Paine v. Forsaith

24 A. 590, 84 Me. 66, 1891 Me. LEXIS 111
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedDecember 5, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 24 A. 590 (Paine v. Forsaith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paine v. Forsaith, 24 A. 590, 84 Me. 66, 1891 Me. LEXIS 111 (Me. 1891).

Opinion

Peters, C. J.

This bill in equity calls for a construction of clauses in the following deed of trust and amendment thereto :

"Know all persons by these presents, that I, John W. -Veazie, having fully determined to retire from active participation in business, in order, whilst leaving for myself independent support during life, also to express my affection for and confidence in my two children, Alfred Veazie and Annie Veazie Forsaith; and in consideration of one dollar to me in hand paid by the said Alfred Veazie and Anide Veazie Forsaith, do hereby, sell assign, transfer and set over unto the said Alfred Veazie and Annie Veazie Forsaith, certain property and interests in property, both real, personal and mixed, as follows, namely (Here follows a description of the property conveyed, which appears to have been at that date wholly personal.)
"To have and to hold to them, the said Alfred Veazie and Annie Veazie Forsaith, and the suvivor of them, and his or her [68]*68heirs or assigns, in trust, for the following uses and purposes : To keep and maintain the principal of said trust estates safely invested according to their best judgment, and from the income thereof to pay to me the sum of five thousand dollars ($5,000,) each year during my natural life, provided the same is called for by me, and payable from time to time as called for.
" 2d. From the annual income remaining after the above payment is made to me, to pay to Annie Yeazie Forsaith, the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000) annually during my life.
"3d. From the annual income of said trust estate remaining after the annuity to myself and the one provided to be paid to Annie Yeazie Forsaith, to pay to Alfred Yeazie the income of said estate up to the sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000) per annum, and what remains of said income if anything, to pay and divide equally between the said Alfred Yeazie and Annie Yeazie Forsaith during my life.
" Finally to provide from the income of the trust property or otherwise, within two years from my decease, the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) which shall be subject to my appointment and distribution if I so choose by will or other written instrument, and after the execution of all the trusts herein created, that they, the said Alfred Yeazie and Annie Yeazie Forsaith should have and hold said property the subject of this trust in whatsoever form it may be, and wherever situated, as their absolute property discharged of said trust. To them and their heirs and assigns in fee simple forever, share and share alike, and be entitled at once to the possession of the realty and personal property constituting said trust estate.
" In case of the death of either or both of my children before the termination of this' trust their respective heirs succeed in right of inheritance by representation.
"In witness of which I have hereunto set my hand and seal on this twenty-second day of February, Anno Domino eighteen hundred and seventy-nine.”
"Before the final delivery of the deed and declaration of trust contained on the foregoing pages, I make the following modifications therein, to wit:
[69]*69"1st. Either of my children.' the said Alfred and Annie V., may dispose by will of their ntrest in the estate embraced in the trust.
"2d. In case of the decease of the said Annie Y. Forsaith, before my decease, I appoint William J. Forsaith, her husband, to be co-trustee in her place and stead, and in case of the death of the said Alfred during the continuance of the trust, then his wife, Etta Hodsdon Yeazie, or whomsoever else he, the said Alfred, may by will or other proper instrument appoint, is appointed co-trustee in his place and stead, and the surviving trustee is to make conveyances accordingly.
"3d. The setting apart of ten thousand dollars within two years from my decease, is made conditioned and contingenft upon the existence of a will or other written instrument disposing of it.
"4th. Full authority is given to the trustees to manage the trust in every respect without recourse to any court for authority, for execution of deeds or otherwise.
"Dated at Bangor, this twenty-seventh day of February, A. D., 1879. Sealed with my seal.
John W. Yeazie.” (l. s.)

The two instruments were duly executed in the form of deeds and delivered to the grantees, who immediately received possession of the property described therein. Both of the grantees died before the grantor, other trustees succeeding them according to the terms of the trust. The grantor died in 1891, his death terminating the trust. All parties interested unite in asking the opinion of the court upon certain questions involved.

First: Did these instruments carry to Alfred and Annie personally, the trustees first named, a vested equitable fee in the estate described, subject to the trusts imposed thereon? We think so. The father evidently designed to rid himself of further care of his property, surrendering it to his children, who were to apply the income in certain ways during their father’s lifetime, and at his death, take the remainder to themselves. It wras a present, absolute right to be enjoyed in the-future. Rop. Leg. *553 ; Verrill v. Weymouth, 68 Maine, 318; Buck v. Paine, 75 Maine, 582.

[70]*70What, if anything, casts a shadow of doubt upon the correctness of this interpretation, is found in the clause which provides that, in case of the death of either or both of the children before the termination of the trust, "their heirs succeed in right of inheritance by representation.” But we think in view of all parts of the document, it was not intended that the fee in Alfred and Annie would become devested upon any condition that they should not survive their father. The questionable words were evidently used however unnecessarily, to emphasise rather than to weaken the idea of an absolute and unconditional conveyance. Whilst a right of inheritance is given in the first instrument, a right to dispose of. the same property by will is given to the grantees in the second, the two clauses expressing the same right that existed without the authority of such clauses. They added nothing- — -subtracted nothing. It could not be supposed that the fee would descend to the heirs of a trustee who should dispose of his interest differently by will. And Alfred Yeazie, as is to be seen, devised his interest by his will.

Second: Does the will of Alfred Yeazie, made before the trust was created, operate upon the estate which he acquired in the deed of trust afterwards ?

The will, omitting formal and immaterial parts, is as follows : "All my estate, real, personal and mixed of every description, I give and bequeath to Albert W. Paine and Charles Y. Lord, and their survivor and successors and their heirs and assigns forever in trust for the following uses and purposes. They will take charge of and manage the said estate as they shall think best, having full power and authority to sell and convey any part of the real estate as well as personal, whenever they desire to do so.

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Related

In Re the Estate of Morine
363 A.2d 700 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
24 A. 590, 84 Me. 66, 1891 Me. LEXIS 111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paine-v-forsaith-me-1891.