Hatch v. Common Council

36 N.W. 36, 68 Mich. 220, 1888 Mich. LEXIS 908
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 19, 1888
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 36 N.W. 36 (Hatch v. Common Council) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hatch v. Common Council, 36 N.W. 36, 68 Mich. 220, 1888 Mich. LEXIS 908 (Mich. 1888).

Opinion

Long, J.

It appears that the bill in this case was filed to •quiet the title of the complainants to certain lands in Berrien [221]*221county, to which they claimed to derive title under the last will of Junius H.'Hatch, late of Buffalo, ih the state of New York, bearing date of May, 1868, which was executed and tested as by law is required for passing real estate by devise, and in which complainants were nominated and appointed executors, and by which they were devised all the real and personal estate of the testator.

It is claimed by the bill that said Junius H. Hatch, deceased, on July 29, 1834, and in his life-time, was seized in fee-simple of four-tenths of all that part of the village of St. Joseph, in Berrien county, lying between Front and Vine and Water streets, which is painted or colored on the original plat, and designated as “side-hill;” also such lots in said village as are marked and designated in such original plat for an academy, for a court-house, a city-hall, a jail, market-house, and churches ; also of lots numbered 488, 489, 490, 491, 492, and 493; and that the lots so marked were numbered as follows: Lot 383 for an academy; lot 237 for a court-house ; lot 200 for a city hall; lot 274 lor a jail; lots 229, 245, and 41 for markets; lots 313, 317, 376, 384, 394, and 399 for churches.

That on said July 29, 1834, Jonathan Hailman, Lucius Lyon, Tollman Wheeler, Calvin Britain, Jeremiah Price, Enoch Jones, Austin E. Wing, Charles Noble, Warner Wing, William MeKaleb, and Lorain Marsh owned or had some interest in the rest and residue of said lands, but their exact interest or title complainants are unable to state.

That since the death of said Junius H. Hatch complainants have made search in the office of the register of deeds of Berrien county, and find therein recorded a trust deed in words following:

“Know all men by these presents that we, Enoch Jones and Sophronia I., his wife, Junius H. Hatch, William MeKaleb, Lorain Marsh, Bacon Wheeler, and Delia M., his wife, Jonathan Hailman, Lucius Lyon, and Calvin Britain, Cu arles Noble and Eliza S., his wife, and Austin E. Wing and Harriet, his wife, being either original or present pro[222]*222prietors of the village of St. Joseph, on the land upon which the said St. Joseph (formerly Newberry Port) was laid off, do hereby grant, bargain, and convoy, and forever quitclaim unto the president, trustees, and freemen of the village of St. Joseph aforesaid, for the use and benefit of the corporation, all our right, title, claim, and interest in and to all that part of the said village lying between Front and Vine and Water streets which is painted or colored on the original plat, and designated as ‘side-hill,’ for and in consideration, and upon that condition only, that the same be and forever remain a public common, and not be converted to any other use; that the same shall be cleared, ornamented, and beautified for a public walk or promenade, so soon as the corporate authorities of said village shall deem it practicable to do so at their expense, but at all events within ten years ; and that no part thereof shall be excavated or removed except for the purposes aforesaid, or for widening or improving the streets, or some part thereof. And also all our rights and title to such lots as are marked and designated in the said original plat for an academy, a court-house, a city hall, a jail, market-houses, and churches, to be by the said president, trustees, and freemen of the village of St. Joseph held in trust as follows, to wit: 237 and 274 for the county of Berrien, so long as the seat of justice for said county shall remain at St. Joseph, — lot No. 237 for a court-house, and lot 274 for a jail; lots 229, 41, 383, and 200 to be for the use of the said corporation, as severally designated on said plat. And such iots as are designated on said plat for churches are to be held in trust for and c mveyed as follows, to wit: Such church as shall make the first selection shall be entitled to the first choice, each denomination one lot, for the use of such church, and conveyance to be made by said corporation so soon as a church be erected thereon and fit for use, and which shall be deemed by the corporation to be worth two thousand dollars or more. And the conveyances hereby made to the president, trustees, and freemen are for the further consideration and upon the condition that, within three months after these presents shall be duly executed and acknowledged by each and all the abuvenamed proprietors, the said president, trustees, and freemen of the village of St. Joseph shall cause a correct and accurate scale of the original survey of said village to be affized to the original plat, or to a true transcript thereof, with a representation of the dimensions or size of the several lots, and the width of the streets and alleys, with the extension of Water street through the ship-yard, and the addition of [223]*223lots 488, 489, 490,491, 492, and 493, as noted in pencil-mark on the original plat now in possession of Major Calvin Britain, and shall officially sanction the alteration ma le in regard to the ship-yard, and lay out and establish a continuation of Water street through the same, to be entered of record in the register’s office of the county of Berrien, — then and in that case the title hereby granted be veste I in the said president, trustees, and freemen of the village of St. Joseph, and their successors, forever, for the purposes aforesaid, with the right of reversion; but in case of failure of the considerations herein mentioned, or a violation of the conditions herein contained, the title hereby granted shall revert, so far as relates to the side-hill, or land lying between Vine and Front and AVater streets and west of State street, to the undersigned and their heirs.
“In witness whereof, the said Enoch Jones and wife, Toll-man AVheeler, and Calvin Britain in proper person, and Jonathan Hailman, Lucius Lyon, Lorain Marsh, AVilliam McKaleb, Junius H. Hatch, AVarner Wing and wife, C larles Noble and wife, and Austin E. AVing and wife, by Thomas Fitzgerald, as their attorney in fact, have hereunto set their hands and seals the twenty-ninth day of July, 1834. (The words ‘for ourselves and our heirs’ interlined before signing, and also the words ‘and AVater.’j
[Signed] “ Junius H. Hatch, [Seal.]
“ By his Attorney, Thomas Fitzgerald. [Seal.]
“ Jonathan Hailman, [Seal.]
“ By his Attorney, Thomas Fitzgerald. [Seal.]
“ Lucius Lyon, [Seal.]
“ By his Attorney, Thomas Fitzgerald. [Seal.]
“Tollman Wheeler and Delia Wheeler, [Seal.]
“By their Attorney, Bacon Wheeler. [Seal.]
“ Calvin Britain. [Seal.]
“Jeremiah Price. [Seal.]
“Bacon Wheeler. [Seal.]
“ E. Jones. [Seal.]
“ S. I. Jones. [Seal.]
“ Austin E. Wing and [Seal.]
“ Harriet Wing, [Seal.]
“ By their Attorney, Thomas Fitzgerald. [Seal.]
“ Charles n' oble and [Seal.]
“Eliza Noble, [Seal.]
“ By their Attorney, Thomas Fitzgerald. [Seal.]
“ Warner Wing and [Seal.]
“ Eliza A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
36 N.W. 36, 68 Mich. 220, 1888 Mich. LEXIS 908, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hatch-v-common-council-mich-1888.