Filbert's Estate
Filbert's Estate
Opinion of the Court
The estate which was given to the widow in the land in question, was a life estate only, terminable at her death or remarriage. There was no devise over of this real estate of any kind after the determination of the estate of the widow. There were other provisions as to what should be done with it in the event of several designated contingencies, none of which ever happened. As to those contingencies therefore it was as if they had never been written in the will. The first of these contingencies was the marriage or death of the testator’s wife before his daughter Adelaide became of full age. The second was the death of the daughter without issue before attaining the age of twenty-one years, and the third was the death of the daughter
Decree affirmed and appeal dismissed at the cost of the appellant.
Reference
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Will—Life estate—Intestacy. Where a will contains a partial or defective description of a state of circumstances that was present to the testator’s mind, it is permitted to supply the missing terms in order to give effect to what was clearly intended ; but the court cannot provide for an event which appears to have been absent from the testator’s mind however strange the omission may be. Testator gave a life estate to his widow terminable at her death or remarriage. On the happening of one or the other of three contingencies he directed that the real estate given to his wife should be sold, and the proceeds distributed in a manner specified. These contingencies were (1) the marriage or death of the widow before testator’s daughter became of full age; (2) the death of the daughter without issue before attaining the age of twenty-one years; and (3) the death of the daughter leaving issue before attaining the age of twenty-one years. The daughter became of age, and subsequently the widow remarried. Held, that as none of the three contingencies had happened, and as no provision had been made for the contingency which actually did happen, viz: the remarriage of the widow after the majority of the daughter, there was an intestacy as to the real estate devised to the wife during her life or widowhood.