Salisbury v. Slade

22 A.D. 346, 48 N.Y.S. 55
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York·Decided July 1, 1897·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

Landon, J.:

The appellant Benjamin J. Slade contends that he is the sole-owner in fee of the entire premises and that the plaintiff owns no-interest therein, and that, therefore, the judgment appealed from, which, among other things, declares the plaintiff to be the owner of one undivided twenty-eighth part thereof, should be reversed.

This contention is based upon the will of Benjamin Slade, the father of the appellant and the grandfather of the plaintiff, and also-upon a former judgment of partition and the purchase by Benjamin J. Slade of the entire premises under the judgment.

Benjamin Slade, the common source of title, died March 10,1875, leaving a widow and seven children him surviving, of whom the appellant Benjamin J. Slade was one, and Jane F. Salisbury, the mother of the plaintiff, another. By the 2d clause of his will he devised to his widow, in lieu of dower, his household furniture and the use of a designated part of his homestead farm during her natural life, and provided that, upon her death, the same should be divided among his children as provided in the 3d provision of his will, as follows:

“Third. I give, devise and bequeath unto my children, Sarah A., Benjamin J., Jane F., Catherine A., John D., Anna M. and Fayette, all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, real and personal, to be divided equally between them, share'and share alike, to-have and to hold to them, their heirs and assigns forever, except that the shares to my daughters Sarah A., Jane F., Catherine A, and Anna M., aforesaid, shall remain and be held by my said execu[348]*348tors hereinafter named, in trust for them during the natural life of each of them, the use, income and interest arising therefrom to be paid semi-annually to each of them, and, upon the decease of either, the share belonging to the one so dying to be paid to her children, and except further that the balance of the home farm on which I now reside, the use and occupation of which has not been given to my said wife, shall not be sold or divided up during her natural life, or so long as she remains my widow, but shall be held by, and remain in charge of, my executors, and be by them managed for the best interest of my estate, and out of the rents, profits and income of the same, I order and direct.them to pay unto my said wife, so long as she remains my widow, an annuity of two hundred dollars in quarterly.payments from my decease.”

The will appointed the appellant Benjamin J. Slade and Nathan P. Gates executors thereof, but did not expressly appoint them trustees. Benjamin J. Slade qualified and served as executor. Nathan P. Gates did not qualify or serve. The testator’s widow soon after died, and in 1879 the appellant Benjamin J. Slade commenced an action for the partition of the premises in question, and made all the children of the testator parties, including Jane F. Salisbury, mother of the plaintiff, but he did not make the plaintiff, or any of the children of Jane F., a party to the action.

Jane F. Salisbury died December 24, 1893. leaving surviving her the plaintiff and three other children, all of full age. In the judgment in that action it Avas adjudged that Jane F. Salisbury was entitled to the use of one undivided seventh part of the premises, and that out of the net proceeds of the sale one-seventli thereof be paid to Benjamin J. Slade, who was directed to invest the same on bond and mortgage in his name as trustee for the use of said Jane F. Salisbury.

Upon the sale the appellant Benjamin J. Slade bought the premises, and now contends that the plaintiff’s interest therein was extinguished, and that his sole recourse is to the fund which Avas invested for the use of Jane F. Salisbury, for which he is ready to account. Since the plaintiff Avas not a party to the former action, the question is whether, under the will, the share of Jane F. Salisbury was devised to the executors, as the trustees of an express trust, Avith the direction to convert the same into money, and pay the income thereof to [349]*349Jane F. during her life, and the principal in equal shares to her children upon her death. If so, the plaintiff has no title in the land, but must look to the trustee or to the fund in his hands. (1 R. S. 728, § 60.)

If, however, there was no devise of the lands to the executors, or,, if a devise, one in trust for the life of Jane F. and for her use only,, without power of converting the land into money, then the trust-ceased upon the death of Jane F. (1 R. S. 730, § 67), and the share of the plaintiff vested in him, in fee and possession, pursuant to -the direction of the will. (1 R. S. 729, § 61; Losey v. Stanley, 147 N. Y. 567.)

It will be observed that the testator in the 3d clause of his will provides: I give, devise and bequeath unto my children (naming Jane F. and the six others) all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, real and personal, to be divided equally between them*, share and share alike, to have and to hold to them, their heirs and' assigns forever.” Had the provision ended here, the devise and bequest would have been absolute; the devise is to the daughters, not to the executors, but the will continues— except that the shares-to my daughters ” — naming Jane F. and the three others—■ “ shall remain and be held by my executors hereinafter named, in trust for them during the natural life of each of them, the use, income and interest arising therefrom to be paid semi-annually to each of them.”'

Thus an express trust is created under the 3d subdivision of section 55 of 1 Revised Statutes, 728, which provides that express trusts-may be created “ to receive the rents and profits of land, and apply them to the use of any- person, during the life of such person.” It is plain that this trust can he executed with respect to lands without-selling them, and, therefore, the power of sale not being expressed in the will, should not be inferred. (Gourley v. Campbell, 66 N. Y. 169.)

The 60th section of the Statute of Uses and Trusts, which declares that, “ Every express trust, valid as such in its creation, except as-herein otherwise provided, shall vest the whole estate in the trustees-in law and in equity, subject only to the execution of the trust,” is-qualified by the 61st and subsequent sections, which authorize the limitation of a remainder thereon. (Stevenson v. Lesley, 70 N. Y. 513; Embury v. Sheldon, 68 id. 227; Townshend v. Frommer, 125 [350]*350id. 446.) The “ whole estate,” therefore, that is vested in the trustee is the estate subjected to the trust, and it ends with the termination of the trust, and if, as in the case before us, the remainder survives such termination, it survives it unaffected by the trust, and of course by any unauthorized disposition which the trustee may make of such remainder.

The word “paid” is used by the testator, but it stands adjudged that that word is equivalent to the word “ apply,” as used in the 3d subdivision of section 55. (Leggett v. Perkins, 2 N. Y. 297.) Ilence no inference of an intent to authorize a sale in order to pay the income of the proceeds flows from the word “ paid.” Of course the trustee could pay to each daughter her share of the rents of the land when collected by him.

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Salisbury v. Slade, 22 A.D. 346, 48 N.Y.S. 55 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1897).

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