Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

62 N.C. 47

Mayhew v. . Davidson

Supreme Court of North Carolina

Decided January 5, 1868

Supreme Court of North Carolina · decided 1868-01-05

Original Bill, filed to obtain a declaration of the respective interests of the complainants in so much of the estate of John Mayhew, deceased, as had first vested in- his daughter Mahala, and also for the payment of their shares as they might he declared. The complainants were the only children of the testator who were surviving when the bill was filed, and the administrator of two that had died since his death.

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“the property is to return to his, her, or their brothers and sisters.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Robertson v. . Andrews

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1868-01-05

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently November 1974

3 state decisions

10186818701880189019001910192019301940195019601970decided

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.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Prarson, O. J.

¶1 The property given to four of the children of the testator, to wit, Presley, Matilda, Mahala and Evelina, is to be held in trust for them during their natural lives, and at the death of any one of them leaving a child or children, the share of the deceased parent is to belong to such child or children ; but if one or more should die without leaving a child or children “the property is to return to her, his or their brothers and sisters.” Mahala *49 died without leaving a child, and the question is, Who take under the description, “her brothers and sisters?”

¶2 The will takes effect and speaks at the time of the testator’s death, and the brothers and- sisters of Mahála living at that time-areas clearly designated by this description, as if they had been named. These-words do not include brothers and sisters who may have ''died in the testator’s lifetime. For-they would naturally be referred'to as “deceased brothers and sisters.” ’ The children of such would be spoken of as Mahala’s nephews and nieces. On the other hand the words cannot be restricted to brothers and sisters living' at Mahala’s death; for to give them that effect, it would -be necessary to * add the words “living at her death,” or to say, surviving brothers and sisters, or words of a similar import.

¶3 We have here then a contingent limitation where the persons are certain and the event' uncertain. Interests of this sort,- if in land, are -transmissible by descent; if in personalty, devolve upon-the personal representative ; Newkirk v. Hawes, 5 Jones Eq., 265.

¶4 The property, to which Presley-becomes entitled as one of these brothers,- will not-be subject to the trust which affects the-property originally given to him.

¶5 There will’be a decree declaring the Tights -of the parties according to this opinion. Themosts will be paid out of - the fund.

-Fjer Curiam.

¶6 Decree accordingly.

/62/nc/47 · .json · Public domain