49 S.E.2d 523 | Ga. | 1948
Under an item of a will bequeathing to a beneficiary a described home "and the contents of said home," government bonds found in a dresser drawer of the home would not be included in the bequest.
From the agreed statement of facts, upon which the case was decided by the trial court, it appears that United States Government Series-E bonds of the face value of $2700 were found in a dresser drawer in the residence described in item 3 of the will. The plaintiff (plaintiff in error in this court) contended that the bonds passed to her under the provisions of item 3. The administrator contended that a partial intestacy existed under the will, and that the bonds should be sold by him for distribution to the heirs at law.
The trial judge decreed that the bonds were not bequeathed under the provisions of item 3 of the will, and the exception here is to that judgment.
While courts may look to the will as a whole to determine the intention of the testatrix (Gaboury v.McGovern,
From the agreed statement of facts it appears that the bonds which are the subject-matter of the litigation were not owned by the testatrix at the time of the execution of the will and were *265
not acquired until some years later. Since after-acquired property may be disposed of by will (Evans v. Pennington,
The word "contents" is a word of comprehensive meaning, and the words "contents of said home" are sufficient to convey to the beneficiary in item 3 the household effects and such articles as are normally and usually kept for household and family use. The general rule is, however, that the words, "contents of a home," do not include deeds, mortgages, insurance policies, savings-bank books, and like items which might be classed as choses in action. 57 Am. Jur. 902, § 1360. See Annotations, 120 A.L.R. 1207, et seq. Of course, if the bequest should be definite and the contents of a specific receptacle, such as a box or desk drawer, is named by the testator, the general rule would not apply.
In Dozier v. Bailey,
Judgment affirmed. All the Justices concur, except Bell, J.,absent on account of illness.