Richardson v. Reid

188 S.W.2d 248, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 727
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 3, 1945
DocketNo. 4258.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 188 S.W.2d 248 (Richardson v. Reid) 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
Richardson v. Reid, 188 S.W.2d 248, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 727 (Tex. Ct. App. 1945).

Opinion

WALKER, Justice.

This is an action of trespass to try title by the Heirs of S. H. Reid against various defendants, including M. E. Richardson and the widow and children of P. H. Nolan, to recover title to and possession of the S. J. Johnson 160-acre survey in Tyler County. It was severed from an .action involving this and other tracts and was tried separately. Judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiffs for title to and possession of the survey, less an undivided interest of five and one-third acres which the court, in effect, if not in specific terms, adjudged to certain heirs of Gennie, or Genie Bell, a daughter of Tyron Mclnnis. Only M. E. Richardson and the widow and children of P. H. Nolan have appealed. They make only one point, as follows: “The trial court erred in rendering judgment in favor of appellees against appellants, as the record title offered in evidence by appellees established appellants’ ownership to an undivided interest in the S. J. Johnson 160 acre survey of land sued for.”

Appellees introduced the following chain of title, all conveyances referred to being of record in the Deed Records of Tyler County:

(1) Patent from the State of Texas to the Heirs of Sebron J, Johnson, deceased, dated February 9, 1894, covering 160 acres of land. This instrument recites that it was issued by virtue of an affidavit made by “Avy Johnson, surviving wife of the said Sebron J. Johnson.” It was filed for record on July 16, 1909.
(2) Stipulation by the parties that this survey was community property of Sebron J. Johnson and wife, Áva C. Johnson; that Sebron J. Johnson was dead in 1894; that he was survived by his wife A.va C. Johnson; and that only four children were born to this marriage, namely, J. Wilborn Johnson, Mrs. M. E. McConnell, wife of R. E. McConnell, Mrs. R. C. Howell, wife of I. P. Howell, and Mrs. Alice Craig, wife of H. E. Craig. The parties treat said wife and children as constituting all of the heirs of Sebron J. Johnson.
(3) General warranty deed from J. W. Johnson and Mrs. M. E. McConnell and husband R. E. McConnell to H. E. Craig, dated November 18, 1908, conveying the entire survey. Mrs. R, C. Howell and husband, I. P. Plowell, executed and acknowledged this instrument, but were not *250 named in the body of the deed. This instrument was filed for record on December 3, 1908.
(4) Quitclaim deed from A. C. Johnson (wherein the grantor is described as the wife of S. J. Johnson, deceased) to J. J. Copley and Tyron Mclnnis, dated December 16, 1888, conveying grantor’s title in and to a tract of land described by metes and bounds. The field notes in this deed vary in certain respects from the field notes in the patent, but the two sets of field notes apparently call for the same bearing trees, and it is evident from the entire record that this variance is immaterial and that the deed covers the grantor’s interest in the Johnson survey which is the subject matter of this appeal. This instrument was filed for record on July 16, 1909.
(5) Special warranty deed from J. J. Copley to Tom F. Coleman and Grove C. Lowe, dated September 6, 1917, conveying all of grantor’s interest in the survey. It was filed for record on September 7, 1917.
(6) Special warranty deed from Tom F. Coleman and Grove C. Lowe to S. H. Reid, dated November 30, 1917, conveying all of grantors’ interest in the survey. It was filed for record on January 5, 1918.
(7) It was stipulated in connection with the deed listed below in Item No. 11 that Tyron Mclnnis was dead on December 10. 1917, which was the date of said deed. The exact date of his death was not proven; but he was evidently dead when the Dis trict Court of Tyler County rendered the judgment in Suit No. 3036 which is listed below in Item No. 8. The parties, in effect, have so treated this matter.

It was further stipulated1 that Mrs Winnie Mclnnis was the surviving widow of Tyron Mclnnis and that six named children were born to this marriage, among whom were Litia Mclnnis and Genie Mclnnis. No question is made as to these persons constituting all of the heirs of Tyron Mclnnis.

With reference to the said Litia, it was stipulated that she married one John Hicks, who died, and that afterwards she married Jeff Wells, who died in 1890.

With reference to the said Genie, it was stipulated that she married W. C. Bell; that she died in 1911; that her husband died in 1919; and that she was survived by ten named children. Two of these ten children were grantors of S. H. Reid in the deed listed below in Item No. 11; and despite certain variances in names, it seems that the other eight are the parties defendant herein to whom the trial court, in effect, adjudged an undivided 5½ acres-in the survey. The parties before us have so treated them; appellees identify these particular defendants as the Bell children, and appellants do not question this identification.

(8)Judgment of the District Court of Tyler County in suit No. 3036, dated August 4, 1910, wherein H. E. Craig and wife, Alice Craig, were plaintiffs, and the widow and children of Tyron Mclnnis (including Genie Bell and Litia Wells), as well as M. E. Richardson and P. H. Nolan, were defendants. This judgment decreed to said plaintiffs title to and possession of an undivided one-half of the survey and the interest, as well, of the said Litia;, and decreed to the remaining defendants title to and possession of the other undivided one-half of the survey, less the interest of the said Litia Wells. This-judgment provided that: “Said plaintiffs-have their writ of restitution and possession against the defendant Litia Wells for all of said land and that the said plaintiffs and the other named defendants (other than Litia Wells) have each respectively their writ of possession and restitution for the respective interests recovered herein, by them .and that said plaintiffs have their writs of execution and the officers have their writs to recover their costs.”

No cross adjudication was made between-the defendants in suit No. 3036. Of the pleadings in that suit, appellees introduced, the third amended original petition of Craig and wife. This was in statutory form of trespass to try title and for damages. It alleged a joint trespass by the defendants, and put in issue title to and possession of the entire Johnson survey. Appellees also introduced the first amended-answer of the defendants in suit No. 3036, excepting however the defendant Litia Wells, who filed no answer and against whom judgment by default was accordingly rendered. This answer was a joint pleading by the various defendants, excepting as stated, the said Litia; and it consisted of a general demurrer, a plea of not guilty and a plea of limitation to the cause of action for damages alleged by Craig and wife.

Recitals in the aforesaid petition of Craig and wife indicate that suit No. *251 3036 was filed on January S, 1909. We have referred above in Item No. 4 to a quitclaim deed from A. C. Johnson to J. J. Copley and Tyron Mclnnis, dated December 16, 1888. This deed was not filed for record in Tyler County until July 16, 1909, subsequent to the date recited by Craig and wife as the date on which they filed their original petition. However, neither Copley, nor his grantor, nor any heir of Sebron J.

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

Related

Browning v. West
557 S.W.2d 848 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)
Gray v. Joyce
485 S.W.2d 311 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1972)
Frede v. Lauderdale
322 S.W.2d 379 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1959)
Green v. City of San Antonio
282 S.W.2d 769 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1955)
Dodson v. Dodson
277 S.W.2d 278 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1955)
SECOND NAT. BANK OF HOUSTON v. Fuqua
262 S.W.2d 834 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1953)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
188 S.W.2d 248, 1945 Tex. App. LEXIS 727, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/richardson-v-reid-texapp-1945.