Gulf Oil Corporation v. Shell Oil Company

410 S.W.2d 260
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 9, 1966
Docket6857
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 410 S.W.2d 260 (Gulf Oil Corporation v. Shell Oil Company) 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
Gulf Oil Corporation v. Shell Oil Company, 410 S.W.2d 260 (Tex. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinions

[262]*262PARKER, Justice.

Kirby Lumber Corporation, hereinafter called “Kirby”, and its lessee, Gulf Oil Company, hereinafter called “Gulf”, brought this action against the defendants, hereinafter designated, seeking a declaration with respect to three questions:

1. Whether the South One-half (½) of the Clayton Harper League was the separate property of A. B. Hardin (Sr.), or the community property of A. B. Hardin (Sr.) and his second wife, Maria Devers Hardin.
The trial court found that title to such land was community property of A. B. Hardin, Sr. and Maria Devers Hardin.
2. Whether after acquired title, if any, passed under the deed dated March 14, 1894 from Abner McMurtry to John H. Kirby.
The trial court found that no after acquired title passed under said deed.
3. Whether one-half of the interest of the five minor children of Sarah Hardin McMurtry in the South One-half (½) of the Clayton Harper League vested in George W. Davis and William F. Hardin under and by virtue of the deed, assignment, and power of attorney dated November 28, 1873.
On this issue, the trial court held that said power of attorney and deed dated November 28, 1873 was void as to the McMurtry minors upon the execution and delivery thereof, but further held that the said McMurtry minors after reaching majority and before March 14, 1894 knew of said power of attorney and deed, accepted the benefits of the performance rendered thereunder and accepted, confirmed, adopted, ratified and acquiesced in said power of attorney and deed, and, that accordingly the McMurtry minors and those holding under them, including Gulf and Kirby, are bound by the power of attorney and deed and are estopped to deny that one-half of the rights, titles, or interests of the Mc-Murtry minors passed to and vested in the said George W. Davis and William F. Hardin.

The defendants in this action were:

(a) The Davis Group: Republic National Bank of Dallas, as Independent Executor and Trustee of the Estate of Wirt Davis, Deceased; Wirt Davis, II; Patricia Davis Beck and husband, Henry C. Beck, Jr; and Camilla Blaffer and husband, John H. Blaffer.
(b) The Humphreys Group: John S. Boles, Administrator with the Will Annexed of the Estate of Geraldine D. Humphreys, Deceased; and The Hum-phreys Foundation.
(c) Claud B. Hamill.
(d) Shell Oil Company, hereinafter called “Shell”
(e) The Campbell Group: Larry W. Morris; Walton D. Taylor; Roy C. Sew-ell and Ben G. Sewell, each individually and as Independent Executors of the Estate of Bonner S. Dorset, Deceased, and as Trustees under the Will of the said Bonner S. Dorset, Deceased; The Dorset Foundation, Inc.; Lucille C. Bailey and husband, Lloyd F. Bailey, Sr.; Phonsie Campbell; G. C. Campbell and Marshall Dougherty.
(f) The Karsten Group: Montana Properties, Inc.; The Chase Manhattan Bank of New York City; The Regents of the University of California; New York Life Insurance Company; Republic National Bank of Dallas in its capacity as Trustee of the Savings and Profit Sharing Retirement Fund of Republic National Bank employees, and as Trustee for The Chase Manhattan Bank, the Regents of the University of California, and New York Life Insurance Company; Veda Mae Glesby; Gerald Rauch; Leonard Rauch and Harry Dow as Independent Executors of the Estate of Morris [263]*263Rauch, Deceased; Birdie Rauch, widow of Morris Rauch; Veda Mae Glesby, Gerald Rauch, and Leonard Rauch, Individually; George Bergman and wife, Rheba Bergman (formerly Rheba J. Spiner), Individually and as Independent Executors of the Estate of Gertrude Pulaski, Deceased; Jewel Pulaski; Dan J. Pulaski; Robert Sud and Dean Meyers, Individually, and as Independent Executors of the Estate of Louis Pulaski, Deceased, joined by Betty Ann Sud, Individually ; Floyd L. Karsten, Individually and as Independent Executor of the Estate of Maxine Karsten, Deceased; The Floyd L. Karsten, Jr. Foundation; Ray-bourne Thompson; Oil and Gas Property Management, Inc.; Nafco Oil and Gas, Inc.; Ruth Freed Pulaski and Dean Myers, Trustees of the Ruth Freed Pulaski Trust, and as Independent Executors of the Estate of Edward J. Pulaski, Deceased; George L. Nye, Trustee; Cynthia W. Mitchell and husband, George P. Mitchell; Ethel Janet Boyle, and husband, W. Stewart Boyle; The Culver Educational Foundation; Malcolm C. Damuth, Trustee; and Harry Leyendecker.

The questions determined by the trial court make a difference in the ownership of the land involved among the parties.

A. B. Hardin, Sr. was married twice. By his first marriage one child was born in 1819, namely, Augustus Blackburn Hardin. The first marriage of A. B. Hardin, Sr. is presumed to have been dissolved by divorce, for A. B. Hardin, Sr. married Maria Devers in 1828. Maria Devers Hardin died intestate in 1844, survived by her husband, A. B. Hardin, Sr. and five children by their marriage. In 1838 Certificate No. 34 for one league and labor of land was issued to the heirs of Clayton Harper. The sole heir of Clayton Harper was Margaret Harper. In 1839 William Hardin, guardian of Margaret Harper, a minor, executed a locative contract with A. B. Hardin, Sr. under which the Harper League in Liberty County was located in 1856. A. B. Hardin, Sr. died intestate in 1871.

In the suit of Abbott et al. v. Gulf Production Co. et al., Tex.Civ.App., 100 S.W.2d 722, in an opinion by this court of December 23, 1936, writ of error dismissed, this question of title was before this court. Reference is made thereto for its holdings and history of the title. R. W. Abbott, et al, plaintiffs, sued in trespass to try title for the south half of the Harper League. The defendants, Gulf Production Co., et al, had a plea of not guilty. Other pleadings were before the court but were dismissed. This court held:

“that A. B. Hardin had a valid contract with the guardian of the minor and that under this contract he acquired a vested interest and that, operating under this contract, the land in controversy was located and by virtue of this contract he acquired a one-half interest in the land.”

All parties to this cause deraign title under the successful defendants in the suit of Abbott et al. v. Gulf Production Co. et al., supra. In defeating the prima-facie case of Abbott, et al, the defendants, Gulf, et al, relied upon the A. B. Hardin, Sr. contract of 1839 as vesting an interest in him on that date which ripened into title upon location of the land. Such defendants had no other title to assert. The original right and inception of title in A. B. Hardin, Sr. is the contract of 1839. This court, in the 1936 opinion, based this conclusion upon the case of Wren v. Harris, 78 Tex. 349, 14 S.W. 696, 697. Other cases in point are Manchaca v. Field, 62 Tex. 135 (S.Ct.1884), and Welder v. Lambert, 91 Tex. 510, 44 S.W. 281 (S.Ct.1898). Further, in John Hancock Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Bennett, 159 S.W.2d 892 (Tex.Civ.App.1942, err. ref’d), it was held:

“The rule seems to be that the character of title is to be determined by the transaction in which it was acquired, that is, in the inception of title. Smith v. Buss, 135 Tex.

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Related

Terrell v. Graham
576 S.W.2d 610 (Texas Supreme Court, 1979)
Gulf Oil Corporation v. Shell Oil Company
410 S.W.2d 260 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1966)

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410 S.W.2d 260, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gulf-oil-corporation-v-shell-oil-company-texapp-1966.