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84 Pa. 147

Zerbe v. Zerbe

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

Decided March 26, 1877

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania · decided 1877-03-26

<p>Testator's will contained this direction: “Pirstlgive and bequeath unto my son Edward and Peter and my daughter Catharine and Mary my daughter’s children Daniel John Elizabeth and Emma Mull they shal stand in equal shares that is to say Mary’s children shal have the share of their mother. Item, my son Daniel and Jarrett and my daughter Sarah and Louisa’s child Edward Hummel they shall have nothing of my estate they have more now than their shairs would come to. Last and Also I appoint my son Edward and John Zimmerman farmer as my executors of this my last will and testament and they shall have a right to sell the property and make it into money when they think fit to do so or when it will bring the most money.” Held, that this will carried all the real and personal estate of the'testator to those mentioned in the first clause, and that the word “ estate” belonged to the first clause of the will as well as the second, and that the word “ shares” in the first clause corresponds to the same word in the last clause, and both refer to the same estate.</p>

Decided 1877-03-26

¶1The judgment of the Supreme Court was entered,

Per Curiam.

¶2We are all of opinion that judged ex visceribus, this will contains a sufficient devise and bequest of all the estate of the testator, to carry his real and personal property to the persons named in the will as his devisees and-legatees. That Daniel Zerbe made what' he himself terms his last will and testament appears by the written paper duly signed, sealed and witnessed, and by the witnesses attesting as such. That he intended to will his property to the persons named to take under the will, is not denied; but it is insisted that in fact he made no devise and bequest of his property. We do not agree to this statement. We have only to read the will in its own order, striking out the superfluous words which obscure the sense, and we have a sufficient and- consistent disposition of his property. Thus: “ I give and bequeath unto my sons Edward and Peter and my daughter Catharine and Mary’s children in equal shairs, but to my sons Daniel and Jarrett and my daughter Sarah, and Louisa’s child nothing, of my estate, they (viz., the last named) having more than their shairs would come to.” Now, it is clear that the word “estate” belongs to the first clause of the sentence as much as it does to the last clause, and that the word “ shares” in the first clause corresponds to the same word in the last clause, and both refer to the same estate. This is further strengthened by the fact that the second clause excludes the children named in it from the estate, and thus, by an -irresistible conclusion, refers the estate therein named to the persons named in the first, to whom, by express words, the testator declares he gives and bequeaths. Then, if anything were wanting, the power given to the executors, immediately following, to sell the “property,” makes the subject of the devise more manifest.

¶3We think the court below gave a proper interpretation to the will, and therefore the judgment is affirmed..

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