The doctrine of integration of wills is a legal theory that says that since wills are multi-page documents, they do not have to be signed or initialed on every page. Each page is regarded as part of single integrated document, so long as all pages are all present at the same time and the testator intended all of the separate pages to be part of same will. In Estate of Thomas J. Twohig, the court held that “under the doctrine of integration, two or more handwritten documents which do not refer to one another may be admitted to probate when it is clear that the testator intended them to be his will.”
However, it must be noted that the doctrine of integration is distinct from the doctrine of incorporation by reference. It was held in the case of Walsh v. St. Joseph's Home For Aged, 303 A.2d 691, that “under the doctrine of integration a separate writing is concluded to be an actual part of the testator's will; that is, the will is found to consist of several writings, one of which is the particular paper then at issue…on the other hand, incorporation by reference concerns those situations where the contents of the separate writing are given effect as terms of the will, even though the separate writing itself is not considered a part of the papers constituting the will.”
[Last updated in September of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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