Henderson v. Bishop
Henderson v. Bishop
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
James M. Linn died November 20,1883, leaving a will, and seized of certain real estate, the title to which is involved in this action. The appellees claim to have derived title from him, and the court below sustained this by directing a verdict in their favor for the purchase-money which the appellants agreed to pay for certain mining rights and privileges in the property. This direction was given in view of undisputed facts, which may be briefly stated. On December 1,1883, — ten days after the death of James M. Linn — Ms widow and all of his children and heirs, alleging themselves to be all the parties interested in his estate, under his will or otherwise, entered into a written agreement, duly acknowledged and recorded, by which they agreed as follows: “First, That said last will and testament of said James M. Linn shall not be offered or admitted to probate or record, but shall be and is hereby null and void and of no force or validity, and shall on the execution and delivery of this instrument in writing, be destroyed. Sec
If all the parties interested in the will of the decedent agreed that its provisions should be ignored and that it should be destroyed, and the agreement was duly recorded, his estate passed under the intestate laws. The learned court below correctly held that all parties interested under the will could make such an agreement: Phillips v. Phillips, 8 Watts 195. The destruction of a will by a testator himself is the subject of legislation: Section 13, Act of April 8,1833, P. L. 249; but an agreement, after a testator’s death, by all parties interested in his will, is quite a different matter, for, if sui juris, they can do as they please with what the will gives them. After the lapse of more than thirty years from the death
Judgment affirmed.
Dissenting Opinion
Dissenting Opinion by
July 3,1915:
I cannot agree there is any evidence that all the parties named in the will joined in the agreement for its destruction, or that there is any presumption of law or fact to that effect; hence, I am obliged to note my dissent.
Reference
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- Decedents’ estates — Will—Agreement by beneficiaries — Destruction of will — Presumption that all parties interested signed. 1. If all the parties interested in the will of a decedent agree that its provisions should be ignored and that it should be destroyed, and such agreement is duly recorded, the estate of such decedent passes under the intestate laws. 2. Where upon the dea'th of a decedent, his widow and heirs alleging themselves to be all the parties interested in his estate, agreed in writing that the will of such decedent should be destroyed and that such widow and heirs should take under the intestate laws, and the agreement was duly recorded, and during more than thirty years thereafter the agreement was not questioned, nor the possession of those holding thereunder, there was a presumption that all parties interested in the will had signed the agreement, and in the absence of evidence to rebut the presumption, the grantees of certain real estate of such decedent acquired in partition proceedings instituted shortly after his death could convey a marketable title. Mr. Justice Moschzisker dissents.