English v. Paschall

229 S.W.2d 645, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2057
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 23, 1950
DocketNo. 6488
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 229 S.W.2d 645 (English v. Paschall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
English v. Paschall, 229 S.W.2d 645, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2057 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

HALL, Chief Justice.

' This action is between the heirs of Dr. J. S. Paschall and wife, Delitha Paschall, and concerns a division of 107 acres of land constituting the homestead of Dr. and Mrs. Paschall. The suit was instituted by B. D. Paschall against his brothers and sisters to recover a specific 23 acres, a part of the 107-acre tract, which was conveyed to him by his mother, Delitha Paschall, after the death of her husband, Dr. J. S. Paschall. In the same suit W. M. Paschall sought to recover one-half of the oil and gas royalty under the 107-acre tract under a royalty deed from Delitha Paschall executed and delivered to him after the death of Dr. Paschall. Also in the same suit appellant Gladys English sought to recover, on cross-action, the whole of the 107-acre tract which was conveyed to her by her mother, Delitha Paschall, after the death of Dr. Paschall. The case was tried before the court without the aid of a jury and resulted in a judgment for plaintiff for the 23 acres sued for; for the defendant W. M. Paschall for one-half of the minerals. under the 107-acre tract of land, less the 23 acres awarded plaintiff B. D. Pa-schall; judgment for defendant Gladys English for one-half of the 107 acres, less the 23 acres and less one-half of the minerals recovered by the other parties. The other one-half of the 107 acres was awarded to all of the parties, each receiving a one-eighth interest as heirs at law of Dr. J. S. Paschall and his wife, De-litha Paschall, and a partition was ordered. Gladys English alone has appealed and in her first point asserts: “The trial court erred in holding that the. deed from Mrs. Delitha Paschall to the defendant Gladys English conveyed only an'undivided one-half interest in the 107 acre tract of land described in the. deed, less the 23 acres to plaintiff B. D. Paschall and less the one-half mineral interest under the land which was awarded to the defendant W. M. Pa-schall.”

The record discloses without dispute that the 'parties to this' suit are all- the children born to. the union .of Dr. J. S. Paschall and Delitha Paschall and that the 107 acres [647]*647of land in controversy was the homestead of Dr. and Mrs. Paschall until their respective deaths. Dr. Paschall died September 29, 1936, and his wife, Delitha, died July 26, 1947. On January 14, 1938, Mrs. Delitha Paschall conveyed to appellee B. D. Paschall, her son, a specific 23-acre tract off of the 107-acre tract. On April, 22, 1946, she conveyed to a son, W. M. Pa-schall, an undivided one-half interest in t,he oil and gas royalty under the 107-acre tract. And on July 13, 1947, she conveyed to Gladys English, appellant, a daughter, the 107-acre tract of land, disregarding the former conveyances of 23 acres and one-half of the oil and gas royalty to her two sons, B. D. Paschall and W. M. Paschall, respectively. The trial court found that appellant Gladys English paid the greater portion, $257.60, of the funeral expenses of her father, Dr. Paschall, shortly after his death. Also a $30.00 fertilizer account contracted by Dr. Paschall the year he. died. This last payment was made in 1947, a short time before the conveyance of the 107-acre tract to Mrs: English. The record . reflects further that Mrs. English, appellant, , at the request of , her mother sometime after Dr. Paschall’s death sent her mother around $250.00 with which to pay taxes. The trial court, however, finds that none of this money was applied to payment of taxes due on the 107-acre tract. The granting clause in the deed from Mrs. Paschall to appellant, Mrs. English, conveying the entire 107-acre tract.is as follows:

“The'State of Texas,

County of Wood.

Know All Men By These Presents: that I Delitha C. Paschall, individually and as ‘community survivor (I being the surviving wife of Dr. J. S. Paschall, deceased), of the county of Wood, State of Texas, for and in consideration of the sum of- Ten and No/100 Dollars, to me in hand paid by Gladys English, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and the further consideration of the love and affection I have for my dáughter, the said Gladys English, and the further consideration of her having paid the funeral expenses of my said deceased husband, as well as other community debts, of our, owed at the time of his death, have granted, sold and conveyed and by these presents do grant, sell and convey unto the said Gladys English, of the county of Wood, State of Texas, all of that certain lot, tract or parcel of land, .situated in Wood County, Texas, being a part of the J. B. Chereno- Survey and more particularly described as follows:” (Here follows description of land).

It will be noted that Mrs. Paschall conveys the property “individually and as community survivor.” At the time this deed was given there was due some $250.00 for taxes against the 107-acre tract, or a part thereof. The taxes had been paid on the 23-acre tract conveyed to B. D.‘ Paschall. It is appellant’s contention that the rule announced in Griffin v. Stanolind Oil & Gas Co., 102 S.W.2d 231, by this court, affirmed by Commission of Appeals, 133 Tex. 45, 125 S.W.2d 545, and Davis v. Magnolia Petroleum Co., 105 S.W.2d 695, by this court, affirmed by the Commission of Appeals, 134 Tex. 201, 134 S.W.2d 1042, controls the disposition of this case in so far as Gladys English is concerned. In the Griffin case the surviving husband and his 'then wife, conveyed a leasehold estate covering community property of himself and a deceased wife, disregarding the children’s interest in their deceased mother’s -estate. The consideration in that conveyance was $10.00. The only community debt against the tract of land conveyed was $10.32 fo-r taxes. This court in Griffin v. Stanolind Oil & Gas Co., 102 S.W.2d 231, held that the surviving husband had the power to make the sale as community survivor, even though he purported to act in his individual capacity. In affirming'the opinion of this court the Commission of Appeals said. [133 Tex. 45, 125 S.W.2d 548].: “Moreover it is’ definitely settled that, unless fraud appears, a sale of community property which has been made by the surviving husband will be sustained, as binding the heirs of his dead wife, where Community debts existed at the time the sale was made. The power of the surviving husband to make such a sale depends exclusively on the fact that community debts exist. This is a gen[648]*648eral power, and the purchaser is under no duty to inquire as to whether the survivor, in making the sale, is exercising said power for the purpose of paying community debts,- or to see that the proceeds of the sale are applied to their payment. ,* *

Again, the same authority states: “As we have already seen, the fact that, in making the lease, Alex acted in his individual capacity makes no difference, for the lease purporting the grant of a determinable fee estate in the 54-acre tract as an entirety, and containing a general warranty, passed title commensurate with his power.”

In Davis v. Magnolia Petroleum Co., 105 S.W.2d 695, this court applied .the doctrine laid down in the Griffin case, and held that Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
229 S.W.2d 645, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2057, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/english-v-paschall-texapp-1950.