Lindsey v. Lindsey

45 Ind. 552
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1874
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 45 Ind. 552 (Lindsey v. Lindsey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lindsey v. Lindsey, 45 Ind. 552 (Ind. 1874).

Opinion

Buskirk, J.

This case depends upon the construction of the will of William Lindsey, deceased, who died March 10th, 1863, seized of the lands in controversy. The parties to this case are the four children and only surviving heirs of the testator. The testator left a widow, who died in October, 1868. This suit was brought by the appellant for partition of said lands, who claimed to be the owner of one undivided fourth of said lands as an heir at law of the said William Lindsey, deceased. The defendants answered separately; all alleged that the lands described in the complaint had been devised to the defendant William Lindsey, and set out the will of William Lindsey, deceased, as the source of title. It appears from such answers that shortly [554]*554before the commencement of this action, the defendant William Lindsey had conveyed the undivided half of said lands to his co-defendants, Sarah M. anH Julia.

The plaintiff replied in two paragraphs. The first was in denial. The second was as follows : “And for fürther and second reply to the answers of Julia A. H'artman, Sarah M. Lindsey, and William Lindsey, says that he admits the execution of the will mentioned in the defendants’ answers, but plaintiff avers that the said land devised as aforesaid was upon the condition that said William should remain and' attend to said farm and transact all business connected therewith, as the testator himself would have done if living, and that the said William should pay to testator’s two daughters, Julia Ann and Sarah Margaret, two hundred dollars each, and one bed and bedstead each, and that the said sums of two hundred dollars each, to be paid to the daughters aforesaid, should be so paid within seven years after the decease of the testator. Plaintiff avers that at the time of the execution of said will, and at the time of the death of the testator aforesaid, the plaintiff was living away from the home and place of the testator; that he had theretofore received from the testator the sum of two hundred dollars; that the defendant William was, at the time of the execution of the said will and at the time of the death of the said testator, living at the home and place of the said testator, and was at that time doing the ordinary and necessary work upon the farm of the said testator, and that up to that time the said William and the said Julia Ann and Sarah Margaret had not received , from the said testator any advancement; and the plaintiff avers that it was the will and intention of said testator that the said William should remain on the farm, attend to, and transact all the business thereon and pay to said daughters so named the said sum of two hundred dollars each, within the time named, in consideration for which, and upon the performance of said conditions, the said William was to take said land.

“-The plaintiff avers that said William wholly failed and [555]*555refused to perform and fulfil the conditions before named, but that the said William, after the testator’s death, left the home and place aforesaid and remained away, leaving his mother and sisters aforesaid without the aid and assistance to them which the testator intended and willed they should have, and the said William failed and refused to pay to Julia Ann and Sarah M. the said sum of two hundred dollars each, within said space of seven years aforesaid; wherefore the plaintiff asks that said devise be decreed to be void for the failure to perform the' conditions aforesaid, and judgment in-partition as heretofore asked, and-for other proper relief.”

The court sustained a demurrer to the second paragraph of the reply, to which ruling a proper exception was taken.

The cause was submitted to the court for trial arid resulted in a finding for the defendants. The plaintiff moved for a. new trial, which motion was overruled, and an exception was taken. ‘

The plaintiff appeals, and assigns for error the sustaining Of the demurrer to the second paragraph of the reply, and the Overruling of the motion for a new trial.

The first assignment of error presents for our decision the correctness of the ruling of' the court in sustaining the demurrer to the second paragraph of the reply; the solution of which question depends upon the proper construction to-be placed upon the will of William Lindsey, deceased.

The substance of the will of William Lindsey, deceased, is as follows: After providing for his burial and the payment of his debts and a valuation of his real estate, the will? proceeds:

I direct that my wife, Margaret, hold the possession of' my farm, situated in Lancaster township, and county and State aforesaid, and that she, the said Margaret, shall receive annually one-third of all the said farm produces, so long as-she lives.
“ I further direct that- my son George shall receive one ' bed, together with the two‘hundred dollars whichT have already paid him. . I direct further, that my son William [556]*556shall remain and attend to my farm and transact all business connected therewith, as I myself would do if living, and that the said my son William- shall pay to my two daughters, Julia Ann and Sarah Margaret, two hundred dollars each; also, one bed and bedstead each. And I further direct that ■at the death of my said wife, the said farm, with all personal property and all appurtenances thereto belonging, shall •accrue to my son William in fee simple.
“I further direct that the said my two daughters allow said William a reasonable time to pay the shares allotted to each, not less than five years nor more than seven.”

What estates were created by the above will ? This is to ‘be determined by considering all the parts of it together, •and giving effect to the intention of the testator as nearly as-■possible. Considered in this light, it appears to us that the will created, first, a life estate in the wife in all the lands -devised. The testator directs thát she shall “hold possession” of the farm, words of themselves sufficient to create ■a life estate, if not limited by other words. He directs also that she “ shall x'eceive annually one-third of all the farm produces so long as she lives.” A devise of the income of a thing is a devise of the thing itself. The devise here is of ■one-third of all the farm produces, that is, one-third of the :gross income. It is provided that William shall remain at home and attend to the farm; but it was manifestly as the tenant of his mother. There could be no doubt of her right, in case of his abandonment of the farm, to let it to some -one else. In no other way could she be secux-ed in the enjoyment of the interests expressly bequeathed to her. It ;should be observed, also, that the estate of William is expressly fixed at the death of his mother. The plain and ■•undoubted language of the will is as follows : “And I further direct that, at the decease of my said wife, the said farm with all personal property and all appux-tenances thereto belonging, shall accrue to my son William in fee simple.” The devise of a remainder to an*heir at law is of itself strong [557]*557evidence that the testator intended to precede it by a particular estate—strong enough to control in a doubtful case..

Taking all these circumstances together, it is quite obvious, to us that the testator intended to devise his farm to his wife-for life, with remainder in fee to his son William, upon the-conditions that he should remain on the farm and support his.

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Bluebook (online)
45 Ind. 552, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lindsey-v-lindsey-ind-1874.