Walker v. Montgomery

5 Ky. 253
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJuly 1, 1810
StatusPublished

This text of 5 Ky. 253 (Walker v. Montgomery) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Walker v. Montgomery, 5 Ky. 253 (Ky. Ct. App. 1810).

Opinion

[253]*253OPINION of the Court, by

Judge Wallace

n¡s is a coutest for land, in which Montgomery, the defendant in the court below, relies on his having the eldest entries. But the court, as usual, will first as-certam the validity and true situation of the entry on ' which the complainants found their claim. This entry and those on which it depends, are in substance as follows : ‘‘July 24, 1784, Mastin Clay enters 2231 1-2 acres ot land, &c. on the waters of Sdver creek and Paint •Luck, to adjoin a pre-emption of Andrew Kenkannon’s on the^westward!)’ side, to begin upon his line, 300 poles from the most southwardly corner ofhis unper survey when reduced to .a straight line ; thence west ' 446 P°les? thence 80u* 800 1-2 poles, thence east 446 poles, and thence north 800 1-2 poles to the begining.” ' When this entry was made Kenkannon had not surveyed any part of his pre-emption ; therefore, his entries, and not his surveys, must have been intended. They are m substance as follows : “June 20,1781, Andrew Ken-kannon enters 1000 acres upon a pre-emption warrant, No. 1004, 200 acres of which, across on both sides of bilver creek, above and below Boone’s old trace that leads to the settlement.” “June 20, 1781, Andrew Ken-kannon enters 400 acres, adjoining the above entry below, and running down Silver creek on both sides for qU?ntUr- And ‘‘,JU0C 20’ mi> Andrew Kenkannon enters 400 acres adjoining the former entry oí 400 arces running down Silver-creek on both sides for quantity.”’ Joy the depositions exhibited in this suit, it is satisfoc-tonly proven, that Sdver creek, Paint Lick creek, and oone s old trace, which are cabed for in these entries, names, at tne times and were ad well known by those names, ui uie times and Jong before they were made, and that the place where Boone s trace crossed Silver creek is truly laid down in the surveyor’s report. And this court concurs in pinion with the court below, that Kenkannon’s 200 acre entry should have been surveyed in a square, with the place where Boone s trace crossed Silver creek ⅛ thtí anc^ so ^at the creek would intersect the middle ot the upper and lower lines of the survey. But it is u^CeJVedi ^ ⅛6 manner in which th¿ court below has decided that Kenkannoa’s first entry of 400 acre£

kerne objects ©f general aei-cuption not identified, deemed iurpiuf age, other ob jeers of general, and 'fj-erial del criptum alluded to in the entry being proved. Entry “toj.-m an improvement (wh¡ch coniifted of a cab;n and 16 acres of c'eareü ianci) including a taring.” The tubin not to he dim áard ed, it ts a iría-tenai part of &n improvement, How to be iurveyed —» Bruce vs. Ej - nil ID* Dec. 1%^ — Vvic Braajfj-d vs. H4'Crackings heirs, Pr Dec. ^%-^Morgun ⅞/.„ R,Oinjonf Pr. Dec, 2.69 ■~~M.oore vs. Harris, Pr. A call, to in - elude a Jprmg1 which was not exhibited, d emed imma-ferial by rea Jem of the o: her locative cki<Ti p * rions in theca fry. 44 To join K. *a the S. 1'. comer ssd to run eaftwardly** h<»w to be fur-Veved' -

[254]*254should have been surveyed, is not altogether correct. Conformably to the cases Smith vs. Grimes, (Hugh. 18.) Lillard’s adm'r. vs. Taylor's heirs, (Pr. Dec. 246.) and several others which might be cited, the upper line of this survey should extend equal distances beyond the east-wardly and westward!)' corners of the lower line of the 200acre survey, so far that lines passing from the terminations thereof would meet the termination of a line which would include the quantity of 400 acres ; the last mentioned line to be the length of the base of a square survey of 400 acres, and to be intersected in the middle by the creek, and run at right angles to a direct line passing from where the creek enters the survey to where it goes out of the same. Then in compliance with the call in Clay’s entry, beginning upon Kenkan-non’s line, 300 poles from the most southwardly corner of his upper survey when reduced to a straight line ; the beginning of this, entry, should have been fixed on the westwardly line of Kenkannon’s 400 acre survey thus laid oil) 300 poles on a direct line from the most south-wardly center of his .200 acre survey. This court, however, cannot say with precision, what change in the decree of the court below this mode oí fixing the beginning of Clay’s entry will produce ; but it is believed, that although the appellants may not thereby recov-r more land, yet they will recover some land not adjudged to them by the court belowr ; which ought to be considered as a sufficient cause of appeal.

The court will now proceed to ascertain the validity and proper situations of the entries ol the appellees. They are in substance as follows :

“ January 15, 1780, John Kennedy, Iud. assignee of John Tate, enters 400 acres, &c. by virtue of a certificate', lying on the head ot an eastern branch oí Paint Lick creek, joining an improvement rnade by John Kennedy and others in 1776, including a sinkhole spring near an old Indian town house,”
“ June 3, 1780, John Kennedy enters 200 acres, he. : on the head of the Walnut Meadow fork of Paint Lick ,; creek, about 3 miles from the Blue Lick, adjoining his ¾ settlement as assignee of John i’ate, on the" south east ; r-tdemem, including a spring corner of sai corner, and .running eastward!)’. near said
“To join another entry at the S. E* corner and to run E. for quantity™, how to be furveyed. 300 acres to join entry ot 360 acres <( on the S. and E» fides, and to run S. and E« for quantity,’* how to be,::£y&? YCyed.
li October 19, 1780, John Kennedy enters 250 acres, '.\r. on the head of the Walnut Meadow fork of Paint Lick creek, adjoining his former entry of 200 acres on the south side, beginning at the southwest corner oí said entry, and to extend east for quantity,”
“ July 18, 1781, John Montgomery enters 160acres, Ac, to join the east side of a 250acreen?ry of John Kennedy, deceased, on the east branch of Paint Lick creek, about 1-2 mile from the Walnut Meadow.”
“February 14, 1782, John Montgomery enters SCO acres of land, &c. on the Walnut Meadow' fork of Paint Lick creek, to adjoin his former entry of 160 acres, on the south and east sides, and to run south and east for quantity.”

From the depositions exhibited in this suit, it appears that the Walnut Meadow fork of Paint Lick creek was well known by that name from a very earlv day ; and that it is an east or eastern fork of that creek, and as no other eastern fork is proven or shewn, it could not have been mistaken ; more especially as it is connected, in the last recited entry, with an improvement made by John Kennedy and others in the year 1776, which is proven to have been large and very no-toiious. The situation oi the old Indian town house is also satisfactorily proven. Am! as to the situation of the Walnut Meadows and the Blue Lick called for in. these entries, they are indeed neither proven nor delineated ; but as they are only calls of general description, they are rendered superfluous by the other well known calls both general and special which are contained therein. The entry of John Kennedy for 400 acres, being the foundation of the others, it ought to be first considered.

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Bluebook (online)
5 Ky. 253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walker-v-montgomery-kyctapp-1810.