King v. Rea

56 Ind. 1
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1877
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 56 Ind. 1 (King v. Rea) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
King v. Rea, 56 Ind. 1 (Ind. 1877).

Opinion

Biddle, J.

Suit to quiet the title of lands. The appellant here was the plaintiff below. The names and the alleged interests of the appellees will appear in the statement of the facts. The complaint originally contained three paragraphs, but the first and second were dismissed.

The third paragraph presents the following state of facts, to wit:

That Martha W. Rea was one of the children, heirs at law and devisees of Rathaniel West, deceased, of Marion county,'‘Indiana. Said West had a large estate; that he made a will in which he devised all his estate to his wife, during her life, and in remainder to his children, of whom Martha W. Rea was one. His widow, Mary B. West, took possession of said property, and became greatly involved ; that she proposed that the heii’s should take the estate, pay her debts, and settle twenty thousand dollars upon her, for her natural life, which was accepted.

Said Mary B. West filed her bill in chancery in the Marion Circuit Court, setting up said proposition, and asking that it be carried out, and for a partition; that on the 28th of October, 1852, such proceedings were had in said suit, providing for a partition, the payment of her debts, and the settlement of the twenty thousand dollars upon her for life. A commissioner was appointed to sell a part of said real estate, to pay the said debts and to realize the twenty thousand dollars; and by the consent of the adult heirs or devisees, of whom said Martha W. Rea was one, but a married woman, the residue of the real estate was ordered to be sold, and the proceeds divided amongst the [3]*3devisees, or invested by tbe commissioner, under tbe order of tbe court.

The court provided, amongst other things, that Martha W. Rea’s share should be invested by the commissioner, in real estate, stocks or other property and undoubted securities, in the name of said Martha, and in a separate estate, and for the sole use of said Martha and her children ; and that the husband of said Martha should have no control over said property, except by the order of a court of competent jurisdiction, upon application made in writing, showing good cause, and upon such conditions as the court should impose. That the commissioner invested a part of said Martha’s interest in part of lot five, square fourteen, in the city of Indianapolis. That after-wards said Martha and her husband filed their petition in the Marion Circuit Court, asking permission to exchange said property for part of lot one, in square forty-four, in the said city. That said court ordered said exchange, and the commissioner to pay one thousand dollars of said Martha’s interest in her father’s estate as difference, and the exchange was accordingly made, on the 30th of December, 1854. That afterwards said Martha and her husband filed an additional petition, asking the leave and order of the court to exchange the last property for certain property which then belonged to Andrew "Wallace, which was ordered by the court to be done, said Wallace paying five hundred and fifty dollars difference, which was ordered to be expended on the premises she received from Wallace. This transfer was made on the 22d of June, 1855.

The commissioner, having realized further funds belonging to said Martha, made other investments for her and her children, but the commissioner, in taking the deed, did not follow the directions of the court; that at the time of making the deeds from Andrew Wallace, and from Robson & Yoorhees, to Martha W. Rea, Richard G. Rea was the only child then born unto said Martha [4]*4W. Rea; that afterwards said Martha and her husband filed their further petition in the Marion Circuit Court, asking permission to sell all of said real estate, or rather to exchange it with Winston P. Roble, for a farm of six hundred acres in Vermillion county, Illinois; that an order was obtained for said exchange, and on the 16th of May, 1862, said Martha W. Rea and husband conveyed all of said real estate to said Roble, and said Roble conveyed said six hundred acres in Illinois to said Martha W. Rea ; and said court confirmed said transfer, made by said Martha and husband to Roble; that the land so conveyed to Roble is the same property, the title to which is sought to be quieted.

Said Roble, on the 8th of September, 1865, for a valuable consideration, conveyed and warranted a part of said real estate to plaintiff; and on the 4th of May, 1868, said Roble, for a valuable consideration, conveyed the balance of said real estate to said plaintiff, and he has been in possession ever since.

When the court ordered said Martha’s interest in her father’s estate to be invested in her name for herself and children, she was a married woman, and no such condition had been imposed by her father’s will; and said Martha had no other means except what she got from her father’s estate; and every exchange that was made was made by the permission and order of the court; that at the time of the exchange with Roble said Mary B. West had died, and said Martha was entitled to the absolute control of her estate.

It is further stated that the defendants, Richard Q-. Rea, Margaret Augusta Rea, Caroline Virginia Rea, Panny Rea, Mabel Rea, Prederick Landers Rea and Victor Rea, are the children of said Martha W. Rea, and that she was the daughter of said Rathaniel West, deceased; that neither of them paid any consideration whatever for any part of said real estate, and that they and said Sampson Rea and Martha W. Rea are now claiming an interest in, [5]*5and right to, said real estate, under said deeds from Wallace and Robson & Yoorhees, but in no other way or manner, but they or either of them have no interest whatever.

All the interest said Martha received from her father’s estate was vested in said real estate.

The prayer is, that plaintiff’s title be quieted, that defendants be enjoined from claiming said real estate, and all proper relief is asked.

The last will and testament of Nathaniel West, the decree in the suit of Mary B. West against Henry W. Ellsworth and others, the deed from Andrew Wallace to Martha W. Rea, the deed from Robson & Yoorhees to Martha W. Rea, the record of the several petitions to the Marion Circuit Court, making the several exchanges set out in the complaint, the deed of Noble and wife to Martha W. Rea, the deed from Sampson Rea and Martha W. Rea to Mary E. Noble, the two deeds from Mary E. Noble and her husband to the appellant, and some other papers which need not be stated were made exhibits, and thus became a part of the complaint.

The appellees were all served with process, and all, except Sampson Rea and Martha W. Rea, were infants, for whom guardians ad litem were appointed. Several of these filed separate demurrers to the complaint, which were overruled and exceptions reserved ; but no question arising on these exceptions has been noticed in the briefs, by either of the parties. Sampson Rea and Martha W. Rea were defaulted.

Margaret Augusta Rea answered in two paragraphs. The first is the general denial. The second states, that on the 21st day of July, 1855, Wallace conveyed to Martha W. Rea, the mother of said Augusta, for and during the term of her natural life, lot one, and said three and three-quarters acres (describing it), and in remainder to the issue of the body of said Martha W. Rea, and their heirs and assigns forever; that she and the other children [6]*6of said Martha, by virtue of said deed, took the remainder in said real estate, subject to the life-estate of said Martha.

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Bluebook (online)
56 Ind. 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/king-v-rea-ind-1877.