McLemore v. Durivage

22 S.W. 207, 92 Tenn. 482
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedApril 22, 1893
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 22 S.W. 207 (McLemore v. Durivage) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McLemore v. Durivage, 22 S.W. 207, 92 Tenn. 482 (Tenn. 1893).

Opinion

Wilkes, J.

These two actions (by consent tried together) involve the title ' to lot 15, block 12, in Port Rickering, at Memphis, Tenn.

The former is an action of ejectment and the latter is a petition for writ of error coram nobis.

They were tried by the Judge of the Court below, Hon. L. H. Estes, without the intervention of a jury, and, upon demand made by counsel before trial, a special finding of facts was .made, upon which judgment was rendered in favor of Charles Durivage for the possession and title of the lot in controversy.

There is an appeal to this Court by the heirs of John C. McLemore, and many errors have been assigned, all of which have been considered and will be passed upon in connection with a statement of the facts of the ease as they appear in the record and from the finding of the trial Judge.

[484]*484The heirs of McLemore trace their title to a grant from the State of Tennessee by an unbroken and connected record chain, and they must, therefore, prevail in the ejectment suit unless the adverse claimant, Charles Durivage, can protect his possession under the statutes of limitation.

The claim and title of Charles Durivage rest upon ■ the ground that through himself, his tenants, and those under whom he claims, he has had actual open, adverse possession under inclosure of the lot in controversy, under color of title, for more than seven years before action brought; and he therefore claims not only right of possession but a valid title to the lot under the provisions of the first and second sections of the act of 1819, compiled in the Code (M. & V.) as §§ 3459, 3460 and 3^61.

It appears without dispute that lots 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 were inclosed together by a fence in 1871, and the inclosure has continued uninterruptedly ever since.

In 1871 Mrs. Cordelia Cook was in possession of the property, and built a house on two of the lots, which still remains, and she had possession of all the lots under one common inclosure until 1878, when she died of yellow fever.

Charles Durivage, Jr., was her only son and heir, and was present when his mother died; and, after her death, remained in possession of the property a short time only, dying during the same epidemic in 1878.

His wife, Yina Durivage, on the death of her [485]*485liusband, took possession of the property, and, about six months after her husband’s death, gave birth to a son, the present claimant, Charles Duri-vage, Jr.

She rented out the property and collected the rents until her death in 1888, and, it is claimed, for the benefit of her infant son.

Her mother, Mrs. Welsh, the grandmother of claimant, survived the daughter, and is still alive, and the tenant who was in possession of the property at the death of Mr. Durivage, after her death, attorned to Mrs. Welsh, and she has collected rents ever since, as she says, for the benefit of the claimant, her grandson.

One Dennis Moss was tenant in possession under Mrs. Durivage at the time of her death, and, after attorning to Mrs. Welsh, he continued in possession until September 26, 1887.

The claimant had no legal guardian until September 24, 1887, when his grandmother, Mrs. Welsh, qualified as such guardian, and soon thereafter, September 26, 1887, she leased the property for a term of five years to the defendant, Ship-ley. This lease, by its terms, embraces lots 16, 17, 18, and 19, hut these lots were, and had been, inclosed and held with lot Ho. To, under the same inclosures by the same parties since 1871.

The lessor and lessee both understand that all the lots inclosed together are embraced in the lease, but lot Ho. 15 is not named or referred to by number.

[486]*486The statement of Mrs. Welsh is, that during the entire time the property has been held by her, and by her daughter, the mother of claimant, it was for his benefit, and the rents were collected for him. There is no testimony contradicting this statement. Several receipts given for rents from time to time are copied into the record, but they do not state on their faces that they are for rents paid for claimant. The record title of Mrs. Cook consists of a warranty deed from J. E. and Walter Merriman, of date October 17, 1877, conveying all of said lots 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19, in block 12.

It is claimed that title descended from Mrs. Cook to her sou, Charles Durivage, Jr., and from him to his son, the present claimant.

A deed from John Hallum to J. E. Merriman, of date March 16, 1861, appears in claimant’s chain of title.

A deed from McLean, Tax-collector, to Walter Merriman, of date April 4, 1870, also appears in his chain of title, but the title is not traced any further back.

It appears, therefore, that Mrs. Cook had possession of the lots and built the house upon them as early as 1871, or about six years before^ her deed from Merriman.

The Court below found that the deeds offered were good as color of title under the statutes, and that under them claimant and those under whom he holds had held adverse possession of the lot in dispute for more than seven years, and thereby [487]*487acquired an indefeasible title; that the lots were all under one fence, and all in possession of the ancestors of claimant, or under them by tenants, and that the title of Mrs. Cook, under the Merri-man deed, coupled with her possession, descended, on her death, to her son, Charles Durivage, Sr., and, on his death, to his son, Charles Durivage, Jr., the present claimant.

The Court further found from the evidence that the property was held for the present claimant, and that there was a privity of estate between the successive holders, and their successive possessions inured to the benefit of the present claimant under the provisions of both statutes of limitation, and the fact that lot Ro. 15 was not known or recognized by its number, made no difference if it was inclosed and adversely claimed with -the other lots.

The Court was further of opinion, and so held, that complainant held adverse possession through privies in estate for mor§ than seven, years, and thereby acquired a . complete title under the first section of the Act of 1819, and had set up a valid and good defense under both sections, the one conferring title and the other a possessory right to the premises.

On the first of March, 1890, the K., C. & M. Railway and Bridge Company filed a petition in the Circuit Court of Shelby County, against Susan McLean Green c.t als., Ro. 8565 .on the reference docket, for the purpose of condemning a portion [488]*488of lot No. 15 for railroad purposes. Claimant and Ms guardian, Mrs. Welsh, as well as the heirs of McLemore, were made parties thereto.

On the same day, in the same Court, a separate condemnation proceeding was instituted by the same parties to condemn a portion of lots Nos. 16, 17, 18, and 19, adjoining lot No. 15, and embraced in the same inclosure, the number of this proceeding being 8562. To this latter suit claimant and his guardian were made parties, but the heirs of McLemore were not.

Notice in each case was served March 4, 1890, upon the guardian of claimant, but not on claimant himself. Copy of notice in the latter case was left with the guardian, but no copy of notice in the former case was left.

In the latter case a portion of lots Nos.

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Bluebook (online)
22 S.W. 207, 92 Tenn. 482, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mclemore-v-durivage-tenn-1893.