30 Iowa 294 | Iowa | 1870
“ State oe Iowa, •)
Boone county, j
“ On this 7th day of August, A. D., 1855, I, Reuben S. Clarke, clerk of the county court of said county, do hereby certify that tbe foregoing and above will and testament of John Latbam, deceased, was read in open court and approved by tbe county judge of said county.
“ Witness my hand and seal of said county court [Attest.'] hereto affixed, at Boonsboro, this day and
year above written.
“R. S. Clarke, OlerlcP
The will was duly recorded in the record books of the county court as the last will and testament of John
It is now insisted by appellant’s counsel that the will was not duly proved before the county court, and that the district court had no jurisdiction to receive orginal evidence to prove the will as in this case. Our statute- conferred original jurisdiction for the probate of wills upon the county court. It provided for the production and reading of the will in open court after the testator’s death (Revision, sections 2323, 2321); that, after being thus produced and read, a day should be fixed for proving it (section 2325); that such notice as the court directs should be given parties interested (section 2326); that after being proved, it, with the certificate thereof indorsed on it, should be recorded (section 2321); and that wills, when proved and allowed, having the certificate thereon indorsed, signed by the clerk and attested by the seal of the court, may be read in evidence without further proof (section 2332). There is no showing in this case that all these provisions were complied with by the county court allowing the probate of this will. That the court had general and original jurisdiction of the probate 'of wills is not denied. Having such general jurisdiction, and having exercised the same, its proceedings are not void when collaterally assailed, although the certificate may fail to show a compliance with all the directory provisions of the statute. The will had the certificate of allowance indorsed upon it, signed by the clerk and attested; it could, therefore, in the language of the statute, “ be read in evidence in all courts within this State without further proof.” The statute does not require the certificate to show a compliance with all the directory provisions of the statute, but only the fact of its proof or
The testator, by the will in controversy, devised certain specific sums to certain of his children, and his real estate and some personal property to his wife during her natural life, etc., etc., and then made the following devise, upon the construction of which the second question in this case is made, to wit: “ All the rest, residue and remainder of my money and property I will and bequeath to all my children who are living, at the time of the death of Nancy Latham, my wife, to be divided equally between them, share and share alike.” The single question is, whether the children who aire living at the time of the death of Nancy Latham were .to have the property, or the children who were then living (when the will was made) were to home the property, to be divided at the time of the death of Nancy Latham.
By transposing the terms of the devise, we .have the
Affirmed.