Allison

6 Mills Surr. 84, 53 Misc. 222, 102 N.Y.S. 887
CourtNew York Surrogate's Court
DecidedFebruary 15, 1907
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 6 Mills Surr. 84 (In re the Judicial Settlement of the Account of Allison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Surrogate's Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re the Judicial Settlement of the Account of Allison, 6 Mills Surr. 84, 53 Misc. 222, 102 N.Y.S. 887 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1907).

Opinion

Wheeler, S.

This is a proceeding commenced by Charles S. Allison, as administrator of the goods, chattels and credits of Eli Allison, deceased, as trustee under the last will and testament of William J. Lazear, deceased, for the judicial settlement of the account of said Charles S'. Allison, as administrator, etc., of Eli Allison, as such trustee, and for the distribution of the funds of said estate of William J. Lazear, deceased, which were held by said Eli Allison, as trustee under said will.

There is no question as -to the correctness of the account of said administrator, or of the said trustee. The only question is, who owns the principal of the trust funds, when and to whom the same shall he paid, and whether the trust mentioned in the will of William J. Lazear still continues as to the whole of said principal fund, during the lifetime of Cornelius G. Lazear: or [86]*86whether one-fifth of the principal of said fund continues to be held in trust during the lifetime of said Cornelius G. Lazear.

The answers to these questions involve the construction of the last will of said William J. Lazear, deceased.

William J. Lazear died in the town of Wayne, Steuben county, N. Y.„ on the 29th day of January, 1883, leaving his last will and testament, dated and executed on the 24th day of January, 1883. This was drawn by a layman. He left no real property, and his estate consisted wholly of personal property. The said will was thereafter and on the 12th day of February, 1883, duly proven and admitted to probate, as a will valid to- pass real and personal property, by a decree of the Surrogate’s Court of the county of Steuben, made and entered that day, and on said date, letters testamentary thereon were duly issued by and out of -said court to Silas A. Price and Eli Allison, as executors and trustees, who were named in said will as such, and they thereupon entered upon the discharge of their duties as such executors and trustees.

The inventory of the estate of said William J. Lazear, made by his executors and duly filed in said surrogate’s office, showed that the said personal estate was of the value of about $18,000, of which a little over $17,250 consisted wholly of notes and mortgages, and that about $750' only consisted of money and a few articles of tangible personal property.

The only next of kin and heirs at-law who survived the said testator were Cornelius G. Lazear, his son, and Mrs. Frank Siwarthout, the daughter of a deceased daughter of the said testator. The said deceased daughter of the testator was Mrs. Eli Allison. The testator never had any other children than Cornelius G. Lazear and Mrs. Eli Allison.

At the time of testator’s death, the said Cornelius G. Lazear had one child, named William J. Lazear, and called William J. Lazear, 2d, who was the grandson of the testator. At the time the testator made his said will and at the time of his death, [87]*87the ages of said testator, Cornelius G. Lazear, Mrs. Frank SHvarthout and William J. Lazear, 2d, were, respectively, seventy, forty-three, sixteen and twelve years. The said Frank Swarthout, at the time the said will was made and at the time of testator’s death, was the wife of said Minor E. Swarthout, and the daughter of said Eli Allison and Mrs. Eli Allison, aforesaid. The said Frank Swarthout was married to the said Minor E. Swarthout in the fall of 1882.

The said Frank Swarthout died November 13, 1891, being then over eighteen years of age, and leaving her surviving no child or children or descendant, no brother or sister, but only her husband, Minor E. Swarthout, and her father, the said Eli Allison. Her said father was her sole heir-at-law. The said Frank Swarthout left a last will and testament, bequeathing all of her personal property to the said Minor E. Swarthout, her husband, which will was shortly thereafter duly proven and admitted to probate as a will valid to pass personal property, by a decree of the Surrogate’s Court of the county of Steuben, duly made and entered; and in and by said will, he said Minor E. Swarthout was named as sole executor thereof; and at the time the said will was probated, letters testamentary thereon were duly issued by and out of the said Surrogate’s Court to the said Minor E. Swarthout and he thereupon became, and ever since has been, the sole acting executor thereof.

The said William J. Lazear, 2d, died in Denver, Col., on July 19, 1906, intestate, and leaving no child or children surviving him, but leaving his widow, the said Nellie Lazear, and leaving, as his sole next of kin and heir-at-law, his father, the said Cornelius G. Lazear.

Thereafter and before the 29th day of December, 1906, the said Marvin Price was duly appointed as administrator of the goods, chattels and credits of the said William J. Lazear, 2d, by a decree of the Surrogate’s Court duly made and entered.

The said Eli Allison died, intestate, May 31, 1906, at said [88]*88town of Wayne, leaving him surviving no descendant, widow or parent, but leaving him surviving as his sole next of kin and heirs-at-law, his brothers, Charles S. Allison and William Allison, and his sisters, Mrs. Whitehead, Mrs. Salt and Mrs. French, the wife of said Eli Allison having died prior to- the time of the death of said testator, William J. Lazear.

Shortly after the death of said Eli Allison, the said Charles S. Allison was duly appointed by this Surrogate’s Court as sole administrator of the goods, chattels and credits of said Eli Allison, deceased, and thereupon duly qualified; and letters of administration on said personal estate were duly issued to- him, and he has ever since been acting as such administrator.

At the time the said William J. Lazear, the testator, made his said will, and at the time of his death, he was residing with the said Eli Allison at the latter’s home in the town of Wayne, Steuben county, N. Y., and the said William J. Lazear had made his home with said Eli Allison for three or four years next preceding the time of his death.

In the fall of 1882, at the time of the marriage of said Frank Swarthout to Minor E. Swarthout, the family of said Eli Allison consisted of said William J. Lazear, the testator, said Frank Swarthout, said William J. Lazear, 2d, and Eli Allison; and the said William J. Lazear, the testator, and William J. Lazear, 2d, his grandson, continued to- reside with said Eli Allison, at his said home, up to- the time of the death o-f said testator, William J. Lazear.

At the time the will of said William J. Lazear was made, his son, -Cornelius G. Lazear, was living in Flew York or Brooklyn, and he had been living away from his father, William J. Lazear, the said testator, from in or about the year 1876 or 1877; and the said Cornelius G. Lazear had been leading a somewhat dissipated life, which was known to his said father; and he did not have any property to speak of at the time the said will was made, and had practically been out of business for [89]*89several years before, and apparently had not succeeded in business, but had lost money in business. He had lived in different places and, at the time he was living in Hew York, he had not been in any business that amounted to anything.

While the said grandson, William J. Lazear, 2d, resided with the said Eli Allison, as aforesaid, the said testator, William J. Lazear, paid said Eli Allison for his said grandson’s board and lodging.

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Bluebook (online)
6 Mills Surr. 84, 53 Misc. 222, 102 N.Y.S. 887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-the-judicial-settlement-of-the-account-of-allison-nysurct-1907.