Irwin v. Teller

115 A.D. 17, 101 N.Y.S. 853, 1906 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 3607
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedSeptember 18, 1906
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 115 A.D. 17 (Irwin v. Teller) 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
Irwin v. Teller, 115 A.D. 17, 101 N.Y.S. 853, 1906 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 3607 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1906).

Opinion

Chester, J.:

The only question presented for determination is whether the two legacies of $2,500 each, directed to be paid to the next of kin of Elisha on his death by Anna M. Irwin and Margaret M. Strong, are charges upon the real estate devised to them, as it is conceded that the two sums of $2,500 directed to be paid to the next of kin of Elisha on his death by his two brothers, David A. and William, are charges upon the lands devised to them.

The plaintiffs contend that the premises 59 Hudson avenue, the Hawk street property and the lot in Rensselaer are not subjected to any charge, and that the two legacies of $2,500 directed to be paid to the next of kin of Elisha by the daughters “ out of the personal property” must fail because neither daughter ever received any personal property from the estate.

Dnder the language of the will, the farms owned by the testator at the time of making his will were upon the death of his wife devised to his sons and whatever other real estate and personal property he had was given to his daughters, the farm lands devised to David and William, and the personal property bequeathed to the daughters to be subject to the payment of the annuity for the benefit of Elisha.

At the date of the execution of the will the only lands the testator owned were the farm lands, a small lot in Greenbush (now Rensselaer) and the Hawk street property. He afterwards acquired the premises 51 Hudson avenue and 59 Hudson avenue, Albany, each [22]*22subject to a mortgage thereon. The court has found that at the time the testator made his will he had no money or other personal property which could be set apart by either of his daughters as provided by the will for the payment to Elisha or to his children in case of his death, and this finding appears to have sufficient support in the evidence. We may assume that the personal estate of the testator, if he had any at all when he made his will, was thereafter depleted by these purchases of real estate.

At the time of the execution of the codicils the testator owned all the real property which he had at the time of his- death and the codicils had the effect of a republication of the will as of their respective dates. (Van cortlandt v. Kip, 1 Hill, 590.)

Although the learned trial court' wrote no opinion, authorities are not wanting in support of the conclusion that these legacies are charged upon the real estate of the other devisees.

In Briggs v. Carroll (117 N. Y. 288) a will was construed in which testator gave his wife a legacy of $2,500 in lieu of dower* and his son a legacy of $1,500 to be used for his education, and a legacy of $500 to the plaintiff, his grandson. He gave the residue of his real and personal estate to be divided equally among his four children. At the time of the execution of the will the testator’s personal estate was not in excess of $1,500, and he was substantially free from debt. Soon after making the will he used $700 of his personal estate in making a-payment upon some real estate purchased by him, and at the time of his death his personal property was insufficient to pay his debts, and it was held that testator intended the plaintiff’s (the grandson’s) legacy to be a charge upon the realty. 'Finch, J., in writing the opinion, says : “ In Brill v. Wright (112 N. Y. 129) the rule prevailing in this State is held to be that a residuary clause coming after a bequest of legacies and disposing of both the real and personal estate together and by one form of expression will not alone justify a construction that the legacies are charged upon the land, but will do so where it appears in addition from such extrinsic facts as may be resorted to, that there was, in truth, an intention to charge the debts upon the land; and we have inferred that intention where the personal estate of the testator was, at the date of the will, largely and clearly insufficient for the payment of the legacies given, and the testator must have known [23]*23and understood that they could not be paid except by the aid of the real estate. That was the doctrine of McCorn v. McCorn (100 N. Y. 511).”

It was also held in Hoyt v. Hoyt (85 N. Y. 142) that legacies may be charged upon the real estate without express direction therefor in the will if the intention of the testator so to do can be fairly gathered from all the provisions of the will, and that extraneous circumstances may be considered in aid of the terms of the will. Chief Judge Folger, in writing the opinion of the court in that case, said: It is assumed that no man in making a final disposition of his estate will make a.legacy-save with the honest, sober-minded intention that it shall be paid. Hence, when from the provisions of a will prior to the gift of legacies it is seen that the testator must have known that he had already so far disposed of his personal estate as that there would not be enough left to pay the legacies, it is reasoned that the bare fact of giving a legacy indicates an intention that it shall be met from real estate. * * * It is sometimes held that where the only provision for a younger child is a legacy, that fact is of great weight in-determining that it was the testator’s intent to make it payable at all events, and so out of the realty if the personalty is not enough. "(Roper on Legacies, chap. 12, § 2, p. 454, subd.'2.

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Related

In re the Construction of the Will of Ambrosio
10 Misc. 2d 638 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1958)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
115 A.D. 17, 101 N.Y.S. 853, 1906 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 3607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/irwin-v-teller-nyappdiv-1906.