Oswalt v. Barr

180 S.E. 458, 176 S.C. 455, 1935 S.C. LEXIS 209
CourtSupreme Court of South Carolina
DecidedJune 11, 1935
Docket14087
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 180 S.E. 458 (Oswalt v. Barr) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Oswalt v. Barr, 180 S.E. 458, 176 S.C. 455, 1935 S.C. LEXIS 209 (S.C. 1935).

Opinion

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

Mr. Justice Carter.

The case comes to this Court on appeal from a decree issued by his Honor, Judge T. S. Sease, who heard the case on appeal from an order of Honorable J. D. Boozer, Judge of Probate for Lexington County, in which county the action was commenced, involving the construction of the will of E. A. Warren, deceased. According to the agreed state *458 ment of the parties, set forth in the transcript of record, only two questions are raised by the appeal for this Court’s consideration, namely:

. “Do the children of Mrs. Sallie Oswalt take anything under this will ?
“Do the children of John F. A. Warren take anything under the will?”

The Probate Judge answered these questions in the affirmative, whereas Judge Sease answered them in the negative, and as stated, reversed the order of the Probate Judge.

For the purpose of the appeal, the parties agreed to the following facts, which we quote in order to give a clear understanding of the issues presented:

“The purpose of this hearing as stated by the attorneys for the legatees and for the executor is to determine who takes under the residuary clause of this will.
“It is agreed that Mrs. Susan Warren mentioned in Paragraph six of this will survived both the testator and his sister,' Mrs. Irene Corbitt, and that Mrs. Susan Warren has since died and left as her children, Mrs. Annie Bell Whittle, Mrs. Alma Rissinger and Sidney Warren, and these three children are the only heirs-at-law and next of kin to Mrs. Susan Warren. It is also agreed that Mrs. Annie Bell Whittle and Mrs. Alma Rissinger mentioned in Paragraph seven of the will, take each an equal part in the residue of testator’s estate, along with all other parties that the Court may determine share in said residue.
“The children of George Warren, who survived the testator and Mrs. Irene Corbitt, and are now living, are: John Warren and Mrs. Mattie Corley. Mrs. Sallie Oswalt was also a child of the said George Warren, but she died after the death of the testator and before the death of Mrs. Irene Corbitt. The said Mrs. Sallie Oswalt left children as follows: Mrs. Virginia Sullivan, Mrs. Maggie Mack, Mrs. Maybelle Mack, and Mrs. Queenie Gulledge, all of full age, *459 and these children are the sole heirs-at-law and next of kin of the said Mrs. Sallie Oswalt, deceased, her husband, James Oswalt, having died since Mrs. Sallie Oswalt’s death. These children claim the interest of their mother in the residue of this estate, if it be found that their said mother inherits under the will.
“The children of Simps Warren, now living, are: J. W. C. Warren, Emory Warren, J. Clifton Warren, Mrs. Mamie Smith. The said Simps Warren also left a son named John P. A. Warren, but this son died between the death of the testator and the death of Mrs. Irene Corbitt. He left heirs-at-law as follows: Mrs. Mary Warren, his widow, and children as follows: Mrs. Lila Shealy, Marvin Warren, Wilbur Warren, Estelle Warren, age 18; Moise Warren, age 16; all except the two last-named children are above the age of 21 years. These heirs of John E. A. Warren claim under the will a share in the residue of the estate under item seven of the will.
“It is agreed that Lemon Warren and Joel Warren were nephews of the testator and Epsy Warren was a niece of the testator, and it is further agreed that these two nephews and niece were dead when the will was executed.
“The children of Lemon Warren now living are: Mrs. Eula Shealy, Mrs. Jemina Raburn and Mrs. Elizabeth Miller, and each of these is above age 21. Lemon Warren had another child, Mrs. Essie Whitman, and she has died since the death of the testator and the death of Mrs. Irene Corbitt. She left a husband, now living, named Norman Whitman, and also left children now living as follows: Tennyson Whitman, age 24; Henry Whitman, age 22; Essie Lee Whitman, age 20; George Cepus Whitman, age 15; James Whitman, age 13; Duett Whitman and Duane Whitman, age 11; Dorothy Whitman, age 8, and Norman Whitman, Jr., age 5.
“The children of Joel Warren now living are Willie Warren, and he is above the age of 21.
*460 “The children of Mrs. Epsy Warren Smith now living are Mrs. Eppie Price, and she is above the age of 21.”

It is conceded by all parties that Paragraph 7 of the will is the section directly involved in this appeal, but the matter can better be understood by reading the entire will, which we quote herewith, omitting, however, the formal parts:

“2. I will, devise and bequeath to my beloved stepgrandson, D. D. Barr, whom I raised along with my beloved wife now deceased, from early childhood, and who is still living with me, to be his and his heirs and assigns forever, all that piece, parcel or tract of land situate, lying and being in the county and state aforesaid, containing over one hundred acres, known as the ‘Shealy Place,’ together with about six acres frontage, more or. less, on the Holley Eerry road leading from Eeesville, S. C., to Holley’s Eerry, and being bounded on the north by lands of Mrs. Rebecca Warren, deceased; on the east by creek separating said lands from lands of C. D. Barr and estate lands of Mrs. C. E. Livingston, deceased, on the south by lands of W. P. Timmerman, Rev. William Roof and Rufus Taylor, and on the west by Holley Eerry road.
“3. I will, devise and bequeath to the said D. D. Barr, upon condition that he erect a substantial appropriate fence around and enclosing the Warren graveyard on the Mt. Willing road in Saluda County and the Warren graveyard near the old home place of Joel AVarren, deceased, in Lexington County, provided same can be done in peace with the surrounding land owners, the following lot or tract of land, to wit: All that piece, parcel or lot of land situate, lying and being in the county and state aforesaid, containing three and one-half (3y2) acres, no more, no less, being bounded on the north by road leading from the front of home where I now reside on the Devil’s Backbone road to and into the Holley Ferry road near the front of the home of Jim Leaphart; on the east by lands of Mrs. Rebecca Warren, *461 deceased and Devil’s Backbone Road; on the south by other lands of myself, and on the west by Holley Ferry road.
“4. I will, devise and bequeath to my beloved sister, Mrs.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Pate v. Ford
360 S.E.2d 145 (Court of Appeals of South Carolina, 1987)
Jones v. Holland
77 S.E.2d 202 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1953)
Jeffords v. Thornal
29 S.E.2d 116 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1944)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 S.E. 458, 176 S.C. 455, 1935 S.C. LEXIS 209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oswalt-v-barr-sc-1935.