Loveland v. Emswiler
Loveland v. Emswiler
Opinion of the Court
Appellant, guardian of minor beneficiaries under the will of their grandmother, Sarah E. Emswiler, on June 19, 1917, filed in the Miami Circuit Court of Indiana, his petition for a construction of items 2 and 3 of said will, and incidentally asking that a trustee be appointed to give effect to the testamentary provisions for his wards.
The appellees, uncles of the wards of appellant and co-beneficiaries under the will (two of them being executors) were made defendants, appeared voluntarily, and filed their answer in denial, and also filed their cross-petition in which they asked that the will of-Sarah E. Emswiler be construed with reference to the terms and provisions of the will of John Hi Emswiler, the deceased husband of Sarah Emswiler, and with reference also to the disposal of certain property of the deceased husband in partition proceedings, subsequent to his death, and the death of his said wife.
There was a finding of facts which was in substance that on October 4, 1888, one John H. Emswiler died testate in Miami county, Indiana, leaving surviving him,
Items 3 and 4 of his last will and testament which was duly probated read as follows:
“3. It is my will that at my death all my real estate except that mentioned in Item 2 of this will, (which was a business block, the life estate of which was given to his wife, and the fee not devised, and which was the real estate involved in the partition proceeding) shall vest in my said wife, Sarah E. Emswiler, absolutely in fee simple, and that all the personal property, goods and chattels, wares, merchandise, money, rights, credits and choses in action of which I may die seized, and every interest therein, whether legal or equitable shall vest in and pass to my said wife absolutely and without any limitation or reservation whatever. In thus leaving said estate under the absolute control of my said wife, I desire not only to show my appreciation of her qualities as a faithful wife and affectionate mother, but also to partially express the full confidence which I repose in her disposition and ability to manage and control said estate for the best interests of herself and our children.
“4. I make the following suggestions, not as an absolute bequest, but as advisory in the distribution, or provision for distribution by my said wife of the estate which I may leave. My son, Charles C. Emswiler, has already received the sum of $2,500, and my son, Walter H. Emswiler, has received the sum of $1,500, which amounts were intended by me as advancements. My daughter, Grace Emswiler,' and my son Robert G. Emswiler, have not as yet received anything by way of advancement. Should it meet with the approval of my said wife’s judgment, it is my desire that as they severally come to the age of twenty-one years, the said Grace and Robert Guy may receive like amounts, or such substantial pecuniary aid as condition of my estate may enable my said wife to give them without embarrassment or inconvenience to herself, and that amounts so paid to Charles C.*661 and Walter H. as well as any and all amounts which may be hereafter paid any of said children be treated as advancements, so as to equalize the amounts to them severally in final distribution, but, should the judgment of my said wife dictate a departure from these suggestions, she shall be at liberty to do as she deems right and proper, and this item shall be advisory only.”
The said Grace Emswiler afterward intermarried with one James W. Test, and thereafter and before the death of her mother died intestate in said Miami county, leaving surviving her, as her sole heirs at law, her said husband, James W. Test, and her three children, who are the wards of appellant.
On June 19, 1916, the said Sarah E. Emswiler died testate in said county, leaving as her sole heirs at law, her said children, Charles C., Walter H. and Robert G. and her said grandchildren, Sarah E., Philip E. and Dorothy E. Test. Said Sarah E. Emswiler on January 20, 1915, executed her last will and testament which was duly. admitted to probate in the Miami- Circuit Court, Item 2 of which reads as follows:
“Item 2—I give and bequeath to my son, Robert G. Emswiler $1600 and to Sarah E. Test, Phillip Test and Dorothy Test and the survivor or survivors of them, children of my deceased daughter, Grace .Test, the sum of $1,100, When the youngest of said grandchildren, Dorothy E. Test, shall attain the full age of twenty-one years. This provision is made to equalize their interests with advancements heretofore made to my other children.”
By Item 3 she bequeathed the remainder of her estate to her children and grandchildren, to the children share and share alike, and to the grandchildren collectively an amount equal to the share of each of her children, with the same limitation as to time of payment to the grandchildren as in Item 2.
The court then finds that Sarah E. Emswiler did not,
On the foregoing facts the court stated the law to be: (1) That the bequests of $1,600 and $1,100 to Rob
After motion for a new trial which was overruled, judgment was rendered in harmony with the conclusions of law, in favor of appellees’ contention. Appellant contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the finding of the court, and in this connection our attention is called to the fact that there is no evidence that the bequests in Item 2 of Sarah E. Emswiler’s will were identical in whole or in part with the advancements mentioned in Item 4 of John H. Emswiler’s will; that there is no evidence that Sarah E. Emswiler had not herself made any advancements out of her estate to her sons Charles C. and Walter Hi; that there is no evidence that in making said bequests in said Item 2, said testatrix had in mind in any way the suggestions made in Item 4 of her husband’s will, or that the bequests in Item 2 were made for the purpose of equalizing said beneficiaries with Charles C. and Walter H., in the matter of the advancements mentioned as made to them by their father in Item 4 of his will.
Any finding as to these facts are based upon mere conjecture, for there is no evidence concerning them. The burden of proving these material facts was upon appellees, and they have failed to discharge it. There is no ambiguity in the language of Item 2 of Sarah E. Emswiler’s will. Without introducing an ambiguity that does not appear on the surface of the will, within its four corners, without introducing a latent ambiguity by extrinsic evidence, we have no difficulty in understanding the apparent meaning as expressed in the instrument. She gives her son Robert G. $1,600, and her grandchildren collectively, $1,100, and says plainly that these bequests are made to equalize advancements heretofore made to her other children. The presumption must necessarily be that she is speaking of ad
At the time of the partition suit the mother’s will had been probated, and Charles and Walter were the executors thereof. They well knew of the bequests to Robert, and the Test children. If they believed that the bequests were intended for an adjustment because of advancements made to them, we are wholly unable to understand why they would of their own volition charge themselves with the respective sums of $1,500 and $2,500, or a total of $4,000. The unambiguous language
Under the terms of the will of Sarah E. Emswiler, we hold that the court did not err in its judgment that the adult devisees and legatees are entitled to the possession of their respective distributive shares immediately upon the settlement of the estate, and that said children of Grace Test are not entitled to their respective distributive shares until the youngest of them arrives at the age of twenty-one years, but that by proper application they may have a trustee appointed to take charge of their estate for their use.
The judgment is reversed, with instructions to grant a new trial.
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