California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from Graham's Estate, Matter of, 310 P.2d 442 (Cal. App. 1957):
It is a mistaken notion that a will can be interpreted without any reference to the property upon which it operates or the circumstances in which it was made. Paley v. Superior Court, 137 Cal.App.2d 450, 455-456, 290 P.2d 617, 620: 'The will on its face is not ambiguous. * * * But it is necessary to apply every will to the subject matter upon which it is to operate. To that end extrinsic evidence is always necessary. * * * Wigmore on Evidence, section 2470, page 227 says: 'The truth had finally to be recognized that words always need interpretation; that the process of interpretation inherently and invariably means the ascertainment of the association between words and external objects; and that this makes inevitable a free resort to extrinsic matters for applying and enforcing the document. 'Words must be translated into things and facts.' Instead of the fallacious notion that 'there should
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