87 Pa. 248 | Pa. | 1878
delivered the opinion of the court,
This was an action of ejectment instituted for the purpose of settling the title to about one hundred and thirty-five acres of land, formerly the property of George Kunsz, now deceased, and the question on which the case turns grows out of the terms and conditions of his last will and testament. By that instrument, dated August 18th 1824, and probated November 17th 1829, he devised to his wife Magdalene, for life, the farm, containing about two hundred and twenty-eight acres, on which he lived, and directed that, after her death, it should be divided equally among his four youngest children. One of these four parts, containing about sixty-seven acres, he devised to Christian Gost and Henry Sling-lough, “in trust to and for the only use and benefit of my daughter Anna Maria Kinsel, of Allegheny township, county of Hunting-don, and commonwealth aforesaid, and the heirs of her body lawfully begotten, who are to have my dwelling-house, buildings and orchard on her share of the land, on which these improvements are, on the north side of the whole tract of land from the sinking run.” He then provides, that, if she should live until one or more of her sons reaches the age of twenty-one years, the said trust shall devolve upon him or them, and then adds, “And the said Anna Maria is to have her part of the tract of land at the same price as the other parts of the whole tract of land aforesaid, and also a due proportion of timber lands to the same, which lands, houses, buildings and other improvements I bequeath to the said Anna Maria Kinsel, under the trust aforesaid, for her own sole use and that of the heirs of her body lawfully begotten or their assigns for ever.” One other of the parts above mentioned he
From that instrument nothing appears to control or modify the technical meaning of the terms used ; hence the words “ heirs of the body” must be taken as words of limitation determining the character of the estate devised, and not as a mere descriptio person-arum of those who are to take as purchasers after the determination of the trust.
If, indeed, we were to regard the trust for Mrs. Kinsel as active, the case would be different, and the result reached by the court might be regarded as substantially correct. For though the trust could not be held as executed in the children, yet, it must be regarded as executed in the trustees during Mrs. Kinsel’s life, with a contingent remainder over to the heirs of her body, and in such case her eldest son would take, not as heir of his mother, but under the will, as a purchaser.
The will, however, imposes no active duty whatever upon the trustees ; they have nothing to do with the rents, issues and profits of the land, neither do they hold the title for any designated remaindermen ; it is therefore obvious that the case is one falling within the Statute of Uses. Such being the case, we must hold that an estate of inheritance vested in Anna Maria Kinsel which, upon her death, descended to her eldest son, Jacob Kinsel, as her heir at law. From this it follows that as at the time of the assignment in bankruptcy the plaintiff had no title whatever in this property, none passed to his assignee, and so the assignee had nothing therein which he could sell to Ramey.
The judgment is reversed, and it is ordered that judgment be entered on the verdict for the plaintiff.