Gore v. Cunningham

297 S.W.2d 287, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2441
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 28, 1956
Docket5083
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 297 S.W.2d 287 (Gore v. Cunningham) 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
Gore v. Cunningham, 297 S.W.2d 287, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2441 (Tex. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

R. L. MURRAY, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment in a suit in trespass to try title in the district court of Hardin County.

Appellants F. F. Gore, et al., all the children and surviving heirs of W. J. Gore and his wife, Martha Jane Carraway Gore, brought the suit against appellees Mary J. Cunningham, surviving widow of R. E. Cunningham, and the surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, and Houston Oil Company of Texas, the American Republics Corporation, D. K. Cutshall, William Seale, and Mrs. Jewel Haralson, seeking to recover a one-half undivided interest in and to a 147 acre tract of land in the O. C. Nelson League in Hardin County. The petition contained a plea of ten years limitation title, in addition to the formal allegations in trespass to try title. The suit also was for one-half the value of the oil produced from said land.

The defendants answered with pleas of not guilty, general denial, 3-year, S-year, 10-year, and 25-year statutes of limitation, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. arts. 5507, 5509, 5510, 5519, bona fide purchaser, laches and stale demand, and Houston Oil Company of Texas and American Republics Corporation also pleaded improvements in good faith.

The trial was to a jury and at the conclusion of all the evidence in the trial court, the defendants moved for an instructed verdict and in the alternative that the court withdraw the case from the jury and render judgment for the defendants. The court granted the motion to withdraw the case from the jury and rendered judgment that the plaintiffs take nothing by their suit against the defendants. The plaintiffs in the trial court have duly perfected their appeal from such judgment.

The cause was submitted on briefs and oral argument of all parties, and thereafter on motion of the appellants the appeal was dismissed as to the appellees Houston Oil Company of Texas and the American Republics Corporation. The appellants here are children and grandchildren of W. J. Gore and his wife, Martha Jane Carraway Gore. The appellees Cunningham are the widow and children of R. E. (Bay) Cunningham, who died in 1939. The two oil companies, the appeal against which has been dismissed, were holders of an oil and gas lease on the land in suit from the Cun-ninghams. The appellees Cutshall, Haral-son and Seale bought royalty interests from some of the Cunninghams.

By deed dated January 18, 1858, W. B. Frazier, Administrator of the Estate of David Brown, conveyed to Thomas J. Word both the O. C. Nelson League and the George W. Brooks League of land in Hardin County. Word conveyed by deed dated December 11, 1871, to W. N. Perry-man 147 acres of land out of the G. W. Brooks League in Hardin County. The deed described the land by metes and bounds, as follows:

“Beginning on the North boundary line of said G. W. Brooks League, 225 varas from the Northwest corner of said League at a stake, whence a pine 18 in. dia. bears N. 75 deg. W. 4¾ vrs. a pine 20 in. dia. brs. S. 31 deg. 30' E. 9.J4 vrs;

“Thence East 1155 to a stake, whence a pine 10 in. dia. S. 60 deg. 30' E. 4 vrs.;

“Thence South 720 varas to a stake;

“Thence West 1155 varas to a stake, whence a pine 30 in. dia. bears N. 70 deg. E. 4¾ varas a pine 18 inches dia brs. S. 67 deg. E. 7 varas;

“Thence North 720 varas to the place of beginning, containing one hundred forty seven acres of land, more or less, together with all and singular the rights, members, hereditaments and appurtenances to the same belonging or appertaining.”

By deed dated August 13, 1872, Perry-man conveyed to W. J. Gore “147 acres out of the G. W. Brooks League in Hardin *290 County” and such deed described the land conveyed by metes and bounds, using the same description with the same calls as that used in the Word to Perryman deed above. In 1871 W. J. Gore and his wife went into possession of the land in suit, which is in the O. C. Nelson League. W. J. Gore and his wife lived there for many years and Mrs. Gore died there in 1882, or 1883. Thereafter in 1884 ,W. J. Gore and his children moved off the land in the Nelson League to a home on the Rafferty League. Thereafter by deed dated May S, 1896, W. J. Gore conveyed to Jesse Moss, who was an uncle of the appellants Gore, a tract of 147 acres of land out of the G. W. Brooks League. This deed used the same description as the two prior deeds mentioned. About six months after the date of the deed to Jesse Moss, Moss and his wife, Fronia Moss, went into possession of the land in controversy in the O. C. Nelson League. This deed to Moss was executed some 14 years after the death of Mrs. Gore. Thereafter Jesse Moss executed a deed to Delaney and Mc-Clelland and in such deed the land conveyed was described as a 147 acre tract of land in the Nelson League. This description placed the beginning corner of the tract 1225 varas from the Northwest corner of the Nelson League, but the calls for distances and corners were the same as the calls in the deed from Gore to Moss. This deed also contained the recitation, “This is the same land deeded to us by W. J. Gore on the 5th day of May, 1896.” Thereafter McClelland, in 1915, and Delaney in 1919, conveyed to R. E. Cunningham “147 acres of land out of the Old C. Nelson League,” and such deed of conveyance employed the same description as that in the deed from Jesse Moss and wife to Mc-Clelland and Delaney, describing land in the Nelson League. The appellees, Seale, Cutshall and Haralson own an undivided royalty interest in the land by virtue of conveyances executed by some of the Cunningham heirs. Gore and his wife and family resided on the land in suit, the land in the Nelson League, and later tenants of R. E. Cunnningham resided on and cultivated portions of the land in controversy.

Appellants, in the course of the trial, introduced evidence to show that W. J. Gore and Mary Jane Carraway Gore were married in Hardin County in 1869, that Mrs. Gore died intestate either in April, 1882 or March, 1883, and that the appellants are the heirs, and successors in title and claim of heirs, of Mrs. Gore.

The appellants also introduced in evidence their requests for admissions of fact made upon the appellees, and appellees’ answers to such requests for admissions. The requests Nos. 8, 9, 3, and 6, and the answers of the appellees thereto, and the legal effect of such requests and answers, form a large part of the controversy on this appeal.

By request No. 8, appellants requested appellees to admit that the land in controversy is the same tract of land as that described in the deed from Word to Perry-man, dated December 11, 1871. The appel-lees admitted that the land in controversy is the same tract of land described in the Word to Perryman deed. The land described in the plaintiffs’ petition, the land in suit, is 147 acres out of the O. C. Nelson League. The land described in the deed from Word to Perryman is described as 147 acres out of the G. W. Brooks League.

By request No. 9, the appellants requested the appellees to admit, and the appellees did admit, that Thomas J. Word had title to the land in controversy at the time of his deed to Perryman on December 11, 1871.

By request No. 3, the appellants asked the appellees to admit that the land in controversy is the same tract of land described in the deed from Perryman to Gore, dated August 13, 1872, and the appellees admitted that this was true.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cedyco Corp. v. Whitehead
253 S.W.3d 877 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
PROFITLIVE PARTNERSHIP v. Surber
248 S.W.3d 259 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Ross Boulet v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006
Boulet v. State
189 S.W.3d 833 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Neal v. Wisconsin Hard Chrome, Inc.
173 S.W.3d 891 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005)
in Re: Steven L. Hodge D/B/A H & M Farms
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002
Credit Car Center, Inc. v. Chambers
969 S.W.2d 459 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1998)
Esparza v. Diaz
802 S.W.2d 772 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1990)
Texas General Indemnity Co. v. Lee
570 S.W.2d 231 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1978)
U. S. Enterprises, Inc. v. Dauley
535 S.W.2d 623 (Texas Supreme Court, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
297 S.W.2d 287, 1956 Tex. App. LEXIS 2441, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gore-v-cunningham-texapp-1956.