Temple v. Sammis

16 Jones & S. 324
CourtThe Superior Court of New York City
DecidedNovember 6, 1882
StatusPublished

This text of 16 Jones & S. 324 (Temple v. Sammis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering The Superior Court of New York City primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Temple v. Sammis, 16 Jones & S. 324 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1882).

Opinion

“Russell, J.

[After stating the facts as above.]— The plaintiffs’ counsel claims that the first clause of the will, above recited, devising the property in question to the daughters absolutely upon the death of their mother is controlling, and the intention indicated therein, so far as the property in question is concerned, ought not to be considered as limited by the latter clause.

“The defendant’s counsel claims that the latter clause of the will is controlling of the former and clearly evinces the intention of the testator to devise only a life estate in the property in question to his daughters.

“There can be no doubt that if the first clause of the will above quoted, 'I give and devise the same absolutely to my daughters,’ were the only one relating to the property therein devised, it would carry an absolute fee. The provision of the Bevised Statutes, that every devise shall be construed to dispose of the whole estate, unless expressly limited to a part of it (2 R. S. 6th ed. 1130, § 1), and the comprehensive scope of the word “absolutely” sufficiently determine that (Oswald v. Kopp, 26 Pa. St. 516).

“The second clause, beginning ‘ all the rest of my [327]*327real estate,’ as clearly gives only a life estate in the property therein devised. The language is too clear to leave room for any discussion as to that. If then, both clauses were intended to include the property in question, so far as the nature of the estate given is concerned, the clauses are in conflict, and the later clause limiting the estate apparently given by the former must prevail.

“All the parts of a will must be taken together and each part construed in the light of the other. ‘ Although a devise to a person and his heirs, gives him an estate in fee simple, yet if the word ‘ heirs ’ be qualified by any subsequent words which show the intention of the testator to restrict it to the heirs of the body of the devisee, the word ‘heirs,’ as first used, must be read as ‘issue,’ and would before the abolishment of entails have created an estate tail (6 Greenleaf' s Cruise, 232, § 7; Smith v. Scholtz, 68 N. Y. 41).

“A long line of cases has established the rule that where the intention of the testator to limit an estate apparently given in the earlier part of a will to a lesser estate, is clear from subsequent clauses of the will, the later clauses will determine the extent of the estate (Sims v. Doughty, 5 Ves. 247; Williamson v. Daniel, 12 Wheat. 568; Smith v. Bell, 6 Pet. 68; Covenhoven v. Shuler, 2 Paige, 122 ; Parks v. Parks, 9 Id. 106; Bradstreet v. Clark, 12 Wend. 602; Mason v. Jones, 2 Barb. 229 ; Chrystie v. Phyfe, 19 N. Y. 344 ; Terry v. Wiggins, 47 Id. 512; Taggart v. Murray, 53 Id. 233; Colt v. Heard, 10 Hun, 189 ; Van Nostrand v. Moore, 52 N. Y. 12; Bundy v. Bundy, 38 Id. 410; Striker v. Mott, 28 Id. 82).

“ But it is also a rule of equal force that, in order for such a construction to obtain, it must be clear that it was the intention of the testator to limit by the latter clause in his will the estate apparently given in the former one (Roseboom v. Roseboom, 81 N. Y. 356).

[328]*328“The question then is, did the testator in this case intend by the second quoted clause in his will to limit to a life estate the fee apparently devised by the first quoted clause ? The second clause is, ‘All the rest of my real estate, subject to the dower of my. wife, I give and bequeath to my said two daughters in equal shares, the same and all other property given and devised to them to be to their sole and separate use, free from the debts, engagements and control of any husband; to have and to hold for and during the period of their respective natural lives, etc.

“ There is clearly in this clause an allusion to the property given by the first.clause. It is included in the words “ all other property but I am of the opinion that the words as used in the second clause are used there only for the purpose of indicating the in-, tention of the testator that all his property given to his daughters should be for their sole and separate use, free from the control of their husbands, and not for the purpose of limiting the estate already given to the daughters in the “other property” to a life e'state. It seems to be a sort of parenthetical infinitive clause, occurring to the testator at the moment, and inserted in the devise of all the rest of his property for the purpose I have stated. The words ‘ the same and all other property ’ are not the objects of the word ‘ give,’ but only in apposition with the object to indicate still another purpose in regard to it. The word ‘give’ thereafter, does not sweep them forward into the embrace of ‘to have and to hold’ so as to make them its objects.

“ While it may be said that the language is capable of the construction claimed by the defendant without a violation of the rules of grammar, I still think that it would be an unnatural and strained construction, and not the one which, on the whole will, indicates the intention of the devisor.

[329]*329“ In all the cases relied on by the defendant it was the clear intention of the testator not only to include in a later clause the same property devised or bequeathed in a former one, but to limit the estate given by the former clause (see cases cited above). In this it seems to have occurred to the testator, as he was writing the residuary clause, that it would be wise to provide that the property devised to his daughters should be for their separate use, and that such provision should extend not only to the property therein devised, but to that already specifically given by a former clause of the will.

“ Taggart v. Murray (53 N. Y. 233), is as strong as any of the cases cited in favor of the defendant’s contention. The will under construction there read as follows: ‘ First.—After all my lawful debts and demands and funeral expenses are paid and satisfied, which I direct shall be done in due season by my executors hereinafter named, I do give and bequeath unto my daughter Cornelia all my estate, personal and real, except the following sums or portions which I wish to be paid, by my executors as soon as may be, to the several persons following, to wit: ’ (Then follow bequests of sums of money to several different persons.) ‘ All my remaining property, dwelling house lands, outhouses, furniture, money, movables, &c., I give, devise and bequeath to my daughter Cornelia for her support and comfort, to be held and controlled by her, and, at her death, to pass to her heirs, or if she leaves no heirs, to be disposed of by her in will to whom and for what purpose she may deem right and proper.’

“It was held that this will gave to the daughter an estate for life, in the lands of which the testator died seized, with remainder to her issue living at her death, and with power, in default of issue, to appoint the fee by will, and that, therefore, a conveyance by the daughter and her living children, did not give an abso[330]*330lute title to such lands, as it was subject to the. contingency that children might thereafter be born who would take an.interest as purchasers under the will.

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Related

Williamson v. Daniel
25 U.S. 568 (Supreme Court, 1827)
Smith T. v. Bell
31 U.S. 68 (Supreme Court, 1832)
Taggart v. . Murray
53 N.Y. 233 (New York Court of Appeals, 1873)
Chrystie v. . Phyfe
19 N.Y. 344 (New York Court of Appeals, 1859)
Van Nostrand v. . Moore
52 N.Y. 12 (New York Court of Appeals, 1873)
Smith v. . Scholtz
68 N.Y. 41 (New York Court of Appeals, 1877)
Trustees of the Theological Seminary of Auburn v. . Kellogg
16 N.Y. 83 (New York Court of Appeals, 1857)
Roseboom v. . Roseboom
81 N.Y. 356 (New York Court of Appeals, 1880)
Mason v. Jones
2 Barb. 229 (New York Supreme Court, 1848)
Bradstreet v. Clarke
12 Wend. 602 (New York Supreme Court, 1834)
Covenhoven v. Shuler
2 Paige Ch. 122 (New York Court of Chancery, 1830)

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Bluebook (online)
16 Jones & S. 324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/temple-v-sammis-nysuperctnyc-1882.