Estate of Martin
Estate of Martin
Opinion of the Court
A paper was presented for probate as the last will and testament of the deceased, as olographic. It was written and signed by the hand of deceased, but bore no date, and was not witnessed. Probate was refused by the Court below.
The statute upon the subject is as follows (Civ. Code, § 1277):
“ An olographic will is one that is entirely written, dated, and signed by the hand of the testator himself. It is subject to no other form.”
It is claimed that the dating of a will is a mere formal matter, not absolutely necessary. We do not think so. The Legislature has seen fit to require three things to concur, for the execution of an olographic will, viz., that it be written,
The paper is not aided by the declaration contained in it, “ of the age of sixty years.” It does not appear in the paper when he was of the age of sixty years. It may have been one day before his decease; it may have been ten years.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ESTATE OF EDWARD MARTIN
- Cited By
- 17 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Olographic Will—Date—Construction of Code.—A date is essential to the validity of an olographic will. Id.—Id.—Construction of Will,—A recital in an olographic will that the testator is of the age of sixty years, does not constitute a date.