Blacklaw v. Blacklaw

44 P.2d 728, 150 Or. 244, 1935 Ore. LEXIS 109
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedApril 16, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 44 P.2d 728 (Blacklaw v. Blacklaw) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blacklaw v. Blacklaw, 44 P.2d 728, 150 Or. 244, 1935 Ore. LEXIS 109 (Or. 1935).

Opinion

*245 BAND, J.

This suit was instituted by Annie E. Blacklaw and Josephine Blacklaw Marsh against Alma Blacklaw, the widow of plaintiffs’ deceased brother, James Q. Blacklaw, and A. W. Bowersox, the administrator of his estate, seeking to impress a trust upon an undivided two-thirds interest in 33 acres of land, the legal title to which was in decedent, and also to impress a trust upon a like interest in the moneys, securities and other personal property which was in his possession at the time of his death. From a decree holding that the decedent was holding a two-thirds interest in said properties in trust for plaintiffs at the time of his death, the defendants have appealed.

The transactions out of which this controversy arose are, in substance, as follows: In 1882, John Blacklaw, the father of plaintiffs and decedent, died in Pawnee county, Nebraska, leaving in straitened circumstances a family consisting of his widow, Margaret E. Blacklaw, and five minor children, Josephine, the oldest, then being about 15 years of age, Annie, James, John and Will. In order to support the family, Josephine secured employment at housework and Annie began teaching in the public schools after reaching the age of 16 years. The three boys worked at whatever jobs they could find to do, and all of them turned their earnings over to their mother. This continued until May 1891, when, in order to better their condition, the mother, with her three sons, drove to Oregon, arriving in Lebanon on September 25 of that year. They brought with them all their possessions, which consisted of two teams, wagons, harness and a few household goods. In order to defray the expenses of the trip and to support the family after their arrival in Lebanon, the two girls forwarded their earnings to their mother and the boys worked at places along the road and after their *246 arrival in Lebanon. All of them turned their earnings over to their mother, who had less than one dollar when she reached Lebanon. The following spring Annie came to.Oregon and Josephine came the next fall, all of them taking up their residence with their mother.

All the members of the family were industrious, saving and thrifty, and, after their arrival in Lebanon, it was agreed that the earnings of all'should be put into a common fund and be turned over to James, the oldest boy who was then about 19 years of age, to be held as a joint fund and, as far as necessary, be used for the support óf the family, the surplus to be invested for their joint benefit. Under this agreement, James assumed the control and management of all their business affairs and received all their earnings. Annie resumed teaching in Oregon, Josephine worked out and the three boys worked at whatever they could find to do. All of them turned over their earnings to James.

Prom these family funds and other moneys received from the sale of a leasehold estate in Nebraska, belonging to the mother, James purchased a forty-acre tract of land in what is known as the Tennessee Valley near Lebanon for the sum of $900, taking title thereto in his own name. The consideration was paid partly in cash and the balance secured by a mortgage on the purchased property. At the time of the purchase, 10 acres of the land had been cleared, the balance being in timber and slashings. That year a house was built on the premises at a cost of about $800, and it has since been occupied as the family home. The mortgage was paid and the remainder of the land was cleared and placed in cultivation by the labors of the family during that year.

Under the same arrangement, an adjoining tract of 52 acres was purchased in 1899 for the sum of $1,500, and title taken in the name of John.

*247 In 1902, another tract of 20 acres was purchased and title thereto was taken in the name of Will. A short time after this purchase :was made, Will married and, as a settlement of his interest in the common property, he was paid $400 in money and given the absolute title to the 20 acres that had been purchased in his name, following which deeds were executed conveying the other 92 acres of land in equal shares to the mother, the two girls and James and John. Shortly thereafter John married and, as a settlement of his interest in the common property, he was paid the sum of $2,200, and conveyances were made which vested the title to the 92 acres of land in equal shares to the mother, the two girls and James.

In 1924, the mother died and, by her will, she gave and devised all her interests in the common property to Annie and'James, share and share alike.

There is no controversy in respect to the title to the 92 acres above referred to. It is admitted that at the time of James’ death he owned an undivided three-eighths interest therein, Annie an undivided three-eighths interest, and Josephine a one-fourth interest.

The controversy is in respect to the following matters: Josephine married about 1905 and took up her residence in Walla Walla county, Washington, where her husband had acquired property of his own. There was no settlement made with her, nor was any change made in her one-fourth interest in the property. She received no part of the income and made no contributions tó the common fund until after the death of her husband in 1915, except some minor articles which were sent to James for use on the property. After the death of her husband, she sent to James for use on the place an automobile, a span of horses, some harness, a buggy, a carpenter outfit and a blacksmith outfit, a part of *248 which was included as the separate property of James in the inventory filed in his estate. Josephine returned to the family home in 1929 and has ever since resided there.

The 33 acres in controversy were purchased by James in 1915, he taking title thereto in his own name.

About 1918 Annie and James advanced to Josephine from the common fund $2,500 in money, no part of which has since been repaid.

Since 1905, James realized a considerable profit from his operation of the property, to which was added, until the death of the mother, Annie’s earnings as a school teacher. From these moneys, James made numerous loans, taking notes and mortgages therefor in his own name, made certain investments in stock, purchased tools and machinery for use on the lands, and kept a part on deposit in the bank, all of which was done in his own name.

Prior to 1910 and after the family was in prosperous circumstances, at the request of the mother, the moneys realized from the sale of the surplus chickens, eggs and dairy products raised on the place were, with the consent of the other interested parties, turned over to the mother as her separate property. After the mother’s death, these proceeds were paid to Annie and were by her, together with her subsequent earnings as a school teacher, deposited in the bank in her own name, and, from the sums so deposited, many of the household expenses were paid and at the time this case was tried in the court below the amount of such deposit was somewhat in excess of the sum of $1,000.

In November, 1932, James died without issue. Some three months prior thereto, he was married to the defendant, Alma Blacklaw, who is his sole heir at law.

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

Related

Lemire v. McCollum
425 P.2d 755 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1967)
Shelby v. Shelby
209 S.W.2d 896 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1948)
Hughes v. Helzer
185 P.2d 537 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1947)
Frye v. Commissioner
44 B.T.A. 835 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1941)
Mayer v. Commissioner
36 B.T.A. 117 (Board of Tax Appeals, 1937)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
44 P.2d 728, 150 Or. 244, 1935 Ore. LEXIS 109, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blacklaw-v-blacklaw-or-1935.