Best v. Burnam
Best v. Burnam
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The husband of Mrs. Burnam died in the year 1873, and in the year 1874 she administered upon his estate. They had no children, or if any, none survived her husband. The whole of his
Nearly all the business transactions she had were in her own right. The money she borrowed was upon her own credit, and those who dealt with her regarded her as the sole owner of the estate, which she was, and this gave her credit. She borrowed money to pay off the debts of her husband and for other purposes. Best, Montgomery and others became her sureties on certain obligations for the loan of money that they say, and doubtless such was the fact, was applied to the payment of her husband’s debts. They claim that they became sureties on the faith of the estate left by the husband, and looked to that for payment, while the widow says they were her sureties and the money was loaned on her individual liability. They are not sureties on any bond executed by the widow as administrator, but claim that, as the money she borrowed was paid on the debts due by the husband; she being entitled to a credit for the amount paid, they should be substituted to her rights, and that, as between her husband’s creditors and her individual creditors, the husband’s creditors having a prior lien on this estate, this lien should extend to them.
The sureties of an administrator on his bond, when he has overpaid or paid more than the personal assets, may proceed to subject the real estate, because' the administrator would have that right, but the case here presents no such state of case. Here
The property sold by her was purchased in good faith. She wras invested with title, and certainly could sell for the payment of debts. These purchasers will not be disturbed, nor will the liens acquired by the levy of the execution be disturbed in favor of these appellants. Certainly as against them the creditor had the right to levy, and to assert his lien by reason of it.
As to the homestead of Mrs. Burnam, she had none. She derived none from the husband, as she held under the will. She was not entitled to a homestead by reason of the title vested in her, as she was without a family and had no one with her to whom she was under a natural or legal obligation to support. The little girl’s father was a man of wealth, able to take care of her and entitled to the custody of his child at any time. The homestead should have been denied, and the claim of the commissioner in the suit in which the husband’s estate was involved should have been allowed as a preferred claim.
It is argued in behalf of the appellants that the conveyance to the trustee is fraudulent because it recites that the object is to prevent a sacrifice of the property by creditors. This declaration in
We perceive only two errors in the judgment. The homestead should have been, denied, and the commissioner, Price, who acted as such in the action in which the estate of her husband was interested, should have priority over the general creditors of the widow. He is in fact a creditor of the husband’s estate.
Judgment reversed and cause-remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.