Fulcher v. Carter

212 S.W.2d 503, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1338
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 24, 1948
DocketNo. 5880.
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 212 S.W.2d 503 (Fulcher v. Carter) 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
Fulcher v. Carter, 212 S.W.2d 503, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1338 (Tex. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinion

STOKES, Justice.

This is a suit in trespass to try title. It was instituted by appellees, Frank Carter, Leo Rosenvall and Elva McNabb, the collateral heirs of Mrs. Pearl Hatfield Fulcher, deceased, and Aline McAfee, the surviving wife of Elton C. Platfield, deceased, against the appellant, O. N. Fulcher, who is the surviving husband of Pearl Hatfield Fulcher. The purpose of the suit was to recover title and possession of four tracts of land situated in the city of Borger, in Hutchinson County, and for an accounting of rents.

Elton C. Hatfield was the only child born to Pearl Platfield Fulcher, and was the issue of her former marriage. He was born June 7, 1906, and died intestate April 2, 1933. Elton C. Hatfield had one child, a daughter, born February 7, 1929, and she died in 1933. There were therefore no natural child or children, nor their descendants, surviving Pearl Hatfield Fulcher at her death, which occurred on February 4, 1945. Mi-s. Pearl Hatfield married the appellant, O. N. Fulcher on March 7, 1926, and on April 16, 1930, she executed and filed for record a deed of adoption whereby she adopted Charles Aubrey Hatfield as her legal heir under Article 42 et seq. of the Revised Civil Statutes of 1925. We shall hereafter refer to those articles as the “old law,” since they were repealed in 1931 by an Act of the 42nd Legislature which substituted for them the present Article 46a of Vernon’s Revised Civil Statutes. Tracts numbers one, two and four were taken in the name of Pearl Hatfield Fulcher and tract number three was taken in the name of Mrs. Fulcher and her natural son, Elton C. Hatfield. Mrs. Fulcher died intestate in Hutchinson County on February 4, 1945, and on June 9, 1947, Charles Aubrey Hatfield executed to the appellant, O. N. Ful-cher, a quit claim deed in which, for a consideration of $1500, he conveyed to appellant all of his right, title and interest in the four tracts of land involved in this suit.

Appellees alleged in their petition that Aline McAfee was the only surviving heir of Elton C. Hatfield and the remaining plaintiffs, as collateral kindred, were the sole and only heirs at law of Pearl Hatfield Fulcher, deceased. They alleged that appellant was her surviving husband and that he had taken possession of all the property sued for, collected the rents and revenues therefrom and prayed judgment *506 decreeing to them the title and possession of the property and for an accounting of the rents and revenues.

Appellant pleaded not guilty and set up title in himself under Article 5510, commonly known as our ten-year statute of limitation and adverse possession. The case was submitted to the court without the intervention of a jury and resulted in a judgment based upon the old law, Article 42 et seq., R.C.S. 1925, in favor of the appellees, decreeing to each of them a specific interest in the various tracts not necessary here to detail and in favor of Aline McAfee for an undivided one-half interest in tract number three and a judgment against appellant for $990 as an accounting of rents and revenues. The judgment also decreed to Carter, Rosenvall and Elva Mc-Nabb each $147.37 for rents and revenues collected and retained by appellant during his occupancy and possession of the property. It decreed to appellant only one-fourth of the separate property of Pearl Hatfield Fulcher under his deed from Charles Aubrey Hatfield.

Appellant duly excepted to the judgment, perfected an appeal and presents the case to this court for review upon two assignments of error. He contends, first, that the court erred in holding and decreeing that the inheritance of Charles Aubrey Hatfield, the adopted son of Pearl Hatfield Fulcher, deceased, was limited to one-fourth of her estate under the old law and, secondly, in holding that appellant had not acquired title to the undivided one-half interest in tract number three, claimed by Aline Mc-Afee, upon his plea of limitation and adverse possession under Article 5510, the ten-year statute of limitation.

The basis of appellant’s contention under his first assignment of error is that the property belonged to Pearl Hatfield Fulcher in her separate right; that she adopted Charles Aubrey Hatfield under, and in accordance with, the old law; that her natural son and only natural child, Elton C. Hatfield, and also Elton’s only child, both died intestate prior to the death of Pearl Hatfield Fulcher, leaving Charles Aubrey Hatfield, her adopted son, as her sole and only heir at law; and that Charles Aubrey Hatfield having conveyed to appellant his interest in the property, appellant was entitled to a judgment decreeing the property to him because Pearl Hatfield Fulcher’s death occurred after the old statute was repealed and the present Article 46a, V.R. C.S., was enacted and became effective as the law of the State.

Appellees resist the contention of appellant and assert the court correctly concluded that the inheritance of Charles Aubrey Hatfield was limited to one-fourth of the estate of his adoptive mother because it was so limited by the adoption statute in effect when he was adopted by her on April 16, 1930, which was before the enactment of the present statute, Article 46a, V.R.C.S., and while the old law was in effect.

Under the old law the process of adoption was very simple. It was accomplished by the execution and filing for record in the office of the county clerk q written instrument or deed, duly acknowledged, reciting in substance that the adopting person adopts, as his legal heir, the person named therein. When the adoption deed was recorded, it entitled the child or person so adopted to all of the rights and privileges of a legal heir of the adoptive parent, the same as a child had by law against lawful parents, except that, if the adoptive parent had, at the time, or should thereafter have, a child begotten in lawful wedlock, such adopted heir should in no case inherit more than one-fourth of the estate of the adoptive parent. In 1931 the entire adoption title was repealed and the present Article 46a, V.R.C.S., was substituted therefor. Under its provisions the process of adoption is wholly different from the old law. Instead of the simple form of a statement or deed, the present law requires a judicial process. When it is complied with and a child adopted under it, the child is deemed and held to be the child of the person so adopting as fully as though born in lawful wedlock. Adopting parents are entitled to the child’s services and to its control, custody and company and it shall inherit from them as fully as though it were their natural and legitimate child. From this it will be seen that, if the provisions of the old law are applicable to the case, Orarles Aubrey Hatfield inherited *507 from his adoptive mother, Pearl Hatfield Fulcher, only one-fourth of. her estate; but, on the other hand, if the provisions of the present statute, Article 46a, are applicable, he inherited from her all of the property of which she died seized and possessed. This is true because there was born to Pearl Hatfield Fulcher a natural child and, under the provisions of the old law, even though that child died before she adopted Charles, and before her own death, Charles’ inheritance was limited to one-fourth of her estate. It is a general rule of law, recognized in all jurisdictions in this country whose courts have passed upon the question, and with which we are familiar, that the law in force at the time of the adoptive parent’s death determines the right of the adopted child to inherit the adoptive parent’s property.

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Bluebook (online)
212 S.W.2d 503, 1948 Tex. App. LEXIS 1338, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fulcher-v-carter-texapp-1948.