Strathmann v. Kinkelaar

1925 OK 48, 232 P. 215, 105 Okla. 290, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 16
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 20, 1925
Docket11323
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1925 OK 48 (Strathmann v. Kinkelaar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Strathmann v. Kinkelaar, 1925 OK 48, 232 P. 215, 105 Okla. 290, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 16 (Okla. 1925).

Opinion

Opinion by

ESTES, C.

On October 3, 1916, F. B. Strathmann, one of the plaintiffs in err'or, filed petition in the county court of Woods county for tbe appointment of an ad-m'nistrator of tbe estate of Hejnry Strath-mann, deceased, bis brother. Thereafter, Theresia Kinkelaar, sister of deceased, filed petition in said court for ancillary probate of tbe alleged will of Henry Strathmann, deceased, exhibiting authenticated copy of said will and tbe proceedings in probate Ihere'of in the county court of Ford county, Kan. Tbe plaintiffs in error, two brothers and twb sisters of deceased, and of Theresia Kink-elaar, filed their contest against the ancillary-probate of said will in Woods county, Okla. On a trial of tbe issues duly joined, said county court of Woods county entered judgment in favor of contestants. Thereupon defendant in error appealed to the district court of Woods county.' That court rendered judgment admitting said will to probate in. Woods county, and directed th^ carrying out of such judgment by said county court, from which judgment plaintiffs in error have appealed to this court.

Numerous errors are assigned. On careful consideration, it is found there is no merit in any of .the alleged errors except that said county court and said district court -had no jurisdiction to entertain the proceedings for ancillary probate of said will. Theresia Kinkelaar, defendant in ejrror, contended that decedent, at the time of his death, was a resident of and domiciled in Ford county, Kan., and that therefore 'the county court of said county had jurisdiction to admit the alleged will of Henry Strathmann to probate as a domiciliary will. The plaintiffs in error contended that said deceased was not a resident of Ford county, Kan., at the time of- his death, but was a resident of Woods county, Okla., at the time of his death, and that therefore said county court of Ford county, Kan., had no jurisdiction to probate his alleged last will; and that the will in controversy/ was a domiciliary will in Oklahoma, and that there is no statutory authority for the ancillary probate of a domiciliary will. Was Henry Strathmann, at the time of his death, a resident of Ford county, Kan., or a resident of Woodsi county, Okla.? The decision of this cause depends upon the answer to said question.

Section 1088, Oomp. Stat. 1921, (requires that wills must be probated In the county of which decedent was a resident at the time of his death, in whatever place he may have died. Section 1113, Id., provides, in substance, that when a copy of a will and the ' probate thereof, duly authenticated, shall be produced by the ejxeeutor, or any person interested in the will, with a petition for letters, the court shall proceed in the same manner as provided for original petition for the probate of a will. The next section of said statutes provides, in substance, that if, on the hearing, it appears upon the face of the record that -the! will has been proved, allowed, and admitted to probate in any territory or state of the United States or the District of Columbia, or in a foreign country or state, according to the laws specified in said statute, it must be ad *292 mitted to probate with the samej force and effect as a will admitted to probate originally in this state. The formal proofs of the probate of the will in controversy in Ford county, Kan., were duly made in both the county and district courts of Woods county, Okla. The jurisdiction of the county) court of Ford county, Kan., to probatej said will is presumed until the contrary appears. The decree of that court admitting, the will herein to probate is a judicial one. It stands on the same footing as thej judgment of any other court of competent jurisdiction of a foreign state and is entitled to the same faith and credit under the Constitution of the United States. Any foreign judgment may be attacked in this state for want of jurisdiction in the court rendering the same. If Henry Strathmann, at the time of his death, was in fact a resident of Woods county, Okla., then thej county court of Ford county, Kan., had no jurisdiction to render judgment admitting the will in controversy to probate. Said county court of Woods county!, in effect, found that said Henry Strathmann, at the time of his death, was a resident of Woods county, Okla. Said district court, on appeal, found that said Henry was a resident of Ford county, Kan., at the time of his) death. Unless said last finding is clearly against the weight of the evidence, the same cannot be disturbed by this court.

It is net attempted here to set out every detail of such evidence. The property of which said Henry died seized consisted of a farm of 160 acres in Woods county, and a limited amount' of personal property. By the terms of said' will, all of same was given to defendant in error, elxcept $5 each to plaintiffs in error. Henry Strathmann had lived in Woods county about 20 years. He was never married. For many years he had lived alone on said farm. About three months prior to February 24. 1916, being in a helpless condition, suffering from dropsy, and unable to live alone on his farm, he had been taken to and cared for in the home of a neighbor, Mr. Dalton. About two days prior to said date, he suffered a stroke of paralysis, and on said date he made th^ will in controversy. About threej days before the making of said will, defendant in error, Theresia Kinkelaar, a half-sister, and certain members of her family, who resided at Wright, in Ford county, Kan., had come to his bedside. Twelve days after said will was ‘made, with the assistance of physicians, said Henry was placed on a stretcher and carried to the station, and, accompanied therqfrom by members of contestee’s family, to her home at Wright in Ford county, Kan. He died there about two months after arriving and at the age of about 66 years.

“Domicile of choice is entirely, a question of residence and intention, or, as it is usually put, of factum and animus. Both must concur in order that the domicile may he deemed established.” 19 C. J. 401.

There is no question in the instant case as to the factum — Henry Strathmann was present and living in Ford county, Kan., when he died.

The intention of a person as to the place of his residence is a question of fact, to be determined 'by the verdict of the jury or the findings of the court. Such determination is conclusive upon appeal unless clearly against the weight of the evidence.

Cornelison v. Blackwelder, 38 Okla. 1, 131 Pac. 701.

“The abandonment or change of domicile is a proceeding of a very serious nature, and .an intention to make such a change requires proof by vejry satisfactory evidence.” 19 C. J. 436.

“Where facts are complicated: the presumption is strongly in favor of an original as against an acquired domicile, and a domestic rather than a foreign domicile.” Id.- 433.

By the same authority it is laid down that the question depends upon the facts of each particular case; .that in case of uncertainty, it is necessary to inquire into the habits, character', domestic relations, business, and the like, involving the history of the person. The foregoing are applicable rules herein. Contestants set up mental incapacity and undue influence in thej matter of making said will. Said county and district courts properly held that said questions were not involved in such ancillary proceedings.

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

Related

Mitchell v. Cloyes
1980 OK 184 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1980)
Riley v. New York Trust Co.
315 U.S. 343 (Supreme Court, 1942)
Richards v. Huff
1930 OK 547 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1930)
Burke v. Burke
1926 OK 673 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1926)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1925 OK 48, 232 P. 215, 105 Okla. 290, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 16, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/strathmann-v-kinkelaar-okla-1925.