Texas Osage Co-op. Royalty Pool, Inc. v. Thomas

270 S.W.2d 450, 3 Oil & Gas Rep. 1944, 1954 Tex. App. LEXIS 2745
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 28, 1954
DocketNo. 3083
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 270 S.W.2d 450 (Texas Osage Co-op. Royalty Pool, Inc. v. Thomas) 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
Texas Osage Co-op. Royalty Pool, Inc. v. Thomas, 270 S.W.2d 450, 3 Oil & Gas Rep. 1944, 1954 Tex. App. LEXIS 2745 (Tex. Ct. App. 1954).

Opinion

CODLINGS, Justice.

This suit was brought by E. E. Thomas and R. A. McKnight and wife, Mildred McKnight, against Texas Osage Cooperative Royalty Pool, Inc., and Flag Oil Corporation of Delaware. Plaintiffs sought to cancel two mineral deeds, or, in the alternative, to establish that the effect of such deeds was to convey only the interest in the lands specifically described therein, and to remove cloud on the title to other lands owned by plaintiffs and not specifically described in such deeds.

Upon a trial before the court without a jury, judgment was entered construing the two mineral deeds to cover and include only lands particularly described therein, and a decree that the remaining lands of plaintiffs are free and clear of any right, title and interest of the defendants, Texas Osage Cooperative Royalty Pool, Inc., and the Flag Oil Corporation of Delaware. Defendants have appealed.

This is the second appeal of this case. The first appeal is reported in 248 S.W.2d 201 and styled Thomas v. Texas Osage Cooperative Royalty Pool, Inc., which is referred to for a more detailed statement of the pleadings herein.

The pleadings and evidence show that M. I. Thomas, during his lifetime, owned the entire 434.75 acres of land involved in this suit. On April 8, 1931, M. I. Thomas died intestate. E. E. Thomas was one of three heirs to the estate and he acquired the interest of the other two. He now owns all of said 434.75 acre tract subject to mineral conveyances thereon except 83.2 acres which was sold and disposed of by M. I. Thomas during his lifetime, which has been acquired by appel-lees, R. A. McKnight and wife.

On February 11, 1930, M. I. Thomas executed a mineral deed (hereinafter referred to as the first deed) covering a one-half interest in the oil, gas and other minerals on eight certain tracts and parcels of land described by metes and bounds and being a part of the above described lands owned by him. Another mineral deed (hereinafter referred to as the second deed) by M. I. Thomas, bearing the same date of execution, that is, February 11, 1930, purported to convey a one-fourth interest [452]*452in the oil, gas and other minerals on an 83½ acre tract out of such land. Appellants, Texas Osage Cooperative Royalty-Pool, Inc., and the Flag Oil Corporation of Delaware, have acquired and are the owners of the mineral interests conveyed to the grantees in both of the above described mineral deeds. The map set out below shows the estimated. 434.75 acres of land owned by M. I. Thomas and the portions thereof covered by the two mineral deeds. The description of the eight tracts covered in the first deed and the 83½ acre tract covered in the second deed is by metes and bounds but for convenience of reference, the tracts covered in the first deed will be herein referred to as tracts Nos. 1 to 8 as they appear therein, and the 83½ acre tract covered by the second dead will be referred to as tract No. 9.

The court found that no survey on the ground had been made and that by reason of the fact that tracts Nos. 1 and 2 were partially bounded by meandering of dry branches, the correct acreage of such tracts could not be accurately calculated. The court further found that by calculation the acreage described by the field notes of the other tracts could be computed. The court findings showed the acreage so computed as to each such tract which is substantially the same as the acreage shown on the map below, with the exception that the findings of the court showed tract No. 6 to contain 35.8 acres. Other portions of the record indicate that such tract contains 12 acres, as shown on the map. The variation is not material to the decision of this case except to show that the acreage contained in such tracts is not definite and certain.

The following map shows such tracts numbered one through nine and also other lands or tracts included in the 434.75 acres in question which tracts are numbered ten to twelve inclusive. The map also shows the original surveys in which the various tracts are situated.

The first deed described by metes and bounds and purported to convey an undivided one-half mineral interest in tracts designated on the map as Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, [453]*4536, 7, and 8. The combined acreage of these tracts appears to be about 187½ acres, or more, depending upon whether tract No. 6 contains 12 or 35.8 acres. The deed, however, contained the following language: “Again I repeat, that all of these several tracts in this deed contain 276½ acres, more or less.” The first deed also provided as follows:

[452]

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Related

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281 S.W.2d 136 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1955)

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Bluebook (online)
270 S.W.2d 450, 3 Oil & Gas Rep. 1944, 1954 Tex. App. LEXIS 2745, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-osage-co-op-royalty-pool-inc-v-thomas-texapp-1954.