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SMITH et al. v. SMITH

Supreme Court of Georgia1908-04-15
130 Ga. 532

Summary

Holding. The court affirmed the trial court's judgment of nonsuit. The deed limited remainders to the life-tenant's immediate children living at her death; because Thomas J. Smith predeceased the life-tenant, his children acquired no interest in the property.

A deed executed in 1874 conveyed land to Mary J. Smith for her lifetime, with remainder to "such child or children" who were "heirs of her body" and alive at her death. Mary J. Smith had several children, including Thomas J. Smith, who predeceased her in 1891. After Mary J. Smith's death in 1901, Thomas J. Smith's children—the plaintiffs—sued to recover an interest in the land as his heirs. The court rejected their claim because the deed's language limited remainders to the life-tenant's immediate offspring, and Thomas J. Smith died before the life-tenant, so he never satisfied the condition of being alive at her death.

The court interpreted "children" in the deed according to its ordinary meaning: the direct offspring of the life-tenant, not grandchildren. Since Thomas J. Smith had only a contingent remainder (dependent on his surviving the life-tenant) and failed to survive her, no interest passed to his descendants. The court also declined to hear evidence about the grantor's intent, finding the deed's language sufficiently clear.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Construction of 'children' in a deed—whether it includes grandchildren
  • Whether a remainder contingent on the remainderman surviving the life-tenant vested when the remainderman predeceased
  • Admissibility of parol evidence to explain grantor's intent when deed language is unambiguous

Procedural posture

After the trial court granted defendant's motion for nonsuit at the conclusion of plaintiffs' evidence, plaintiffs filed a bill of exceptions.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

Holden, J.

The lot of land involved in the present suit was conveyed by deed in 1874 to Mary J. Smith, “for the use benefit advantage in trust for said Mary J. Smith as aforesaid for her life . . for her sole and separate use and on her decease to such child or children they being heirs of her body that she may leave in life.” The habendum clause is as follows: “To have and to hold the above described lands in trust to her, the said Mary J. Smith and her children, the heirs of her body as above specified.” The life-tenant under the deed referred to had several children, four of whom survived her. The plaintiffs in the present case are her grandchildren and the children of Thomas J. Smith, who died in 1891, during the lifetime of his mother, the life-tenant. After the death of the life-tenant in 1901, they brought the present action, in statutory form, to recover an undivided one-sixth interest in the land described in the deed above referred to, claiming such interest as the only children and the sole heirs at law of Thomas J. Smith. Oral testimony establishing the relationship claimed in the petition, and the deed referred to, were introduced in evidence, and, at the conclusion of the plaintiffs’ evidence, the. defendant asked and the court granted a nonsuit; to which action of the court the plaintiffs filed a bill of exceptions.

Generally, the word “children” does not include grandchildren, and is to be construed according to its ordinary and popular signification, as designating the immediate offspring. White v. Rowland, 67 Ga. 546 (44 Am. R. 731), and cit. The language of the deed above referred to plainly indicates that the word “children,”’ therein used, includes only the first generation of offspring, and does not include grandchildren. The land described in the deed is conveyed to Mary J. Smith for her lifetime, and “on her decease to such child or children they being heirs of her body that she may leave in life.” The designation in the deed referred to excludes grandchildren. The children of the life-tenant are described in the deed as “heirs of her body that she may leave in life.” Any children of the life-tenant who could take under this deed as remaindermen would have to be heirs of her bodjr, and only her immediate offspring could come within the class designated as being heirs of her body, under the language embraced in the deed; and only such immediate offspring that the life-tenant left in life could take as remaindermen under this deed. The life-tenant did not leave Thomas J. Smith in life, but Thomas J. Smith left her in life. As Thomas J. Smith, the father of the plaintiffs, died before the death of the life-tenant occurred, his children have no interest in the land in dispute. Thomas J. Smith did not take a vested remainder under the deed, hut took a remainder contingent upon his being in life at the time of the death of the life-tenant. Crawley v. Kendrick, 122 Ga. 183 (50 S. E. 41).

There is nothing in the habendum clause of the deed which would warrant a different construction of the intention of the grantor from that which we have just construed the prior language of the deed to express. Indeed, the designation of the class who are to take as remaindermen, in the habendum clause, is made identical with the prior designation, by the use of the words "her children, the heirs of her body as above specified.”

The court committed no error in ’ excluding parol evidence offered by the plaintiffs to explain the intention of the maker of the deed. The judgment of the court below, awarding a nonsuit, was proper, and is Affirmed.

All the Justices concur.