Fuller v. Mullins

277 S.W.2d 815, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2585
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided March 31, 1955·No. No. 3273·Published

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

This suit (rion-jury) is one in trespass to try title to a tract of 15.25 acres of land in 'Hunt County.

Although appellants’ brief is short, we have had considerable trouble in comprehending their points and the application thereof to the factual situation here before us; however, they state substantially in their argument that the appeal involves three major propositions only upon which the decision of this case depends. (1) that the property was the homestead of Wm. H. Fuller, Sr., deceased, and his family lived on the same at the date of his death; (2) is to the effect that since William H. Fuller died testate and his will was admitted to probate in the County Court of Hunt County in November, .1918, that such action thereon gave the County Court of Hunt County exclusive jurisdiction of the subject matter and persons involved, and any matter relating to the William Fuller estate is appellate only; and (3) that the County Court of Hunt .County had exclusive , prior jurisdiction of the William Fuller homestead lands, and no'Other court had jurisdiction, and that all other proceedings and judgments relative to the land in the judgments specially pleaded by plaintiff became null and void because such District Court of Hunt County had no jurisdiction.. We cannot agree with appellants as to the application of the law to the factual situation here.

The pertinent facts relating to the title before us do not yield to a simple statement. This suit relates solely, to 15.25 acres of land out of Lot 2 awarded to Eliza Fuller in a partition suit in the District Court of Hunt County in February, 1921. It is appellee’s contention that he has title to the 15.25 acres here in dispute by reason of his plea of res adjudicata, The title history to Lot 2, or the 16.25 acre tract out of which the 15.25 acre tract is taken, is substantially without dispute. It was stipulated that the common source of title is “Grandpa” W. H. Fuller. “Grandpa”' Fuller died testate and in his will he bequeathed his entire estate to his six children: A, Q. Fuller, Henry [816] Fuller, Saphronia Fuller, Joe Fuller, Vivía Hood and Annie Lewis , in equal portions and in fee simple. Ttie will appointed an independent executor without bond. “Grandpa” Fuller left no debts outstanding and there was no ádministration upon his estate and the beneficiaries took fee simple title as provided in the will. W. H. Fuller died in October, 1918, and his will was admitted to probate in the County Court of Hunt County at the January, 1919 term. In May, 1919, Eliza Fuller acquired from A. Q. Fuller and wife, Carrie Fuller, an undivided one-sixth interest in the land. As part oí the consideration she executed her note in the sum of $175 and another note in the principal sum of $560, secured by vendor’s lien on the property conveyed to her. In the deed we find this recital: “ * * * conveys unto Eliza Fuller our undivided one-sixth interest in the land which A. Q. Fuller inherited from his father, Wm. H. Fuller, and his mother, Nellie Fuller. (We assume that Nellie Fuller was the wife of “Grandpa” Fuller and that she predeceased her husband, due to the fact that all of the parties have so 'treated the title, although this does not appear from the record). We find'in one of the exhibits that Wm. Henry Fuller died intestate prior to the death of his father, leaving as his sole and only children, Wm. H. Fuller, Jr., Rufus, Mary, Francis, and his widow, Eliza Fuller, the mother of their children, and that the children, and Eliza constitute the sole and only hems of the said Wm. Henry Fuller.

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Fuller v. Mullins, 277 S.W.2d 815, 1955 Tex. App. LEXIS 2585 (Tex. Ct. App. 1955).

277 S.W.2d 815 (Fuller v. Mullins) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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