Hoak v. Ferguson

255 S.W.2d 258, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2152
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 23, 1953
Docket15401
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 255 S.W.2d 258 (Hoak v. Ferguson) 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
Hoak v. Ferguson, 255 S.W.2d 258, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2152 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

RENFRO, Justice.

Suit was brought in the district court of Young County by C. A. Ferguson, appellee, to establish a right of way easement across land owned by G. W. Hoak, appellant hér'e-in. Trial was to the court without a jury and judgment rendered establishing an easement by implication in appellee’s favor.

The appellant contends the evidence does not support a finding of easement by implication.

Appellee’s 320 acre tract is situated in-the southeast corner of the S. Tynes Survey; immediately north of appellee’s land is a narrow strip of land in the same survey belonging to the Wilton estate. Adjoining the Wilton property -on the north is appellant’s 1.13 acre tract, and adjoining Hoak on the north is what, is designated in the record as the Stewart land, both the Hoak and Stewart land also being in the Tynes Survey.

The evidence shows that appellee’s father purchased the 320 acre tract in 1891 from Wells Thompson, at which time Thompson owned all the adjoining land on the west, north and east of said 320 acre tract, and the property adjoining said tract on the south was owned by third persons or was unpatented. It was stipulated that the 320 acre tract as of that time was “landlocked.”

At the time appellee’s father purchased the land theré was a roadway crossing said 320 acre tract from a point near the southwest corner to a point near the northeast corner, crossing the Wilton tract, thence across the Hoak land and into the Stewart land at the northeast corner of "the Hoak land, thence on north. The road led to the town of Markley, which was "the principal trading and community center in the vicinity of the land involved in the suit. At that time, the land was not fenced. However, after fences were built, gates were installed at the various points of ingress and egreSs heretofore' mentioned and the road continued to exist.

The trial court found that on January 1, 1891, the above described road, was either the only route or the most direct route from the 320 acre tract to the town of Markley and its use was reasonably necessary to the enjoyment of the 320 acre tract; at that time it was fairly well traveled, fol *260 lowed a well defined route and. was easily apparent and appeared to be a permanent road. At. the /time, appellant bought his. land in 1911, .said road was -fairly well, traveled, and easily apparent. The court further found that on January 1, 1891, the road involved continued in a southwesterly-direction across -other surveys, including the King Survey, now owned by a Mrs. Edwards. A fenced lane now 'admits entry to the Huber' Survey along the south boundary line of the Edwards tract. The court found that the lane is a physically adequate means of ingress and egress for the appellee, but declined to find that ap-pellee has an irrevocable right to use said land. The court further found that on January 1, 1891, it was an absolute necessity that appellee’s father have an easement across the land now owned by appellant Hoak in order to have means óf ingréss and egress to and .from said 320 acre tract of land because said tract was landlocked, , and that to the present time said road has been reasonably necessary -to. the convenient enjoyment of the 320 acre tract.

He- concluded aS a matter of law an easement by implication passed to Charles A. 'Ferguson, Thompson’s vendee, and such easement is now owned by appellee.

' The situation which obtained when, appellee’s predecessor bought the land 'from. Thompson must determine the claim of an implied grant. In other words, the situation of the parties at the time the 320 acre tract was conveyed constituted the operative facts to support the claim of a grant by implication. Zapata County v. Llanos, Tex.Civ.App.,. 239 S.W.2d 699.

Where during, the unity of title an ap- . parently permanent and obvious servitude is: imposed upon one part of an estate in favor of another and at the time of the severance it is in use and reasonably necessary for the fair enjoyment of the other, a grant of the right to continue such use arises by implication of law. Zapata County v. Llanos, supra; Bains v. Parker, 143 Tex. 57, 182 S.W.2d 397.

It is not essential that the apparent incidents be in actual use by the vendor at the time of the sale in connection with the portion conveyed. Knowledge on his part of their existence is sufficient and this may be shown otherwise than by actual use. When the incidents are, open and visible, knowledge of their existence is inferred. Thompson ,-on Real Property, Perm.Ed., Vol. 1, sec. 390.

Where an owner sells part of a tract of land and there is an apparent continuing and necessary servient use of the tract retained in favor of the tract sold, an easement passes by implication in the conveyance. This is true- even though the easement be not ■ specifically mentioned in the conveyance. Pokorny v. Yudin, Tex.Civ.App., 188 S.W.2d 185, citing Howell v. Estes, 71 Tex. 690, 12 S.W. 62; Weitzman v. Lee, Tex.Civ.App., 262 S.W. 859, loc. cit. 864, writ refused; El Paso Land Improvement Co. v. Crawford, Tex.Com.App., 292 S.W. 518; Scarborough v. Anderson Bros. Const. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 90 S.W.2d 305, writ dismissed; Van Horne v. Trousdale, Tex.Civ.App., 10 S.W.2d 147; 28 C.J.S., Easements, § 30 et seq., p. 686; Wiesel v. Smira, 49 R.I. 246, 142 A. 148, 58. A.L.R. 818.

In view of the undisputed testimony that the Ferguson tract was landlocked at the time Ferguson’s father purchased it in 1891 and the finditig of the court, supported by competent evidence, that a well traveled and defined roadway-was existing at that time,- we think- that clearly it wa9 the intention of the parties that an easement passed to appellee’s predecessor by implication. We are further fortified in that conclusion by the fact that the -original purchaser of the 320 acre tract and his successors in title continuously used said roadway across appellant’s land without objection or question from appellant or anyone else from 1891 until immediately prior to the filing of the instant suit. As found by the court,- the roadway was apparent, permanent and absolutely essential to, the enjoyment of the premises granted. The appellee only had to prove that it was reasonably necessary to the enjoyment of the premises granted. Howell v. Estes, 71 Tex. 690, 12 S.W. 62; Miles v. Bodenheim, Tex.Civ.App., 193 S.W. 693.

*261 Appellant takes the position that appellee no longer has need of the roadway across appellant’s land because he can gain entrance to his property hy' a southerly route.

In 1891, the road across the Ferguson tract extended southward and joined the Old Farmer Jacksboro road. As we interpret the testimony, the; only, way appellee can now reach the 320 acre tract from, the south is by passing through the Huber Survey, which appellee now owns, thence across land belonging to Mrs. Edwards. Formerly, appellee and others used a roadway across Mrs. Edwards’ property (King Survey) but at some time in the past she fenced her property.

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Bluebook (online)
255 S.W.2d 258, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoak-v-ferguson-texapp-1953.