Brabson v. School Directors of Fulton Township

88 Pa. D. & C. 577, 1954 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 288
Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Lancaster County·Decided May 14, 1954·No. tr. bk. no. 38·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

WiSSLER, J.,

— The matter before the court is upon petition and answer filed, establishing [578] the facts for the legal determination of the interest of petitioners in a reversionary interest in certain real estate in Fulton Township, Lancaster County, Pa.

According to the admitted facts, the heirs of Elisha Brown, deceased, by deed dated June 9, 1882, granted and conveyed to the School Directors of the School District of Fulton Township, and their successors in office, a certain tract of land containing one half acre, more or less, situated in Fulton Township, Lancaster County, Pa., more fully described in the deed recorded in the office of the Recorder of Deeds in and for Lancaster County in deed book W, vol. 11, page 476, “to have and to hold so long as the same shall be used for school purposes”.

On March 26, 1883, Slater F. Brown, one of the heirs of Elisha Brown, acquired title to the other undivided interests in the Elisha Brown farm from the other heirs of Elisha Brown. This deed expressly excluded the premises conveyed to the School District of Fulton Township by deed of June 9, 1882. The deed of March 26, 1883, from Elisha Brown’s heirs to Slater F. Brown contained the following appurtenance clause:

“Together with all and singular the buildings improvements, ways, waters, water-courses, rights, liberties, privileges, hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging, or in any way appertaining, and the reversions and remainders, rents, issues and profits thereof; and also all the estates, right, title, interest, use, trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever of the said Thomas B. Brown and Mary J. L., his wife, Walter W. Brown, Thomas B. Brown, Guardian of the aforesaid minors and William Pugh, in law, equity, or otherwise howsoever, of, in, to or out of the same. To have and to hold the said messuage and tract of land, heredita-ments and premises hereby granted and released, or [579] mentioned and intended so to be with the appurtenances, unto the said Slater F. Brown, his heirs and assigns, to and for the only proper use and behoof of the said Slater P. Brown, his heirs and assigns, forever”.

It is this clause which creates the present controversy.

Slater F. Brown being seized of 109 acres and 120 perches of land in Fulton Township, which was the greater part of the tract of 209 acres and 48 perches obtained from Elisha Brown’s heirs by deed dated March 26, 1883, died testate, and his executor, the Chester County Trust Company of West Chester, Pa., by deed dated April 4, 1929, granted and conveyed the same to Granville J. Brabson, one of the petitioners herein, and included in its description of the premises the land previously conveyed to the School Directors of the School District of Fulton Township, containing the appurtenance clause as follows:

“Together with all and singular the buildings, rights, ways, waters, water-courses, rights, liberties, privileges, hereditaments and appurtenances, whatsoever thereunto belonging, or in anywise appertaining and the reversions and remainders, rents, issues and profits thereof; and also all the estate, right,'title, interest, use, trust, property, possession, claim and demand whatsoever, of the said Slater F. Brown, at and immediately before the time of his decease, in law, equity, or otherwise howsoever, of, in, to or out of the same; to have and to hold the said messuage and tract of one hundred nine (109) acres and one hundred twenty (120) perches, the hereditaments and premises hereby granted and released or mentioned and intended so to be, with the appurtenances, unto the said Granville J. Brabson, his heirs and assigns, to and for the only proper use and behoof of the said Granville J. Brabson, his heirs and assigns forever.”

[580] Granville J. Brabson by deed dated April 25, 1950, granted and conveyed to himself and to Mabel A. Brabson, his unmarried daughter, the other petitioner herein, the 109 acres and 120 perches, and another tract of 1 acre and 128 perches, which conveyance also included the land previously conveyed to the school district.

On March 24, 1952, the Board of School Directors of Fulton Township ceased using the property for school purposes, and by appropriate proceedings under the Act of July 2, 1937, P. L. 2793, acquired an absolute title in fee simple to the school lands, and sold the same for $2,500, consisting of $1,250 for the school building and $1,250 for the land, and admits it holds the sum of $1,250 received for the land and is liable to pay said sum to those entitled to the reversionary interest.

It is conceded by all parties in interest that the re-versionary clause in the deed from Elisha Brown’s heirs under date of June 9,1882, to the School District of Fulton Township created a “reversionary interest”. The sole question is: Did Elisha Brown’s heirs, the owners of the farm, and also the owners of the rever-sionary interest in the school property immediately adjoining the farm, by their deed dated March 26, 1883, to Slater F. Brown (also one of Elisha Brown’s heirs) convey not only the farm described by metes and bounds, which excluded the school property, but also the reversionary interest in the school property? If they did, then the reversionary interest passed to petitioners, the assigns of Slater F. Brown. If they did not, then the reversionary interest remains in all of Elisha Brown’s heirs.

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Brabson v. School Directors of Fulton Township, 88 Pa. D. & C. 577, 1954 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 288 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1954).

88 Pa. D. & C. 577 (Brabson v. School Directors of Fulton Township) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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