Whelen Estate

88 Pa. D. & C. 5, 1954 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 310
CourtPennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County
DecidedMarch 22, 1954
Docketno. 3203
StatusPublished

This text of 88 Pa. D. & C. 5 (Whelen Estate) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Orphans' Court, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Whelen Estate, 88 Pa. D. & C. 5, 1954 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 310 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1954).

Opinion

Lefever, J.,

— Emily Whelen, who died November 1, 1929, by her will, inter alia, gave the sum of $15,000 to the accountant, in trust, to pay the net income therefrom to her niece, Charlotte Frazer, for life, and by codicil, dated July 14, 1920, inter alia, also gave a share of her residuary estate to the accountant, in trust, for the benefit of the niece, Charlotte Frazer, for life, and directed that upon the decease of Charlotte Frazer the $15,000 trust fund and residuary trust fund be equally divided among testatrix’s nieces and nephews, by name, viz., Isabella H. Dolan, Agnes W. Duffus, Christine C. Whelen, John Howard Whelen, Persifor Frazer, and John Frazer. By a later codicil, dated September 25, 1922, testatrix, because of the death of Christine C. Whelen, niece, revoked the bequests which had been made for her benefit (as to which there is no dispute concerning the completeness and all embracing effect of such revocation) . By still another later codicil, dated September 11, 1925, testatrix, “for the reason” that her nephew, Persifor Frazer, had died, proceeded to revoke certain bequests which she had made for his benefit (as to which there is a dispute as to the effect of such revocation's and which will hereinafter be adverted to).

The funds accounted for relate to the above trusts [7]*7and were awarded to the present accountants by adjudication of Henderson, J., dated November 5, 1930, sur the audit of the executor’s account. The funds of both trusts have been merged — apparently for the reason that Charlotte Frazer was the cestui que trust as to both trusts — it being stated that the $15,000 trust constitutes 51.44 per cent of the commingled fund (see statement of proposed distribution).

The account is filed because of the death of Charlotte Frazer, the life tenant, which occurred July 30, 1953, whereupon the trusts, the subject of the present accounting, wholly terminated.

Testatrix was survived by no issue.

Persifor Frazer, one of the nephews, died in the " lifetime of testatrix (as noted by testatrix herself in the codicil aforementioned), leaving to survive him three children, Maria N. Dougherty, Isabel F. Bell and Persifor Frazer, 3rd, who are still living.

Agnes W. Duffus, one of the nieces, died November 29, 1933, leaving a will, which was duly probated, and whereby she gave one half of her estate to her son, Kenneth Sutherland Duffus, and the other one half in trust for the benefit of her husband, Francis Ferguson Duffus, until his death or remarriage, with remainder over (and the husband died December 1, 1953) to her son, Kenneth Sutherland Duffus.

Isabel H. Dolan, one of the nieces, died November 10, 1953, leaving a will, duly probated on November 13,1953, by the Register of Wills of Delaware County, whereunder letters testamentary were granted to H. Hoffman Dolan, executor.

The nephews, John Howard Whelen and John Frazer, still survive.

The question presented for determination is whether testatrix revoked all provisions in her will and codicils with respect to bequests made to her nephew, Persifor Frazer, or merely revoked those items specifically [8]*8referred to in her codicil, dated September 11, 1925, with the consequence that under the antilapse provision of section 15(6) of the Wills Act of June 7, 1917, P. L. 403, the three children of Persifor Frazer are entitled to the unrevoked gifts as were made to him.

By her will and second and third codicils, testatrix made a total of nine provisions for Persifor Frazer. He subsequently died, and following his death testatrix wrote the codicil, dated September 11,1925, which reads, as follows:

“I revoke the clauses in my Will where I say I leave $15,000 to my nephew Persifor Frazer my Father’s gold watch, all silverware, jewelry, pictures, furniture, books and any other articles also the share of money which he would receive from my residuary estate for the reason that he has died. I direct my executor to pay the interest on the fifteen thousand dollars which I had left to Persifor Frazer to his wife Virginia K. Frazer during the term of her life at her death the $15,000 is to go to my residuary estate. I revoke the clause in my Will where I leave my portion of Pew 56 in the Church of the Holy Trinity to Persifor Frazer and to John Frazer because they did not care to keep it. I now give and bequeath to the corporation known as The Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen of The Church of the Holy Trinity my portion of three seats in the pew to be free forever as an endowed memorial to my Father Edward L. Whelen for the sum of $2000. . . .”

It may be discerned from the codicil, dated September 11,1925, as above quoted, that testatrix specifically revoked five provisions, namely: (1) $15,000; (2) “My Father’s gold watch”; (3) “all silverware, jewelry, pictures, furniture, books and any other articles”; (4) “the share of money which he would receive from my residuary estate,” and (5) “my portion of Pew 56 in the Church of the Holy Trinity”. There is no specific [9]*9reference to (1) Persifor’s one-fifth share of the remainder of the principal of trust of $15,000 for Charlotte Frazer for life; (2) Persifor’s one-fifth share of the remainder of the trust of a share of residue for Charlotte Frazer, for life, or (3) Persifor’s one-sixth share in the $15,000 legacy (originally given Christine C. Whelen by the will but revoked, because of her death, by codicil dated September 26,1922) bequeathed under that codicil, dated September 26,1922. As to the latter legacy of $15,000 (originally given Christine), it should be here noted that by adjudication of Henderson, J., dated November 5, 1930, sur the audit of the executor’s account, or at least pursuant to schedule of distribution thereon filed and approved December 13, 1930, the $15,000 was awarded or distributed, as follows: $3,000, each, to John Howard Whelen, Mrs. Isabel H. Dolan, John Frazer, Miss Charlotte Frazer and Mrs. Agnes W. Duffus. Thus the three children of Persifor Frazer, deceased, were excluded from sharing in the $15,000 legacy. At the present audit, it was conceded that the three children of Persifor Frazer, deceased, had never received any notice of the audit of the executor’s account in 1930, nor notice of any question relating to the effect of testatrix’s revocation of bequests made to her nephew, Persifor Frazer.

“The established rule is that a codicil shall not be construed to disturb or change the dispositions of a will further than is necessary to give effect to the provisions of the codicil. As we said in Dutton’s Estate, 301 Pa. 94, 97: ‘. . . The clear provisions of a will are only affected by a codicil to the extent absolutely necessary to give effect to the codicil.’ See Reichard’s Appeal, 116 Pa. 232; Schattenberg’s Estate, 269 Pa. 90; Vernier’s Estate, 282 Pa. 194; Baugh’s Estate, 288 Pa. 308; Rainear’s Estate, 304 Pa. 539; Frechie’s Estate, 62 Pa. Superior Ct. 48.”: Chauncey’s Estate, 335 Pa. 73, 76 (1939).

[10]*10Had testatrix intended to revoke all the provisions for Persifor Frazer, the simple and logical thing for her to have done would have been to say, “I revoke all provisions in my will and codicils for Persifor Frazer.” Testatrix did this precise thing in the third codicil, viz.:

“Christine C. Whelen having died after my Will was made I revoke all money, pictures, rings, silver, jewelry and other articles which by division she would have received from my Estate.”

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88 Pa. D. & C. 5, 1954 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 310, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/whelen-estate-paorphctphilad-1954.