Ball v. Ball

65 S.W. 552, 165 Mo. 312, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 275
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 26, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 65 S.W. 552 (Ball v. Ball) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ball v. Ball, 65 S.W. 552, 165 Mo. 312, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 275 (Mo. 1901).

Opinion

BURGESS, J.

Addison T. Ball died testate in February, 1871, leaving his widow, Orinda I. Ball, and his children, his only heirs at law, Issa and Minnie Ball, plaintiffs, and Dollie, Emmett and William L. Ball, defendants surviving him. His will whs as follows:

“Eirst. My will is that my wife have the entire control and management of my estate both real and personal for the uses and purposes hereinafter mentioned so long as she remain my widow.
“1st. Eor the payment of all my just debts and 2d for the necessary and proper support of herself and necessary and proper support and education of my children during their minority, and for this purpose I desire that my wife and children keep and use my property in common without any division until the children shall respectively arrive at age at which time I desire my wife with the advice and assistance of my brothers John and Jamison Ball to set off to each child a reasonable portion of my estate and so on as each child becomes of age until the last one attains its majority, at'which time I desire all my estate divided so that my children shall be made equal and my wife have such portion as she would now be entitled to under the statute of descent and distribution now in force in this State.
“Second. In case of the marriage of my wife my will is that my brothers John and Jamison Ball or in case of the death of either the survivor then take charge of my estate and cause it to be distributed of among my wife and children according to the statute of descent and distribution now in force in this State.
“Third. I hereby appoint my wife and brother above named executors of this will.
[317]*317“In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this, twelfth day of February, 1874.
“A. T. Ball.”

The purposes of this suit is to have the will construed; to admeasure and set off dower to his widow, Orinda I. Ball, defendant herein; to determine, adjudge and decree to plaintiffs their estate in the lands in controversy; and to annul the deed of Orinda I. Ball to William L. Ball, and the deed of William L. Ball to Emmett R. Ball, in so far as said deeds affect or cloud the title of plaintiffs in and to said lands.

The widow took and held under the will and proceeded to carry out its terms and provisions. Addison T. Ball died seized of 485.95 acres of land in different disconnected tracts in Morgan county, Missouri.

On the eighteenth day of March, 1893, all the children having reached their legal majority except William L., the widow, with the assistance of John Ball (Jamison Ball having died), proceeded to set off to said children portions of said lands. This was done by the devisees exchanging or making deeds to each other. No conveyance was made of the 160' acres on which the mansion house was located; nor was any action taken in any court or in any manner whatever setting apart said lands to the widow.

In 1896, and subsequent thereto, the defendant, Orinda I. Ball, asserted claim of absolute title to said 160 acres of' land, the same being described as follows, to-wit. The southeast quarter of the northeast quarter; 60 ‘acres the south part of the west half of the northeast quarter; and 60 acres the south part of the east half of the northwest quarter all in section 24, township 43, of range 18, in Morgan county, Missouri.

On the fifth day of February, 1897, she conveyed said lands by warranty deed to her son and co-defendant, William L. Ball; and thereafter on the second day of February, 1898, William conveyed by warranty deed to his co-defendant, Em[318]*318mett R. Ball, 40 acres of said land described as follows: The south half of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter and the south half of the'northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 24, 43, 18. Said defendants then and thereafter openly asserted- title absolutely to said lands and denied the right of these plaintiffs to have or to hold any right, title, interest or estate, either present or in expectancy, in and to said 160 acres of land.

By the separate answer of Orinda I. Ball she pleads the will, and claims under it, and also claims the fee simple title to the one hundred and sixty acres, under the homestead law then in force (vol. 1, sec. 5, p. 628, Wagner’s Statutes, 1872). The answer of the other defendants makes the same allegations and claim of homestead.

Evidence offered by plaintiffs tended to show that the land was worth from $15 to $22.50 per acre at the time of the trial, and that at the time of the death of the testator the one hundred and sixty acres exceeded in value fifteen hundred dollars, and was equal in value to all of the remainder of his land.

With respect to the division of the land, the evidence was as follows:

Issa Ball, plaintiff, testified as follows:

“Q. When did you first learn that deeds were to be exchanged as to the other parts of this land ? A. About an hour before the deeds were made out she (my mother) came up to tell us to come to town and sign those deeds.
“Q. Did you and your sister come to town ? A. Yes, sir; we went to McNair’s office.
“Q. What happened there. A. We signed the deeds there. The first I knew about the making of the deeds was about an hour before they were made. She (my mother) said for us to come to town and sign those deeds. Had heard nothing before about it. We were living about a mile and a quarter from my mother’s at the time, at Mr. Taylor Blank’s. [319]*319Had been there about two weeks. Had not- been at my mother’s house for .two weeks. The trouble occurred before we left home. It was not with reference to the land nor to the estate. We had not discussed, or attempted to make, a- division of the land before we left.
“Q. When did you learn for the first time what piece of land you were to have in the division? A. Not until I came to sign the deeds.
“Q. Who told you then ? A. McNair.
“Q. What did he say to-you, what information did he give you? A. Well he stated that they wanted to divide the land and tliat we would get 10 acres apiece, 60 acres apiece, on the Moreau and 10 acres apiece off of the old homestead place.
“Q. Well, when he made that statement to you didn’t he state to you that that was your part of your father’s estate ? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Did he state what each one of the others got ? A. No, sir.
“Q. Did you make deeds at that time to Will, Emmett and Minnie ? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. I will ask you if this 160 acres had been used by your mother all the time and cultivated as the home place from the time you can first recollect ? A. Yes, sir.”

Minnie Ball testified as follows:

“I remember when certain deeds were made and executed in McNair’s office.
“Q. Who spoke first to you about the making of those deeds? A. My mother came to Mr. Blank’s and asked me to come and sign them. She said for us to come to town and sign those deeds if we wanted our part of the estate. We came to McNair’s office.
“Q.

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Bluebook (online)
65 S.W. 552, 165 Mo. 312, 1901 Mo. LEXIS 275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ball-v-ball-mo-1901.