Berry v. Snyder

66 Ky. 266, 3 Bush 266, 1867 Ky. LEXIS 182
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 14, 1867
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 66 Ky. 266 (Berry v. Snyder) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Berry v. Snyder, 66 Ky. 266, 3 Bush 266, 1867 Ky. LEXIS 182 (Ky. Ct. App. 1867).

Opinions

JUDGE WILLIAMS

delivered the opinion op the codrt:

The appellees being trustees of Jamestown, on the Ohio river, in Campbell county, licensed one Snyder to enter upon the sand-bar in front of said towm, and take therefrom sand, &c., to be sold in the market of Cincinnati, on the opposite bank of the river. Appellant claiming to be the owner and in possession of this sand-bar, brought this action in the nature of an action of trespass, for entering upon her said possession.

A tract of one thousand acres was originally granted by patent, dated April 20, 1787, by the State of Virginia, to James Taylor, assignee of George Muse, beginning at said Taylor’s upper corner — buckeye, beach, and sugertree on the bank of the river — running thence up the river, binding on the same as it meanders,” nine hundred and sixty-four poles. James Taylor conveyed this land, by deed of March 13, 1788, to George Muse.

Catty Shropshire and Catherine Gregory and her husband, William Gregory, claiming to be devisees of George Muse to this land, by their deed of November 14, 1792, conveyed it to Washington Bei’ry, who took possession of it immediately, and so continued in possession until his death in 1813, a period of over twenty years. His widow, Alice, and his children, continued this possession until 1825, when two hundred and eighty-four and one half acres of the tract, embracing this river line, was assigned [270]*270her as dower. For some prudential reason, Mrs. Alice Berry, in 1830, obtained a patent from the State of Kentucky for this land assigned her, bounded by low watermark on tlie river.

Major James T'. Berry, appellant’s father, was one of nine children left by their father, Washington Berry ; also of their mother, Alice Berry, as heirs-at-law, she having died in 1837.

James T. Berry, by various means, became possessed of the interest of his co-heirs to this land allotted to their mother as dower, and to which she had obtained the Kentucky patent, when, in 1846-7, he conveyed an undivided 'interest therein to J. M. McArthur and Henry W alker.

Berry and McArthur, however, had, before this conveyance to Walker, laid off the town of Jamestown, and conveyed the land on which it was situated to J. N. Taliaferro, as a trustee, to convey the lots as they should direct. The individual interest of these joint owners was afterwards, by legal proceedings, separated, and this sand-bar assigned to said Berry, who died in February, 1864. He directed a division of his lands by his last will, and this sand-bar was assigned to appellant by the division made in pursuance thereof.

The evidence tends to establish, that when Washington Berry took possession of the land, in 1792, there was then a-small tow-head just above where the town is now situated, and that there was a channel between the bar and main bank; that, by the gradual wéaring away of this tow-head and accretions below it, this channel has filled up, and that now there is no channel between the sand-bar and bank; and, as this may have been only a change from one point to another of the land of the same proprietor, it might, perhaps, be more strictly called a [271]*271reliction; that Washington Berry, and those who claim under him,-have had such possession and control of this sand-bar as its nature permits, it being uncovered by water from eight to nine months in the year, but so deeply covered during the winter and rainy seasons as to often admit the largest and heaviest laden steamers plying on the river to pass over it.

The evidence further indicates that the original proprietors, for the purpose of enhancing the sale of the lots, licensed the citizens or trustees to use the sand for building purposes in said Jamestown, and that the citizens have so used it at will without hindrance, and that even country citizense have frequently gone on it and obtained sand for their purposes; but that Major Berry, and those under whom he claimed, also used it as their'property, and claimed to be in possession,-frequently renting fishing and other privileges.

The deed from Muse’s devisees to Washington Berry was rejected as evidence; and the record of the chancery suit divesting Taliaferro’s heirs of the legal title was also rejected.

The plat of the town by which the lots were sold, and as we understand the evidence, shows, that, between Front street and the bank of the river, there was a rather crescent-shaped piece of ground, which was also dedicated as a common, but which did not include the sand-bar; and it is admitted in the record that the sand was taken from that part of the bar not included in the deed of trust from Berry and McArthur to Taliaferro. Besides, by section 5 of the act approved March 1, 1848, incorporating Jamestown, and authorizing a sale of lots, in which said deed of trust, for the purpose of holding and conveying the legal title to the lots, by Berry and McArthur to Taliaferro, was recognized, “the said proprietors [272]*272reserve to themselves all ferry rights in front of said town, and all other rights and immunities ivhich they are by law entitled to, and which they have not heretofore disposed of.”

As the sand was taken from land not included in this deed of trust, it is not necessary for us to investigate the objects and legal effect of that deed, nor whether, as the specific trusts had been performed, and, since Taliaferro’s death, another trustee has been appointed in his stead by order of court, the legal title still continues in his heirs or has passed out of them.- It is said to be rejected because, in a suit to obtain the legal title, all of Taliaferro’s heirs were not served with pi-ocess; but if it be conceded that they still held the legal title, and were essential parties, we apprehend it was good as against those who were served. But, in a subsequent suit by Tompkins to foreclose a mortgage to him by McArthur, a partition and conveyance was made, allotting to Jas. T. Berry, appellant’s ancestor, this sand-bar in controversy; and the then trustee, appointed as Taliaferro’s successor, was a party to the suit; so, whatever legal title Taliaferro may have once had, none remained in his heirs after these various proceedings.

It is insisted that there is no proof that those conveying to Washington Berry, as Muse’s devisees, “were his heirs,” and that there is no sufficient description of the land in their deed. It was certainly not essential that devisees should be heirs-at-law. If they were devisees, that would be sufficient. But if it was meant that their identity as devisees was not made out, we apprehend that, after a lapse of near three quarters of a century under a deed, it would seem rather late to require proof as to the character of the vendors or the identity of the land; but, in this action, we suppose it at least was competent to show the character and extent of the holding.

[273]*273But as the possession was of the only character of which this land was susceptible, and fully made out by the parol proof, no peremptory instruction should have been given to the jury to find against the plaintiff, unless that holding was tortious, and that it cannot be if this land could be private property; therefore, the important and controlling inquiry involves the question whether it was or could be private property appendant to Taylor’s original patent.

There is only one view in which the Kentucky patent to Mrs.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Milwaukee County v. Mary F.-R.
Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2013
Commonwealth v. Henderson County
371 S.W.2d 27 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1963)
Hough v. Ohio River Sand Co.
288 S.W.2d 655 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1956)
Walker v. Felmont Oil Co.
136 F. Supp. 584 (W.D. Kentucky, 1955)
Louisville Sand & Gravel Co. v. Ralston
266 S.W.2d 119 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1954)
City of Princeton v. Martin
170 S.W.2d 660 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1943)
Johnson v. Lainhart
118 S.W.2d 204 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1938)
Turk v. Wilson's Heirs
98 S.W.2d 4 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1936)
Paducah-Illinois R. v. Graham
46 F.2d 806 (W.D. Kentucky, 1931)
City of Covington v. State Tax Commission
21 S.W.2d 1010 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1929)
McGill v. Thrasher
299 S.W. 956 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1927)
Caughlin v. Wilson
180 S.W. 40 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1915)
Nugent v. Mallory
141 S.W. 850 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1911)
Robinson v. Wells
135 S.W. 317 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1911)
Wilson v. Watson
132 S.W. 563 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1910)
Stonestreet v. Jacobs
82 S.W. 363 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1904)
Franzini v. Layland
97 N.W. 499 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1903)
Exterkamp v. Covington Harbor Co.
47 S.W. 1086 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1898)
Stanberry v. Mallory
39 S.W. 495 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1897)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 Ky. 266, 3 Bush 266, 1867 Ky. LEXIS 182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/berry-v-snyder-kyctapp-1867.