White v. Howard

52 Barb. 294, 1868 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 103
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 6, 1868
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 52 Barb. 294 (White v. Howard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
White v. Howard, 52 Barb. 294, 1868 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 103 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1868).

Opinion

Sutherland, J.

This may be said to be an action for the construction of the will of William Bostwick, late of Hew Haven, deceased, and to have the succession, or the right of succession to his property, real and personal, under his will, or otherwise, judicially declared, in view of events since his death.

The testator, a widower, domiciled in Hew Haven, died there, April 10, 1863, leaving a will dated May 23, 1860, and leaving one child, a daughter, Frances Howard Bostwick, his heir at law arid next of kin, and leaving personal property of about the value of $122,000, real estate in Hew Haven of about the value of $33,000, and real estate in the city of Hew York of the then value, or about the value of • $172,000. By the will and codicil the plaintiffs were appointed executors. The will was proved as a will of real and personal estate, in Hew York, May 18, 1863, and in Connecticut, June 16,1863, and letters testamentary issued in each state.

After directing his debts to be paid, and after giving and directing the payment of certain pecuniary legacies to the amount of about $10,200, the testator, by the seventh [300]*300article of the will, gives all the residue of his estate, real and personal, to his executors, as joint tenants in fee simple,” upon trust, to receive the rents,' issues and profits' thereof, and, until his child, Frances Howard Bostwick, is twenty-one years of age, to pay to her guardian, Mrs. Christie, (named in the eighth article of the will,) so much of such rents, income, &c. as should be proper and necessary for the support, maintenance and education of his said child, and after she was twenty-one years of age, to pay her the whole of the net proceeds of the rents, income, &c. if she desired it, quarterly or semi-annually, during her natural life; the balance thereof not paid over to her, to be invested “ quarterly, semi-annually, or oftener, at the discretion of the trustees, in real estate, or in loans, on good and undoubted security, or in undoubted first class bonds, or in state stocks of the Hew England states, or of the state of Hew York, or in undoubted first class stocks; all of said real estate, loans, bonds and stocks to be those located in the Hew England states, or in the state of Hew York; and when so invested to be added to and form a part of the principal of said trust fund or property.” Then follow certain provisions and directions, as to the disposition of the trust property upon the death of the testator’s child, if she married, and left a husband and children, or issue of children, or if she left a husband and no children nor issue of children, or if she left children or, issue of children, but no husband; which provisions and directions, as she died without ever having been married, and without children or issue of children, or husband, it is not important to state or refer to, more specially.

In the event which happened, the disposition of the trust property and residue, by the last clause of the seventh article of the will is as follows : “ But if my said child, Frances, die, with no husband, or child, or issue of any child, surviving her, then the whole of said trust fund and property shall be disposed of as follows, namely: Two [301]*301thousand dollars to the Mew Haven Orphan Asylum; five thousand dollars to the American Sunday School Union in Philadelphia ; five thousand dollars to the Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education at,.the West; ten thousand dollars to the American Bible Society, and then whatever remains of said trust fund or property shall be divided equally between the following six societies, namely: the American Tract Society in Mew York; the Southern Aid Society; the American and Foreign Christian Union; the American Colonization Society; the Trustees of the Board of Domestic Missions of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America,” and the Board of Foreign Missions of the same Assembly.

By the eighth article of the will, the testator appoints Mrs. Frances F. Chrystie of Mew York, guardian of his child, committing to Mrs. Chrystie “the care, supervision and control of the person, maintenance and education ” of his said child, until she is twenty-one years of age; and if Mrs. Chrystie should die or resign her guardianship before his child arrives at the age of twenty-one years, he appoints Mrs. Crosby, of Mew York, such guardian.

By the ninth article of the will, the testator directs whatever income of the trust fund or property may remain in the hands of the trustees after paying to the guardian whatever may be necessary for the support, maintenance and education of his child until she is twenty-one, or after she is twenty-one, whatever may remain of the net income, after paying over to her such part of the net income as she may desire, to be invested by her trustees, in their discretion, “ in real estate, or in loans on bond and mortgage, or in loans on good and undoubted security, or in undoubted first class .bonds, or in state stocks of the Mew England states or the state of Mew York, or in undoubted first class stocks; all of said real estate, loans, bonds and stocks to be those in the Mew England States, or in the [302]*302state of Yew York, and, when so invested, shall be added to and form a part of the principal of said trust fund or property.”

By the tenth article, in the first instance, the trustees “ who may hold any real estate in the state of Oonneetieut, or any personal estate in the state of Connecticut, or elsewhere,” under the will, are expressly authorized to sell the same, or any part thereof, and to invest the avails, at their discretion, substantially as any surplus income, during the life of his daughter, had been directed to be invested, and then the executors are expressly authorized to sell any real estate in the state of Qonneetieut, or any personal estate in Connecticut, or elsewhere, “ before distribution shall be made of such estate,” and to invest the avails, substantially, as any surplus income during the life of his daughter had. been directed to be invested. There is not in the tenth article, nor in any other part <#f the will, any express power or authority given to the trustees or executors to sell any real estate situate in the state of Yew York.

By the thirteenth article of the will, if any one of the societies named in the will is not incorporated, the estate given by the will to such society is to be “ conveyed, transferred and paid in fee simple and forever to the person who, .when the estate is to be conveyed, transferred and paid acóording to this will, shall act as treasurer of the said society, to be appropriated to the charitable uses and purposes of the said society and under its direction;” and this article of the will was to apply to each of the societies not incorporated.

The testator’s daughter, when her father died, was about fifteen years of age. On his death, Mrs. Chrystie, named in the will as her guardian, took her to Yew York to live with her; she lived in Mrs. Chrystie’s family in Yew York for some time, and continued under Mrs. Chrystie’s charge and care until her death, the 30th of August, 1855, at about the age of sixteen years and eleven months, at Litchfield, [303]*303Connecticut, where she had been taken and left at school by Mrs. Chrystie, for her health.

The parties defendants, are :

1st. The heirs at -law of the testator’s daughter.

2d. The admistrator, &c.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
52 Barb. 294, 1868 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/white-v-howard-nysupct-1868.