Pythian Home for Orphans at Weatherford v. Barrow

346 S.W.2d 426, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2306
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 24, 1961
DocketNo. 7048
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 346 S.W.2d 426 (Pythian Home for Orphans at Weatherford v. Barrow) 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
Pythian Home for Orphans at Weatherford v. Barrow, 346 S.W.2d 426, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2306 (Tex. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

CHAPMAN, Justice.

The controlling question presented by this appeal is whether Allegra Hill Jones took a determinable fee under the Last Will and Testament of her deceased husband, Allen M. Jones, or if the instrument left her a determinable life estate only. The paragraph most pertinent to the construction of the will reads as follows :

“After the payment of my just debts, funeral expenses and taxes, I give, devise and bequeath unto my wife, Allegra Hill Jones, so long as she remains single, and does not live with some other man, nor encumber the property, all the property which I may own at the time of my death. If my wife should remarry, or should live with another man or attempt to encumber the property, within twenty (20) years after my death, then title to my property will pass to and vest in the Pythian Plome for Orphans at Weatherford, Texas, their successors or assigns.”

Appellant, Pythian Home for Orphans at Weatherford, Texas, hereinafter called Pythian, instituted this suit in the nature of a.trespass to try title, the disposition' of [428]*428which required an interpretation of the will of Allen M. Jones. Pythian, the First National Bank of Atlanta, Georgia, the dev-isees and legatees under the will of Ebba J. Cockrell, and Anseth (Jones) Childs, a widow, are appellants herein. The Atlanta Bank is executor of the estate of Ebba J. Cockrell, a sister of Allen M. Jones, deceased. She, Anseth (Jones) Childs, a niece of Allen M. Jones, and Allegra Hill Jones were the only surviving heirs-at-law of testator. Appellees are Donald Kent Barrow, a surviving son of Allegra Hill Jones and the sole beneficiary under the will; Sam Barrow; his wife, Nadine H. Barrow; Lorenz V. Ellis, executor of the estate of Allen M. Jones; and Lubbock National Bank, executor of the estate of Allegra Plill Jones, deceased. The devisees and legatees under the will of Ebba J. Cock-rell, deceased, are Thomas P. Newcomb, Elsie McBrayer, Betsy Ebba Newcomb and Susan Villualah McDaniel, all residents of Fulton County, Georgia. Ebba J. Cockrell’s husband preceded her in death. At the time of the filing of the original suit herein she was a feme sole. After her death a suggestion of Death of Parties was filed.

It was stipulated by the parties that Donald Kent Barrow was the legal adopted son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Barrow and the natural son of Allegra Hill Jones; that the real property, if it belonged to Allen M. Jones at the time of his death, was his separate property. The record is silent as to the reason for the clause “and if it belonged to Allen M. Jones at the time of his death” included in the stipulation just related. The sole question before us seems to be the proper construction to be placed on the above quoted paragraph of the will of Allen M. Jones, deceased, and particularly the first clause thereof, as we shall hereinafter demonstrate.

In Renner et al. v. German, Tex. Civ.App., 207 S.W.2d 671, wr. ref., this court has heretofore observed that the language of a will under construction rarely ever contains the exact same language as other wills that have been construed and reported in other cases and hence each will is usually an instrument unto itself. The will here under construction is no exception to that rule so we must adhere to the general rules of construction heretofore well established by adjudicated cases unless it clearly appears that a different meaning was intended by the testator in the language used. Some of these general rules that have been well established by adjudicated cases are:

(1) “Where, as in this case, there is a provision that upon a certain contingency the estate given shall pass to another, the law favors the first taker and will construe the words of the will to grant the first taker the greatest estate which they, by a fair'construction in harmony with the will as a whole, are capable of passing.” Darragh v. Barmore, Tex.Com.App., 242 S.W. 714, 716; Renner et al. v. German, supra.
(2) “It is elementary that if it does not clearly appear from the language of the will that a less estate was intended to be created the devise will be deemed to be in fee simple.” Pritchett v. Badgett, Tex.Civ.App., 257 S.W.2d 776, 777 (wr. ref.).
(3) “The rule that every part of a will must be given effect, if possible, is subordinate to the rule that a devise shall be deemed a fee simple, unless limited by express words.” Winfree v. Winfree, Tex.Civ.App., 139 S. W. 36, 37 (wr. ref.).
(4) “The rule obtains in this State that where a person makes a will the general presumption prevails that the testator intended to dispose of all of his property, and there is no presumption that the testator intended to die intestate * * * if the words * * * in [his] will may carry the whole of his property.” Briggs v. Peebles, 144 Tex. 47, 188 S.W.2d 147, 150.

In addition to the above general rules of construction of a will by which [429]*429we must be guided we must in this state give consideration to the fact that the common law rule to the effect that a will must make it clear that a fee title is given before it can be so construed does not prevail in Texas. That rule has been changed by Art. 1291, Vernon’s Ann.Tex.Civ.St., which provides:

“Every estate in lands which shall thereafter [hereafter] be granted, conveyed or devised to one although other words heretofore necessary at common law to transfer an estate in fee simple be not added, shall be deemed a fee simple, if a less estate be not limited by express words or do not appear to have been granted, conveyed or devised by construction or operation of law.”

Though we have two separate clauses in ■the paragraph quoted with slightly different provisions the second clause is simply one providing for a remainderman and becomes important only in the event the first clause grants a determinable life estate only. We do not believe the second clause throws any light on the first for the reason that it is just as consistent with the granting of a fee to his wife determinable upon the happening of one of the contingencies, as it is with the granting of a life estate likewise determinable upon violation of any of the conditions in the second clause within twenty (20) years of testator’s death. Therefore, we believe it is incumbent upon us to interpret the first clause principally upon the wording therein and the rules of law applicable.

Under Art. 1291 the wording of the first clause did not require such expressions as “fee simple”, “heirs”, “forever”, “successors or assigns” and other such expressions used at common law when granting absolute title. “The statute ‘reverses the common law rule’ and favors a construction which gives a fee to the first taker.” Rogers v. Nixon, Tex.Civ.App., 275 S.W.2d 197, 198 (wr. ref.).

The clause interpreted in the case just cited seems to be to us nearer the wording of our own than any case cited or any we have found.

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346 S.W.2d 426, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 2306, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pythian-home-for-orphans-at-weatherford-v-barrow-texapp-1961.