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2 Edw. Ch. 523

Smith v. Post

New York Court of Chancery

Decided May 9, 1835

New York Court of Chancery · decided 1835-05-09

<p>•3. P., by will, devised the residue of rents and profits of real and personal estate to his children O. B., J. I. P., JD. D., W. P. and P. R. P. to be equally divided between them their legal heirs; and in case any of his said children died without issue, bis or her share should revert to the remaining children ; but in case of one dying and leaving issue, then the part which such ch'ld would have been entitled to should make a share for his or her child. There was a power to his executors to sell all the real estate, add all the personalty to it and divide the same into five paits, and dispose of one fifth to the said C. B. or her legal heirs, one fifth to the said J. I. P. or his legal heirs, one fifth to the said P. R. P. or his legal heirs, one fifth part at interest, such interest to be paid to the said D. D. and in the event of her death before her husband, to appropriate the interest to the benefit of her children as they came of age; ami if she survived him, then she was to be put into the full possession of the one fifth. And the remaining one fifth was to be placed at interest for W. P. (another child;) and in case of his death leaving no issue, then this fifth was to he divided between the testator’s surviving children and his legal heirs, but should he reform in his habits, then he was to have the entire possession of this fifth part. The will directed the executors to sell a house in Broad Street and out of the proceeds to pay a legacy; and the residue of the purchase money was to be divided into six equal parts, one was to be given to Ills wife and the remaining five sixths were to be distributed among his children and their legal heirs in the same manner as had been before directed with regard to the real and personal estate after the death of his wife. The widow survived all the children, except. W. P., and then died. W. P. was living, but had never any children. C. R., D. D., J. I. P. and P. R. P. were all dead leaving children. Prior to the deaths of P. R. P. and J. I. P., they hail respectively assigned their rights in the testator’s estate by way of mortgage, without their widows having joined: Held, that tile children took an estate for life in the property, and that the remainder in fee went to the children of the devise.es, i. e. all the children of the devisees, and not merely those bom at the time of making the will or at the death of the testator. That the lands passed by a devise of the rents and profits; and were vested in the devisees, subject to the power of sale in the trustees; and when this was executed, the proceeds belonged to the devisees for life in remainder in like maimer as the land. That the proceeds of the Broadway House, after setting apart a sixth for the widow, stood upon the same footing. That a< J. I. P. and P. It. P. had only a life estate, their widows had no dower; and the mortgages only operated upon their shares of the rents and profits. That W. P.’s share was lo be put out during his life and afterwards divided among t his brothers and sisters children per stirpes. Shar»s of infants to be paid to geneial guardians, and where there were no general guardians, to be paid into court. The shares of femes covert (if of age) to be paid over on joint receipts of themselves and husbands.</p>

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1835-05-09

How this case has been cited

Cited by 11 later decisions — most recently February 1982

9 state decisions

401835184018501860187018801890190019101920193019401950196019701980decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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The Vice-Chancellor:

¶1Under the devise of the residue of the rents and profits, after the one thousand dollars annually is taken out of the same for the widow of the testator, *527I am of opinion that the children of the testator, namely, Mrs. Ritter, Mrs. Douglass, John I. Post, Peter R. Post and William Post, take life estates in the lands as tenants in common, with benefit of survivorship or cross-remainders for life, in the event of one or more of them dying without lawful issue. The words “or their legal heirs according to the terms hereinafter named,” are, in this will, words of purchase and carry the remainder in fee to the children of the devisees above named: Crawford v. Trotter, 4 Mad. C. R. 361; Jeffery v. Honywood, Ib. 398.

¶2This is manifest from the two next clauses of the will, in which the testator gives the share of any one dying without lawful issue to the survivors and then “ in case any or either of them ” (the five children) “ shall die leaving lawful issue, the part or parts which such, &c. would have been entitled to, shall make a share or shares, part or parts for his, her or their children.” Here the word “ children ” is used as being the legal heirs referred to in the devising clause ; and they are to take substitutionally. The devise to them is of a distinct estate in their own right; hence, the first must be deemed a life estate in the testator’s five children respectively ; and the second, which is to their children, an estate in remainder upon the determination of the respective life estates in their parents. The persons entitled to this estate in remainder are all the children of the first takers respectively and not merely those who were born at the time of making the will or at the death of the testator: Crone v. Odell, 1 B. & B. 483; 3 Bro. C. C. 404, n. 2.

¶3The title to the lands passed, in this case, by the devise of the rents and profits: see, Paterson v. Ellis, 11 Wend. 298, and cases there cited. It vested in the devisees and not in the executors.

¶4The devisees, however, took the legal estate subject to the power of sale in the executors or trustees, which is a naked power in trust. When this power was executed, the proceeds belonged to the devisees for life in remainder, in like manner as the land ; and the directions for distribution appear to conform thereto and to carry out the intention of the testator in that respect.

¶5The proceeds of the Broad Street house and lot, after *528paying off the legacy of two Hundred and fifty dollars and setting apart one sixth for the widow, stands upon the same footing as the proceeds of the other parts of the estate sold since the widow’s death. The whole must be divided into five equal parts. One fifth part, with one fifth of the rents or interest and income since the death of Mrs. Ritter, now belongs to her children absolutely and is to be divided equally among them. One other fifth part, in like manner, belongs to and is to be divided between the five children of Mrs. Douglass. Another fifth part belongs, in like manner, to the children now living of John I. Post and to the children of the deceased daughter Sarah Vermule : these three children being entitled to their deceased mother’s share subject to their father’s right as tenant by the curtesy—for I consider that the proceeds of the real estate is still to be regarded as land in this distribution.

¶6John I. Post had but a life estate under the will. His widow, Mrs. Agnes Post, has no right of dower in this share of the estate. Nor is the assignment made by way of mortgage of any effect beyond the rents, profits and income of the one third during, the life of John I. Post. Another one fifth part belongs to the children of Peter R. Post deceased; and is to be divided between them. Their mother, Mrs. Ann Post, has no right of dower in it. And so with respect'to the mortgage given by him’to Mrs. Ritter, it only operated upon his share of the rents and income so long as he lived. The remaining one fifth, the trustees are to hold and invest for the benefit of William Post during his life. At his death without a child or children, it will belong to the children of his deceased brothers and sisters and must be divided among them in like manner as above, each set of children taking one fourth per stirpes or by representation.

¶7With respect to the shares of those who are infants (in this general distribution or settlement) the trustees will be safe in paying the money to their general guardian ; and if they have no guardians, their shares may be paid into court where it can be invested until they come of age.

¶8*529The shares belonging to femes covert may be paid over upon the joint receipts of themselves and husbands, provided they are of age.

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