Van Dyke v. Van Dyke
Van Dyke v. Van Dyke
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from a final sentence of the orphans court of Somerset county, denying an application for an account. The appellant is George C. Van Dyke, and the respondent the executor of Dr. Frederick A. Van Dyke, deceased, who was one of the three executors named in the will of James C. Van Dyke, deceased, and the only one who proved the will. The applicant claims to be interested in the estate of James C. Van Dyke as a beneficiary under a trust created by his will. James C. Van-Dyke was a resident of this state. He died here in 1843, leaving a will duly executed, dated October 19th, 1829, and republished July 21st, 1832. By it he appointed his brother, Dr» Frederick A. Van Dyke, John Terhune and Littleton . Kirkpatrick, executors. It was admitted to probate in Somerset county, November 7th, 1843, and letters testamentary thereon issued to Dr. Frederick A. Van Dyke, who alone proved it» Mr. Kirkpatrick is dead, but Mr. Terhune is still living at a very advanced age. Dr. Van Dyke, who lived in Philadelphia, filed in the office of the surrogate of Somerset county an inventory of the personal estate, but never filed any account. He died in Philadelphia November 17th, 1867, leaving a will, which was duly proved there in the same month by his executors, his sons Frederick A., Henry J. and Rush. The last-named executor did not act, and was subsequently discharged. Frederick A. Van Dyke took out letters of administration of his father’s, Dr. Frederick A. Van Dyke’s, estate in Middlesex county November 21st, 1870, and afterwards, on the 7th of July following, took out letters of administration de bonis non cum testamento annexo of James C. Van Dyke, deceased. An exemplified copy of Dr» Frederick A. Van Dyke’s will was filed in the office of the surrogate of Middlesex county. Frederick A. Van Dyke (the 2d) is now dead. The will of James C. Van Dyke contained a provision which, it is alleged, created a trust in one-fourth of his estate in the hands of Dr. Frederick A. Van Dyke, for the benefit of the appellant and his brothers and sisters, and by virtue
No letters testamentary on the will of Dr. Frederick A. Van Dyke have been granted in this state. The exemplification above mentioned was merely filed and recorded, and no letters testamentary were issued or applied for thereon. The proceedings in that matter seem to have been taken not under the twenty-third and twenty-fourth sections of the orphans court act, but under the twenty-sixth. Both of the executors reside out of this state. The succession to Dr. Van Dyke’s personal property here is not in his surviving executor, but in the administrator of his estate appointed here. The orphans court has no jurisdiction over the foreign executor. It appears to have assumed it mainly, if not entirely, on the ground that unless it did so the appellant would be, without remedy. The reason is not sufficient, if it were well founded. The cases cited by the appellant’s counsel in support of the jurisdiction do not sustain it. They are cases where jurisdiction has been asserted over-a foreign administrator or executor having funds of the estate in his hands, and himself being in the state in which the proceedings against him were taken. The efforts of the appellant to obtain relief in the courts of Pennsylvania have indeed proved fruitless. He is a resident
The deefee of the court below will be affirmed, but without costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.