Hobson v. Huxtable

112 N.W. 658, 79 Neb. 334, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 371
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 7, 1907
DocketNo. 14,845
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 112 N.W. 658 (Hobson v. Huxtable) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hobson v. Huxtable, 112 N.W. 658, 79 Neb. 334, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 371 (Neb. 1907).

Opinions

Calkins, C.

Anna E. Hobson died on the 17th day of August, 1888, intestate, leaving her surviving husband, John H. Hob-son, and her children, John T., aged 1 year, Roy Y., aged 7 years, Ida Belle, aged 14 years, and George W., aged 18 years. At the time of her death she was seized of a quarter section of land upon which she had resided with her husband and family for several years preceding her death. The land did not exceed in value, over and above incumbrances, the sum of $2,000, so that the same constituted the family homestead, if the mere fact of occupying it as a family residence was a sufficient selection under the homestead law. On the 27th day of October, 1888, one Palmer was appointed administrator of the estate of said deceased, and he in May filed his petition under the statute for license to sell said lands to pay, debts. Such license was granted by the district court, and such proceedings were had thereunder that the premises were on [336]*336the 24th clay of October, 1890, sold by the said administrator to the defendant Charles A. Huxtable, and, the said sale having been confirmed, the administrator conveyed the premises to said purchaser, who went into possession under said deed, and who has, with his wife, the defendant Ada E., remained in actual possession ever since. It appears that no record of the oath required to be taken by the administrator can be found in the district court, but that the proceedings were otherwise regular. On the 15th day of June, 1904, the plaintiffs Roy Y. Hobson and John T. Hobson commenced this action, setting forth the foregoing facts and praying for a decree declaring the administrator’s deed void. John H. Hobson, the surviving husband of Anna E., died pending this action, on the 18th day of June, 1905. On the 18th day of July, 1905, the defendants Ida Belle Hobson, now Busby, and George W. Hobson filed an answer in this action, admitting the allegations of the plaintiff’s petition, alleging the death of John H. Hobson, asserting title in themselves, and asking that their rights in the property be investigated, and that the defendants Huxtable be ejected from the premises. There was a plea of the statute of limitations against these defendants by the defendants Huxtable. The district court rendered a decree quieting the title in the four Hobsons, subject to the amount of a mortgage which had been paid off by or with the money received from the purchaser at the administrator’s sale. Prom this decree the defendants Huxtable appeal.

1. The appellants contend that the fact of the use of the property as a family home for herself, husband* and children for some years before, and up to the time of her death, was insufficient to show that the homestead was selected with the consent of the wife, and, as to the defendants Ida Belle and George W., that more than ten years have elapsed since they became of age, and that they are accordingly barred by the statute of limitations. It is admitted by the appellants that, where the husband is. the owner of the fee, the mere fact of residence is suffi[337]*337dent selection; but they insist that, where the wife is the owner, there must be some further evidence of her consent. The statute provides that “if the claimant be married, the homestead may, be selected from the separate from her separate property.” The counsel for appellants property of the husband, or icith the consent of the wife, lays stress upon the words in italics, and argues that to give them effect there must be some further evidence of the consent of the owner of the fee where the property is in the name of the wife than where it is OAvned by the husband. The cases cited from California and Idaho do not assist us,' for in each of these states the statute requires the selection of a homestead to be made by an instrument in Avriting executed and recorded in the same manner as a conveyance. Our own court has in several cases assumed that the fact of residence was sufficient evidence of selection in a case Avhere the property belonged to the wife. Larson v. Butts, 22 Neb. 370; France v. Bell, 52 Neb. 57; First Nat. Bank v. Reese, 64 Neb. 292, and, Brichacek v. Brichacek, 75 Neb. 417, Avere all cases where the property was in the name of the Avife, and the homestead character was sustained Avithout proof of any formal consent of the wife. It is, however, but fair to say that in none of these cases was the fact that the statute requires the selection to be made in such cases with the consent of the Avife discussed. Klamp v. Klamp, 58 Neb. 748, is the only case brought to our attention in AAdiich the effect of these Avords has been considered, and it was there held that a husband could not acquire the homestead in the separate property of the wife except with her consent. The question in issue was whether or not the husband had a right to compel the wife to account to him for the proceeds of the homestead which was the separate property of the wife and the court held that he had not that right. We do not think that this case established the doctrine contended for by the appellants that the Avife must declare her formal consent to the selection of a homestead from her [338]*338property. We think her consent will be presumed from the actual use of the property as a homestead, which presumption can only be overcome by proof that she did not in fact consent. The property being the homestead of the deceased descended to the husband during his life, and, upon his death, in fee to the children. This being the case, the license to the administrator was void, even though the proceedings were regular. Tindall v. Peterson, 71 Neb. 166; Brandon v. Jensen, 74 Neb. 569.

2. Section 57, ch. 73, Comp. St. 1905, provides “that an action may be brought and prosecuted to final decree, judgment, or order, by any person or persons, whether in actual possession or not, claiming title to real estate, against any. person or persons, who claim an adverse estate or interest therein, for the purpose of determining such estate or interest, and quieting the title to said real estate”; while section 59 contains the further provision that “any person or persons having an interest in remainder or reversion in real estate shall be entitled to all the lights and benefits of this act.” It is clear that under this statute a remainderman may maintain an action to quiet title during the life of the life tenant; and it follows that the disability of the defendants Ida Belle and George W. ceased, and their right to bring an action to quiet this title accrued, more than 10 years prior to the filing of their answer in this case. It is contended by the attorney for the defendants Ida Belle and George W. that the claim set up in their answer is to be considered an action in the nature of ejectment, and that such an action could not accrue to them during the life of John H. Hobson, the life tenant. This again is met by the defendants Huxtable with the contention that, since the Huxtables did not claim under John H. Hobson, and could not claim to be the owners of his interest for life, an action by the heirs to obtain possession could have been as well maintained before as after his death.

We are, however, unable to regard this suit as an action in the nature of ejectment. The plaintiffs’ suit was to [339]*339quiet title, and, if we admit this claim of the. defendants Ida Belle and George W., we are committed to the anomalous proposition that two tenants in common can join in an action which shall be on the part of one an action to quiet title, and on the part of the other an action in ejectment. The two actions are incompatible.

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

Related

Brian Daniel Marron
D. Nebraska, 2024
Mainelli v. Neuhaus
59 N.W.2d 607 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1953)
Horn v. Gates
53 N.W.2d 84 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1952)
Dawson County Irrigation Co. v. Stuart
6 N.W.2d 602 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1942)
Polsky v. Continental Nat. Bank
110 F.2d 50 (Eighth Circuit, 1940)
Nielsen v. Nielsen
280 N.W. 246 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1938)
Davis v. Davis
185 N.W. 442 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1921)
Williams v. Williams
184 N.W. 114 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1921)
Criswell v. Criswell
163 N.W. 302 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1917)
First National Bank v. Meyers
150 P. 308 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1916)
Shearon v. Goff
145 N.W. 855 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1914)
Bohrer v. Davis
143 N.W. 209 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1913)
Currier v. Teske
139 N.W. 622 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1913)
Pettit v. Louis
129 N.W. 1005 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1911)
Judson v. Creighton
128 N.W. 651 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1910)
Helming v. Forrester
127 N.W. 373 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1910)
Draper v. Clayton
127 N.W. 369 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1910)
Holyoke v. Bishop
125 N.W. 1093 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1910)
Bank of Alma v. Hamilton
123 N.W. 458 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1909)
Holmes v. Mason
114 N.W. 606 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1908)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
112 N.W. 658, 79 Neb. 334, 1907 Neb. LEXIS 371, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hobson-v-huxtable-neb-1907.