McNamara v. McNamara

127 N.E. 130, 293 Ill. 54
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedApril 21, 1920
DocketNo. 13193
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 127 N.E. 130 (McNamara v. McNamara) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McNamara v. McNamara, 127 N.E. 130, 293 Ill. 54 (Ill. 1920).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Carter

delivered the opinion of the court:

The circuit court of Whiteside county entered a decree construing the will of Michael McNamara, and from that decree certain of the testator’s children and grandchildren have perfected this appeal.

Michael McNamara resided in Prophetstown, in said county, and died January'28, 1917, testate, leaving an estate of about $125,000, mostly invested in land in Illinois and Tennessee. He left three children by his first wife and two grandchildren, whose mother (McNamara’s daughter by his first wife) had died before the testator’s death. He also left seven children by his second wife, and the second wife survived him. The will of McNamara was dated June 6, 1914. It was duly probated, and so far as necessary for an understanding of this case is substantially as follows:

The first clause gives all of his personal property to.his wife, Alice: The next three clauses, omitting the description of the land, read as followsr . - ■ ,

“Second—I give, bequeath and devise to my son Lawrence, to my daughters Allie, Kate, Annie, Esther and Maude, or to their children or legal heirs in case of the death of either one of the above named six children, to each one an undivided one-sixth part of the following described real estate, to-wit: [Here describing 637 acres of land in Tennessee.]
“Third—I give, bequeath and devise to my sons George, Martin and Frank, or to their children or legal heirs in case- of death of either one of said sons, an undivided one-third share of the following described real estate, to-wit: [Here describing 338 acres of land in Tennessee.]
“Fourth—I give, bequeath and devise to my sons Edward and Andrew an undivided one-half share to each ’of the following described real estate tracts:” [Here describing 300 acres of land in Tennessee.]

The fifth clause reads, in part, as follows: “The above devised real estate, as stated and described in articles 2, 3 and 4 of this instrument, shall not be sold by the said devisees nor their heirs for a period of fifteen years after my death. After that time all restrictions as to ownership shall be canceled. During the said fifteen years the executors hereinafter appointed shall rent or let all the said land and out of any rents received shall pay all taxes on these several tracts and make such repairs that are absolutely necessary in an impartial way as to the several interests concerned, and in case there is any money left after paying taxes as said, then this remainder shall be deposited in the nearest responsible savings bank. * * * At the end of said fifteen years,, if there is any money in said savings bank derived from said rents, it shall be paid, share and share alike, to the said eleven devisees or their legal heirs. During said fifteen years all the land shall be considered as one, and taxes shall be paid on all, whether all have yielded rents or not.”

The sixth clause gives to the sons Martin and Frank and to the daughters Esther and Maude land in a certain township 19,‘in Whiteside county. The seventh clause gives to the son Andrew and the son Edward land in said township 19, and the eighth clause gives to the son George land in said township 19, the latter part of the clause reading as follows: “-But neither the said devisees nor their legal heirs can sell any of said real estate described above and lying in township 19, range 5, east of the fourth principal meridian, in said county of Whiteside and State of Illinois, for the term of sixty years after my death. After that all restrictions are removed.” The ninth clause gives and bequeaths the rents of certain real estate to his wife, Alice, as long as she lives and remains his widow, with a provision also as to certain rents to be paid by his son Frank. We do not understand there is any contest over the decree with reference to this clause. The tenth clause reads as follows:

“Tenth—I give and bequeath to the trustees of the Catholic cemetery in the town of Tampico the sum of $150, in consideration of which the said trustees shall keep my lots in said cemetery in the usual repair that the cemetery is given.”

The eleventh clause provides that after the wife’s death all of the real estate of which she is given the use shall be sold at public sale and divided among “all my children named herein or their legal heirs, share and share alike.” The twelfth clause appoints his wife, Alice, and son Edward, as executors, with certain provisions as to bonds and power of sale of. real estate.

Appellants’ principal- contention appears to be that as many of the provisions of the will are void for certain reasons hereinafter referred to, the whole scheme of distribution planned by the testator is thereby destroyed and the whole will is void. No objection is made to clause 1, but as to clause 2 appellants contend that the testator named as one of the legatees his daughter Annie, and that the record shows' that Annie died in 1908, about nine" yeárs before the testator’s death; that as this was a' provision in favor of a person who did not exist át the time the will was drawn it was void, and that this reasoning also applies to provisions in his daughter Annie’s favor in clauses 5 and 11. As clauses 2 and 5 have reference to land in Tennessee, this court, according to the rules hereafter stated in this opinion, has no jurisdiction as to the proper construction of those clauses with reference to land outside the State, but as clause 11 has reference to property in Illinois we will consider this question.

By a reference to clause 2 it will be seen that the testator gave a share to the daughter Annie among the other children therein named, but stated, “or to their children or legal heirs in case of the death of either one of the above named six children.” It seems quite evident from the wording of the will that the testator used that language with the knowledge and consideration of the fact that his daughter Annie was dead, and that the reference to the death of either of said children would cover the death of Annie before the making of the will. Under section 11 of the Illinois Statute of Descent (Hurd’s Stat. 1917, p. 1074,) as construed by this court in Kehl v. Taylor, 275 —Reversed 346, it is obvious that a devise, to a child who is dead will under that statute go to the heirs of such deceased child. It does not require any artificial or forced construction of the language used in the will to reach the meaning in accordance with this conclusion. The reference to Annie in the eleventh clause of the will is not specifically by name, but so far as it doe’s apply to her or her heirs or her descendants we can not consider said clause void by reason of the fact that she was already deceased at the'time 'of making the will.

Counsel for appellants next argue that the second, third, fourth and fifth clauses of' the will, each devising land in Tennessee, are void because the will provides that the land referred to in said clauses cannot be sold for fifteen years after the testator’s death. The circuit court held that as these clauses referred to land outside of the State the courts here have' no jurisdiction as to the construction or effect of those clauses. This court has repeatedly held that the validity and construction of wills affecting the title to land depend upon the law of the State where the land is situated. (Steib v. Whitehead, 111 Ill. 247; Harrison v. Weatherby, 180 id.

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Bluebook (online)
127 N.E. 130, 293 Ill. 54, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcnamara-v-mcnamara-ill-1920.