Webb's heirs v. Webb's adm'r
Webb's heirs v. Webb's adm'r
Opinion of the Court
delivered the Opinion of the Court.
Upon a bill by the heirs anti distributees of William S. Webb, against the administrar tor, for account and distribution, the court decreed, in favor of the complainants, the, sum of two thousand one hundred and eighty-nine dollars, with interest from the decree until paid, and both parties have, appealed.
The amount with which the administrator is charged by the report of the commissioner, is four
Against this the administrator is entitled lo a ere-* dit of one thousand four hundred and twenty-seven dollars, twenty-three cents, according to his account, as allowed by the county court for disbursements.
But in the charges against the administrator, two items are disputed by him, the one for a thousand dollars, advanced by the decedent to the use of his father (now the administrator,) being so much paid to Herndon in part of 140 acres of land purchased by the father of Herndon, at twenty dollars per acre, which was intended by the father to have been given to the son, by way of advancement, of which price of two thousand eight hundred dollars, the father by agreement with the son, advanced the sum of one thousand dollars, and the son the residue, and the son was to have had the whole tract. But the father has obtained the deed for one hundred acres, and the son a deed for forty-three acres and ten poles only. The second item disputed by the administrator, is the charge of five hundred and eighty dollars, for negro Humphrey, delivered by the son to the said Herndon, in part of the said tract of land, at the price of $508, allowed therefor by Herndon.
Besides these items, on the debet side of the account against the administrator, he claims credit for an account'exhibited in his answer, for rent of the land aceupied by the son in his lifetime, amounting to three hundred and forty dollars, also an account for hire of a slave, and for monej's paid for fee bills; &c. &c. which including the sum of $861 25, for 48 acres ten poles, of the aforesaid tract of land, for which the son received a deed, amount to seventeen hundred and thirty-nine dollars twenty-one. cents. The court disallowed this account, except as to the 48 acres 10 poles of land, and some other items not specified. To this disallowance of his credits, the administrator also objects.
The heirs object to the allowance of the credit of $861 25, for that part of the land deeded by
According to the statement contended for by the administrator, the account would stand thus:
Whole amount of charges reported againt the administrator: f\n *
Deduct ‡1,000 therein charged, for that sum paid by the decedent for the 140 acres to Herndon, and $508, also paid Herndon by the price of negro Humphrey, making together. 1508 00
Balance 2,758 02
Leaving a balance of charges against the administrator, Of two thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight dollars, two cents, to be accounted for. Against which he claims credits for the sum allowed on settlement with the county court: • 142? 23 1-2
Account of additional disbursements and charges for rents, &c. referred to in his answer: 1739 21 1-2
$3166 45 •
Making an aggregate of three thousand one, hundred and sixty-six dollars forty-five cents, which would leave a balance in favor of the administrator, against the heirs, of four hundred and ten dollars forty-three cents.
The objection to the charge of one thousand dollars against the administrator, for so much money paid by the decedent to Herndon, is founded on the decree in a former suit, by the infant heirs, by their next friend and guardian, against John Y. Webb, in his own person. They "claimed a conveyance of the one hundred acres of land, deeded by Herndon to said John Y. Webb, setting up the agreement between the father and the son, by which the father was to advance one thousand dollars in part of the priee of the land purchased of Herndon, and the sou to pay the balance, and to have the whole tract;
As to. so much of the price paid by the son ta Herndon for the land, as is not compensated by the value of the part deeded to the son, the father who has enjoyed the land so pa.id for, must stand indebted to the son. The money was paid to Herndon at the instance of the father, lie therefore stands indebted to the son, as for so much laid out and advanced to the use of the father. To that extent John V. Webb was indebted to the son, and ought, in settling his accounts as the administrator of his son, to have charged himself with so much as of the rights and credits of the decedent in the hands of himself as administrator.
The charge against him of five hunded and eight
There is as little colour for the charge of the hire of another negro boy; if the negro was not the property of the son (a question not decided,) the use was a matter of courtesy, not of hire.
The charge for commission on the disbursement of $2428, is not correct, there is no evidence of such disbursement. But a commission of five per cent, on the disbursements actually made, to-wit: on the sum of $1707 45 this court will allow. As to the other items in the account of the administrator,
The complainants not insisting on all the consequences of the sale of the negro man, under the circumstances detailed in the answer, but waiving the claim for hire, insist on interest on the money, as tbe sale was not necessary for the payment of debts. The court think that they are entitled to interest from the last of January 1819.
The claim to interest on the balance of the money advanced by William S. Webb, the intestate, after deducting the credit for the fortv-three acres ten poles, we think ought also to be allowed. The land purchased, and upon which the money was advanced was productive; the intestate advanced his money upon faith of it; the defendants has reaped the profits since the death of William S. Webb, the son, and ought to be charged with interest on the balance due to the son from his dfjafk, considering the circumstances of the case.
The account should be thus made up:
The administrator is to be charged with the sum of four thousand three hundred sixty-six dollars, two cents, being the whole amount of the sales and receipts, and rights and credits of the decedent, including the price of the negro woman; the price of Humphrey, and the one thousand dollars paid to Herndon for the purchase of one hundred and forty acres of land; he is also to be charged with interest on six hundred dollars, part thereof (the price of the negro woman) from the last of January 1819, up to the time when the decree shall be entered hereafter in the circuit court; he is likewise to be charged with interest from the death of William S. Webb the intestate, up to the time when the decree shall be ren dered in the circuit court, upon the hundred seventy-five dollars ninety-four balance of advance for the land by Webb, after deducting the value of fori^pi eres ten poles, at seventeen dollars per the second of November 1818. The adi: is to be credited with the sum of fourtee twenty-seven dollars, twenty three cents f< ments; also with seven hundred thirty six cents, (the value of the forty-three poles, deeded by Herndon to William S. V with seventy-one dollars, thirty-six cents, for?commission on the disbursement of’ $1427 23. The account will stand thus;— sum of eight
Aggregate of charges against the adminminstrator, $4366 02
Credits allowed, $1427 23
Land, 732 06
Commission, 71 36 — 2230 65
'Balance due the heirs and distributees, $2135 37. Which leaves a balance to be paid the heirs and dis-tributees of two thousand one hundred thirty-five dollars, thirty seven cents, with interest on six hundred dollars, part thereof, to he computed after the rate of six per centum per annum, from the last clay of January one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, up to the time of the decree to be rendered in the circuit court; with like interest on the surp o?
So that upon the errors assigned by the administrator, he had no cause of complaint, except in this, that the decree, gave current interest after it was pronounced, andomiitedto require bond with security, to be given to the administrator, that the com-.pkinants respectfully should refund their due proportions of any debts which may hereafter appear, with costs of recovery. But upon the errors assigned by the heirs and distributees, there is good cause for reversing the decree.
It is therefore ordered and decreed, that the decree ofthe circuit court be reversed; that the case be remanded to that court, with directions to enter a decree in favor of the complainants, for the sum of two thousand one hundred-thirty-six dollars, thirty-seven cents, with interest an the sum of eight hundred seventy-five dollars ninety-four cents, part thereof to be computed after the rate of six per cent, per year, from the second day of November one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, up to the time of rendering such decree, also with interest at like rate on the sum oí six hundred dollars, another part thereof to be computed from the last day of January, one thousand eight hundred and nineteen, up. to the lime Of-the decree, together with the costs of suit: but the execution of the decree to be suspended, and the cause retained until the guardians of the infants shall respectively enter in to bond for the infants to the administrator, with security to be approved by the court, in a penalty equal to the distributive share of the respective complainants, conditioned that the said heirs and distri-butees, respectively, shall refund to the administra-ior due proportions of any debts or demands which may afterwards appear against the intestate, and the costs attending the recovery of such debts.
And it is further ordered and decreed, tthat he
said administrator, John V. Webb, pay to the complainants, D. and H. Webb, their costs in this court expended, &c.
And it is further ordered and decreed, in the writ of error prosecuted by said John V. Webb, that the defendants pay to him his costs in that behalf expended in this court.
From this decree judge Mills dissents on one point — the balance of credit to the father, for the forty-three acres of land; he is of opinion that, as the land was deeded to the son, under the intended advancement, the son should be permitted to retain it, and transmit it to his heirs, without account for its price. As to the residue of the decree he concurs.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Webb's heirs and distributes v. Webb's adm'r. and Webb's adm'r. v. Webb's heirs and distributees
- Cited By
- 1 case
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- Published