Gibbs v. Eastham

143 S.W. 323, 1911 Tex. App. LEXIS 793
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided December 2, 1911·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

GRAHAM, C. J.

Appellant, J. D. Gibbs, began this suit against appellee, L. C. East-ham, in the district court of Haskell county on April 6, 1908, for partition or division of 80 acres of land, described in his pleading, alleging that appellant and appellee each own an undivided one-half interest therein. On May 23, 1908, appellee answered, denying that appellant had any interest in the land, pleaded a cross-action of trespass to try title for the entire 80 acres, and also pleaded the statutes of limitations of three, five, and ten years as a bar to appellant’s recovery of any part of the land. The case was tried before the court without the intervention of a jury, who on November 30, 1910, rendered judgment for appellee for the entire 80 acres of land, from which judgment the cause is before this court on appeal. The trial court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and, as our judgment will be based thereon, they will be copied herein, and are as follows:

“(1) It was admitted that plaintiff and defendant claimed title under W. R. Moore as common source of title.

“(2) That land in controversy is a part of the Peter Allen survey patented to heirs of Peter Allen, deceased, by patent No. 365, vol. 17, dated December 31, 1866.

“(3) On March 18, 1890, W. R. Moore, the common source of title, conveyed to W. R. Gibbs and L. O. Eastham the 80 acres of land in controversy, described in said deed as follows: ‘All that certain tract or parcel of land situated in Haskell county, Texas, being eighty acres known as block 128, subdivision of the Peter Allen % league survey, No. 140, abstract No. 2, certificate No. 136, patent No. 165, vol. 17, as shown by map of said subdivision recorded in Book M — 7, pages 222, 3 and 4, deed records of Haskell county, Texas, said deed duly acknowledged and recorded in Haskell county, Texas, April 8, 1890’ — and said 80 acres is the land in controversy.

“(4) On January 17, 1895, by deed in trust and preferential deed of assignment, W. R. Gibbs conveyed his undivided one-half interest in the land in controversy, and other lands in Haskell and Baylor counties, owned by him jointly with defendant L. G. Eastham, and all of his stock of merchandise in Huntsville, Tex., to J. W. Cary, trustee, for the benefit of certain creditors therein named.

“(5) On February 19, 1895, J. W. Cary, trustee, by deed duly executed and acknowledged, and filed for record in Haskell county, Tex., on the 13th day of April, 1895, conveyed to Leon & H. Blum, together with other property conveyed by W. R. Gibbs, to him, an undivided one-half interest in the 80 acres in controversy.

“(6) Leon & H. Blum conveyed an undivided one-half interest in said 80 acres, together with other property above mentioned, to Hy-man Blum, trustee, on the 21st day of March, 1895, by deed duly acknowledged and recorded on the 19th day of April, 1895, in the deed records of Haskell county, Tex.

“(7) On February 29, 1S96, Hyman Blum, trustee, conveyed said property, including an undivided one-half interest in the land in controversy, to the Leon & H. Blum Land Company by deed duly acknowledged and filed for record in Haskell county, Tex., on April 13, 1896.

“(8) Plaintiff, J. D. Gibbs, purchased all the assets of W. R. Gibbs from Leon & H. Blum as early as 1896, but the undivided *325 one-half interest in the 80 acres in controversy, together with the lots in Baylor county, Tex., formerly owned; by W. B. Gibbs and the defendant, L. 0. Eastham, were not conveyed by the Leon & H. Blum Land Company until October 14, 1898, when by quitclaim deed the same was conveyed to plaintiff, Jell E». Gibbs, which deed was duly acknowledged and filed for record in Haskell county, Tex., on the 22d day of May, 1898.

“(9) On January 31, 1896, W. B. Gibbs executed his last will and testament, which was admitted to probate on October 28, 1897, in Johnson county, Tex., wherein,Mrs. Lillian C. Gibbs, wife of W. E. Gibbs, was made independent executrix of the last will and testament of W. B. Gibbs, without bond. W. B. Gibbs died in 1896.

“(10) Lillian O. Gibbs, as independent executrix of the estate of W. E. Gibbs, deceased, executed a deed conveying to defendant, L. 0. Eastham, for the consideration of $200, the land in controversy correctly described, this deed bearing date May 19, 1898, duly acknowledged and filed for record in Haskell county, Tex., May 25, 1898.

“(11) For two or three years prior to obtaining this deed from Lillian C. Gibbs, independent executrix, defendant, L. C. East-ham, had knowledge that plaintiff, J. D. Gibbs, had acquired and was claiming the half interest in the property in controversy, as well as other lands formerly owned by W. B. Gibbs, together with defendant, L. C. Eastham.

“(12) That about 189J L. C. Eastham employed Oscar Martin, an attorney at law at Haskell, Tex., to look after the lands in controversy in this suit, together with some other lands owned in the town of Haskell, Has-kell county, Tex., one W. H. Gibbs at that time owning a half interest in all of said lands, and L. 0. Eastham employed said Martin to take possession'of the 80 acres of land, block 128 and to fence it and lease it, and that said Martin did fence it in July, 1898, and leased it for the use and benefit of L. 0. Eastham, and also rendered and payed the taxes for L. O. Eastham, the defendant, from 1898 until 1904, and continued in possession of it until November 19, 1904. That L. O. Eastham wrote Mr. Martin, and asked him to find out whether or not W. B. Gibbs had ever transferred his half interest in the 80 acres of land in controversy or not, and that he, Martin, did make an examination of the records of Haskell county and ■ reported to defendant, Eastham, that he found no transfer of any kind, and that was prior to 1898.

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Gibbs v. Eastham, 143 S.W. 323, 1911 Tex. App. LEXIS 793 (Tex. Ct. App. 1911).

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