Case Name: William H. Morehouse, Respondent, v. Frank H. Morehouse, in his Own Right, and as Executor, of the Last Will and Testament of Hiram Morehouse, Deceased, and Others, Appellants, Impleaded with Others
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1898
Citations: 33 A.D. 250
Docket Number: 
Parties: William H. Morehouse, Respondent, v. Frank H. Morehouse, in his Own Right, and as Executor, of the Last Will and Testament of Hiram Morehouse, Deceased, and Others, Appellants, Impleaded with Others.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 33
Pages: 250–254

Head Matter:
William H. Morehouse, Respondent, v. Frank H. Morehouse, in his Own Right, and as Executor, of the Last Will and Testament of Hiram Morehouse, Deceased, and Others, Appellants, Impleaded with Others.
Will—a devise to aii unmarried woman and, if she subsequently marry ¡ to her issue- . and her husband—in case, of her death unmmrie'd she tabees a fee.
A testator by his will provided, among other things-, as follows: “ All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, real and personal, of every name and land whatsoever,. I give and. bequeath to my daughter, Effle May Morehouse, subject, however, to the following provisions: That no part of my real estate shall' he sold or in any manner encumbered during her lifetime, and in .case of marriage and subsequent death, anti should (she)--leave a child or children,, then I give the foregoing devise and bequest to her child or children; and provided, further, in' case- of her marriage and she. should die childless, but should leave a surviving husband, then I give to her husband, the one-third part of said residue and remainder of my estate and the remaining two-thirds to the surviv- . ing children of my brothers.” . '
Efflé May Morehouse died unmarried.
Held, that Effle May Morehouse was, under the provisions of said will, seized in . fee at the time of her death of the entire estate, and that at her death it passed to the devisees named in her wijl.
Herrick and M-erwin, JJ., dissented.
Appeal by the defendants, Frank II. Morehouse, in Ms own right . and as. executor of the last will and testament of Hiram Morehouse,, deceased, and others, from an interlocutory judgment of the Supreme . Court in favor of the plaintiff,, entered- in the office of -the clerk - of the county of Saratoga dn the 4th day of January,. 1898, upon the decision of the court rendered after a trial. at the Saratoga Special Term, directing the partition of lands as prayed for in the complaint.
The will of Hiram Morehouse, referred to in the opinion, is as follows
“' I, Hiram Morehouse, of the town of Charlton, in the county of Saratoga and State of Hew York, do make, publish and declare this my last will and testament as follows, to wit:
“ I give and bequeath to my brother, Charles M. Morehouse, all dues and demands that I now have or may hereafter have against him. I give and bequeath to my nephew, Francis A. Morehouse, my gold watch and chain. I give and bequeath to John H. Closson, two thousand live hundred dollars, the same to be deducted from the amount that may be due on a certain mortgage in my favor, executed by Thomas Closson and said John H. Closson. All the rest', residue and remainder of my estate, real and personal, of every name and kind whatsoever, I give and bequeath to my daughter, Effie May Morehouse, subject, however, to the following provisions : That no part" of "my real estate shall be sold or in any manner encumbered during her lifetime, and in case of marriage and subsequent death, and should leave a child or children, then I give the foregoing devise and bequest to her child or children, and provided further, in case of her marriage and she should die childless, but should leave a surviving husband, then I give to her husband the one-third part of said residue and remainder of my estate and the remaining two-thirds to the surviving children of my brothers.
“ I herewith dispose and commit to my nephew, Francis A. More-house, the sole care, custody and guardianship of. my daughter, Effie May Morehouse, until her marriage or until she attains the full age of twenty-one years, and I hereby authorize and direct him to appropriate any amount necessary to provide her a comfortable support and maintenance, arid algo for a good and finished education. I also commit to him the care, control and mariagemerit of all my real estate during the minority of my said daughter,- and during her minority and also during her lifetime there shall be expended in each year at least fifty dollars in necessary repairs.
“ I direct that all the clothing, ornaments and jewelry that belonged to my deceased wife shall be preserved and kept for my ■daughter, .Effie May, and also that no part of my household furniture or cooking utensils shall be sold .except those not required for family use. . .
“ I hereby constitute and appoint -my nephew, Francis A. More-house, sole executor of this, my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me made. •
“In witness whereof, I have hereunto set. my hand and seal this fourth day of July, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ■eighty-ohe. .
“HIRAM MOREHOUSE. [l. s.‘] ”
' Effie May Morehouse died, leaving neither a child nor a husband surviving her, she never having married.
James L. Scott, for the appellants, Guy B. Manzer and Victoria M. Manzer.
J. W. Houghton, for the appellants, Frank H. Morehouse and Sarah A. Morehouse.
Alex. J. Thomson, for the respondent.
Sic.

Opinion:
Parker, P. J.:
The question presented in this case is,.whether the children of the brothers of- Hiram Morehouse, deceased, took under his will any. interest in the real estate sought to be partitioned in this action. .The plaintiff claims an interest therein under the provisions of such will. The- defendants appealing claim that Effie May Morehouse, his only child and heir at law, took under, such will the whole title to such premises, and that through her will such title has been devised to them. .
The provisions of the will under which plaintiff claims have been •carefully considered by this court, and we are not all agreed as to .their meaning and effect. But a majority of the court have reached the conclusion that under the will Effie May Morehouse, the daughter, at the time of her death, was seized of the whole estate, and-that .her devise thereof to the appellants vested in .them the. entire interest thei'ein. That being so, the plaintiff had no interest whatever' in the premises, and his complaint for the partition thereof must necessarily be dismissed.
We have not overlooked the rule that the intention ef the testator is to control in construing the will, and that sueh intention may be ascertained from- an inspection of the whole will, and from such extrinsic circumstances as are pertinent and lawfully before us ; nor have we' given to any of the language used a technical or restricted meaning calculated to defeat the testator's plain intent. Without entering into a long analysis of its provisions, it is sufficient to say that, in our opinion, the testator has given to his- daughter the fee in the whole estate, subject, however, to its being divested in the event that she should marry and die, leaving a child or children, or die childless leaving a husband surviving. Neither of those events having happened, the fee so given her was never divested, and she was at liberty to devise the same.
The judginent should be reversed, and the complaint dismissed, with costs to the appellants.
All concurred, except Herrick and Merwik, JJ,,, dissenting.