Gwynn's Estate
Gwynn's Estate
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
There were two appraisements and two appeals in this case; one appeal is from the decree confirming the appraisement of the widow’s exemption in the manner provided by the Act of April 8, 1859, P. L. 425; and the other from the decree confirming the appraisement of the real estate set apart for the widow under the Act of April 1, 1909, P. L. 87. What was said in the opinion handed down upon the question of the right of the widow to take the real estate of her husband under the Act of 1909 without reference to the source from whence he derived his title, applies to this appeal. The widow clearly had the right under the facts as found by the learned court below to elect to take the $300.00 exemption out of the lands of her deceased husband. The appraisers returned that the real estate was of greater value than three hundred dollars, and that it could not be divided “without prejudice to or spoiling the whole.” Under these circumstances the widow elected to take her exemption out of the proceeds of the real estate, and this she had the right to do. This appraisement was made in accordance with the provisions of law, and we see no valid reason for disturbing it so far as the exemption itself is concerned. The effect of the appraisement was to make the $300.00 a lien upon the land, which if sold, would require payment out of the proceeds. However, in addition to the exemption the widow is entitled to take real estate to the value of five thousand dollars under the Act of 1909, and this she has elected to do. Under the two acts she can take real estate to the value of fifty-three hundred dollars, but the appraisements are made under different acts of assembly, and this necessarily creates some confusion in the practice. In the present case the appraisers of the exemption fixed the value of the interest of the deceased husband in the real estate in question at $5,000.00, but the question of placing the value upon the real estate held by her husband at the time of his death, and taken by the widow
We fully concur with the learned court below in the findings of fact and conclusions of law relating to the domicile of the decedent. The appraisement of the widow’s exemption was properly made except as to the valuation placed upon the entire interest which the decedent held in the real estate at the time of bis death.
Decree affirmed except as to the valuation of the real estate which is to be determined by appraisers in accordance with the provisions of the Act of 1849. Costs to be paid out of the estate.
Reference
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- Syllabus
- Decedent’s estate — Widow’s exemption — Election to take appraisement out of proceeds of land — -Appraisement—Act of April 8, 1859, P. L. m- In a proceeding to have a widow’s $300 exemption charged upon the deceased husband’s interest in lands, where the widow also elected to take real estate to the value of $5,000 under the Act of 1909, the appraisers of the widow’s exemption have no authority to determine the value of the husband’s real estate, out of the proceeds of which the widow has elected to take her exemption, where they have determined that the real estate was of greater value than $300 and that it could not be divided without prejudice to or spoiling the whole.