McQueen v. Stephens

100 S.W.2d 1053
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 4, 1937
DocketNo. 4650
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 100 S.W.2d 1053 (McQueen v. Stephens) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McQueen v. Stephens, 100 S.W.2d 1053 (Tex. Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

JACKSON, Justice.

From a judgment against appellant, he presents this appeal on an agreed case, and the material facts are as follows:

Lula McBurnett became the mother of a child, and shortly thereafter Lee Stephens, [1054]*1054on October 8, 1897, married the mother and under article 2581, R.C.S., the child, a girl, was legitimated. She was the only child born to this union, and was given the name of Paralee Stephens.

On October 30, 1900, Lula McBurnett Stephens, in the district court of Milam county, obtained a judgment annulling the bonds of matrimony between herself and husband, Lee Stephens. This decree gave the mother sole custody and control of Paralee, and the father never had any further association or correspondence with the child or his divorced wife, who shortly moved to Dallas, later 'married another man, and died in 1905 without any other child or children.

Paralee Stephens was married to J. E. McQueen on April 27, 1916, and to them on August 19, 1927, was born Justice Ellis McQueen, Jr. His mother was married but the one time; she died intestate October 7, 1931, and he is her only child. Pie prosecutes this suit and this appeal by his father as next friend.

He presents two alleged causes of action. In one he seeks to recover the portion of the estate of Lee Stephens, his grandfather, that he would have inherited had his grandfather died intestate. In the other he claims a part of the estate of his grand uncle, James L. Stephens, who died testate.

We will dispose first of the claim against the estate of his grandfather, Lee Stephens, who moved to Hale county in 1908 and on October 14, 1909, married Bobbie Hartley. To this union three girls were born, Juanita who is the wife of W. A. Taegel, and Louise Stephens and Jimmie Lee Stephens who are still minors but are represented by their duly qualified guardian, Mrs. Bobbie Stephens, who is a party to the suit. These three by the second wife,' and Paralee by the first wife, are all the children of Lee Stephens. He made his will on the first day of September, 1921, and died on the 6th day of November, 1934, leaving a will which was admitted to probate and in which Mrs. Bobbie Stephens was nominated, appointed, and duly qualified as independent executrix. Appellant has made demand on the proper parties for a share in the estate of his grandfather, and a share in the estate of his grand uncle.

In his will Lee Stephens, the testator, gave to Bobbie Stephens, his second wife, one-half of his separate property, and the balance of 1⅛ property, both separate and community, be bequeathed to their three children, Juanita, Louise, and Jimmie Lee, and "to such other child or children as may hereafter be born to me in wedlock, share and share alike.” He stipulated that Bobbie Stephens should use and occupy their homestead in Plainview, which was community property, so long as she desired.

Lee Stephens pretermitted appellant in his will of September 1, 1921. The will was never changed, and no provision by settlement was made for appellant,' who was born on August 19, 1927.

It is agreed that the material issue involved under this branch of the case is:

May the appellant recover any part of the estate of Lee Stephens, his deceased grandfather, by virtue of article 8292, as amended by Acts 1931, c. 196, § 2 (Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. art. 8292), and article 8294, notwithstanding his mother would have received no part of her father’s estate if she had been living at the time of his death?

Under the agreed statement, it is admitted .that appellant’s mother was intentionally disinherited under the law by the will of her father. It follows, we think, inasmuch as the will was not changed after the birth of appellant, that he was not only pretermitted, but that his pretermission was intentional. In our opinion; the will and agreed statement authorized the implied finding by the trial court in his judgment that appellant was intentionally pretermit-ted. In fact, it is not claimed that his pre-termission was inadvertent, or the failure to provide for him by settlement was unintentional.

Appellant’s position is that the law writes into the will of Lee Stephens the provisions of articles 8292 and 8294, which, when correctly construed, entitled appellant, although a grandchild and his mother disinherited, to take as an afterborn child equally with the children of his grandfather by his second wife.

The part of article 8292 material to appellant’s contention is as follows:

“If a testator having a child or children bora at the time of making his last will and testament, shall at his death, leave a child or children born after the making of such last will and testament, the child or children so after born and pretermitted shall, unless provided for by settlement, succeed to the same portion of the father’s estate as they would have been entitled to if the father had died intestate.”

[1055]*1055Article 8294 provides that:

“Under the name of 'children’ as used in this title, are included descendants of whatever degree they may be, it being understood that they are only counted for the child they represent.”

In order for appellant to recover any part of his grandfather’s estate, he must successfully maintain that the words “child or children” used in article 8292, when interpreted by the provisions of article 8294, include “grandchild and grandchildren,” and that although his mother was disinherited before she died, that he, as an after-born grandchild, would inherit her portion of her father’s estate.

Appellees suggest that if “child or children” in article 8292 means “grandchild or grandchildren,” they would also include “great grandchild or great grandchildren,” and that the same interpretation would apply to “child or children” in article 8291, as amended by Acts 1931, c. 196, § 1 (Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St. art. 8291), and article 8293; hence, they say that the incongruity of appellant’s contention may be demonstrated by substituting in said articles “grandchild or grandchildren” for the words “child or children.”

In our view of the case, it is not necessary to pass on the effect to be given to the suggested substitution in construing the articles involved. However, if sound, such substitution renders appellant’s construction of said statutes erroneous.

In both its popular and legal sense, it is generally held that “child or children” mean ones’ immediate offspring, and do not extend to grandchildren. Schouler on Wills, Executors and Administrators (6th Ed.) Vol. 2, par. 973.

“As a general rule the word ‘child’ does not include a grandchild although the contrary is true where such is the clear intention of the testator. So, except where the intention of the testator is contrary, or otherwise the provision would be inoperative, grandchildren .will not be deemed included in the term ‘child.’ ” 69 C.J. p. 172, par. 1197. See, also, Bartlett v. Terrell et al. (Tex.Civ.App.) 292 S.W. 273.

It follows that if appellant’s contention that “child or children” is to be interpreted also as “grandchild or grandchildren,” that such construction is required by the language of article 8294.

Article 8292 is in effect section 4 of “An Act Concerning Wills,” passed by the Republic of Texas in 1840; Gammel’s Laws of Texas, vol. 2, p. 342; and article 8294 is in effect section 14 of the same act. Gammel’s Laws of Texas, vol. 2, p. 344,

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100 S.W.2d 1053, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcqueen-v-stephens-texapp-1937.