Spencer's Estate
Spencer's Estate
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The clause of the will of Jacob Spencer involved in this appeal is in these words: “The residue of my estate, real and personal and mixed shall be divided equally between Rosanna Hankey and Emma Riggle.” Both of the legatees were daughters of the testator. Rosanna died in the lifetime of her father and before the execution of his will, leaving to survive her four children, all of whom survived the testator. The controversy arises as to the distribution of the share of her father’s estate which Rosanna would have taken if she had survived him, the appellant contending that the bequest to her was void and that distribution should be made to the next of kin to the testator and not to the children of Rosanna. It is claimed, on the other hand, that the legacy is saved by the twelfth section of the act of April 8, 1833, P. L. 249, which provides that “no devise or legacy in favor of a child or other lineal descendant of any testator, shall be deemed or held to lapse, or become void, by reason of the decease of such devisee or legatee, in the lifetime of the testator, if such devisee or legatee shall leave issue surviving the testator; but such devise or legacy shall be good and available in favor of such surviving issue, with like effect as if such devisee or legatee had survived the testator.” The facts bring the case within the letter of the statute and it saves and makes effective that which without the statute would be a void legacy. The same question was decided in Minter’s Appeal, 40 Pa. 111, which arose under the Act of May 6, 1844, P. L. 564, securing devises and legacies to the issue of deceased brothers and sisters of testators. The statutes are similar in character and are remedial in their object. In the case referred to the devisee was a sister of the testator. She died before the will was made, leaving issue who survived the testator. The bequest to her was of one-half of the residue of the estate. It was there said that the act saved the bequest from becoming void and
The decree is affirmed.
Reference
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- Syllabus
- Wills — Gift of residue — Gift to children — Lapsing of legacy — Failure to lapse — Act of April 8, 1833, P. L. 249. Where a father gives the residue of his estate, real and personal, to his two daughters, and one of the daughters dies in her father’s lifetime leaving children to survive her, the gift to the daughter is protected from lapsing by sec. 12 of the Act of April 8, 1833, P. L. 249, and the share upon her father’s death will go to her children.