Ford

John J. Ford wrote his holographic will when he was 94 years of age and died four years later. The will was admitted to probate and during the course of administration the administrators with the will annexed petitioned the court for instructions. The petition asked the court to interpret the will for the reason “that it is necessary that the will be interpreted so that inheritance tax proceedings can be commenced and the estate be put in a condition to be closed.” This appeal is taken from the order and decree interpreting the will and directing the distribution of the estate by the administrators.

The will is hand printed and without punctuation, but there is a period or dot after each word. The testator reared three foster children as his own, as stated in his will, and he refers to them as though they were his natural children. No question is raised as to the status of these foster children or their descendants, and all parties to this appeal have regarded them as testator’s children. A copy of the hand printed will, omitting the dots after each word, reads as follows:

This matter comes before the court on the question of the proper interpretation of the passage: “The…