Melvin v. Proprietors of Locks & Canals
Melvin v. Proprietors of Locks & Canals
Opinion of the Court
This is a writ of entry, wherein the demandant demands possession of a parcel of land in the city of Lowell, of
Much evidence was introduced at the trial, as to boundaries and other matters ; and several questions of law and fact were raised, only one of which, however, was submitted to the jury. The title of the tenants was derived from Dr. Jacob Kittridge, who derived his title by a mortgage deed to him from Benjamin Melvin, the father of the demandant; and the question, whether this mortgage deed included the demanded premises, was left to the jury, who found that it did not. Another important question was, whether the tenants had made out a good title by disseizin ; and this question, by the consent of parties, was reserved for the determination of the court — the demandant admitting that there was proof of an adverse possession in the tenants, and those from whom they claim title, for more than thirty years before the institution of this action ; but they denied that these adverse possessions were so connected by the tenants’ title deeds, as to constitute a continuous disseizin ; and this is one of the principal questions submitted to the consideration of the court, upon the legal construction of those deeds. It was fui ther agreed, that if, upon all the evidence and all the. inferences that a jury might properly draw from the facts proved, the court should be of opinion that it was competent for the jury to have ■ found a verdict for the tenants, on the ground of adverse possession and disseizin, then the demandant was to become non-suit. This agreement secures to the tenants, substantially, the benefit of a verdict in their favor on this ground of defence. But we do not think much depends on the form of the agreement ; as the questions of law are to be principally, if not wholly, decided upon facts respecting which there is no dispute.
The descriptions in the several deeds are nearly similar, and we do not consider the variance in the language of them as ma
When these conveyances to Cheever were made, he was in the open and exclusive possession of the demanded premises ; so that, according to the verdict of the jury, the two descriptions do not agree. And the question is, which of them is to be considered, according to the rules of law, as the true description, by which we are to ascertain the estate intended to be conveyed. One of the rules of construction, which has some bearing on the present question, is, that where there is a doubt as to the construction of a deed poll, it shall be taken most favorably for the grantee. If, therefore, there be two descriptions of the land conveyed, which do not coincide, the grantee is entitled to hold by that which will be most beneficial to him. It must, however, be a case of real doubt; for if one of the descriptions be more certain than the other, the more certain description must govern, although the construction may be less favorable to the grantee. For it is another well known rule in the construction of deeds and other instruments, that if some of the particulars of the description of the estate conveyed do not
Several of the cases cited by the counsel seem to be directly in point, but they are not all easily to be reconciled. I will first refer to those cases which seem to support the construction contended for by the counsel for the tenants. In Worthington v. Hylyer, 4 Mass. 196, the words of description are “ all that ■ my farm of land in said Washington, on which I now dwell, ;i being lot No. 17 in the first division.” The land demanded in that action was not included in lot No. 17, yet the court held that it passed — the first description being sufficient to ascertain the estate intended to be conveyed — and that the additional description, being inconsistent with the former, was to be rejected ; because, if it were to be considered as an essential part of the description, the deed would be void for repugnancy. In Cate v. Thayer, 3 Greenl. 71, the question was as to one of / the lines of the town of Dresden, which was described as a 1 course “ north-northeast including the whole of Gardiner’s farm; ” ; and the court held that the whole farm was included, although intersected by a line running north-northeast; because the farm was to be considered as a monument. In Keith v. Reynolds, 3 Greenl. 393, the description was, “ a certain tract of land or farm, in Winslow, included in the tract which was granted to Ez. Pattee,” and afterwards there was added a particular description by courses and distances, which did not include the
These cases certainly are strongly in favor of the construction of the deeds in question, which is contended for by the tenants’ counsel.
But in the case of Barnard v. Martin, 5 N. Hamp. 536, and in Woodman v. Lane, 7 N. Hamp. 241, a different rule of construction was adopted. In the former case, the grant was “my homestead farm, it being the same land conveyed to me and J. M. by C. B.,” which did not in fact include the whole homestead farm ; and it was decided that the former description was controlled by the latter. In the other case, the grant was, “ my homestead farm, and is the same land which was conveyed to me by the deeds of” [several persons named,] “ for a more particular description reference maybe had to said deeds ; ” and the same decision was had as in the former case. See 8 East, 103. Plowd. 191.
The weight of authority, however, is we think clearly in favor of the former decisions.
In the present case, if the land had been conveyed by referance to known monuments and boundaries, it would be clear that the subsequent reference to the mortgage deed would not operate by way of restriction ; and we think there is no good reason why the description in these deeds—the boundaries of the farm conveyed being certain, and undoubtedly well known to the parties — should not be held equally conclusive. There are also several extraneous circumstances, which favor this construction. In 1793, Kittridge made a lease of the premises to Melvin, in which they were particularly described by metes and bounds ; and the presumption is, that a survey had been taken after the mortgage deed had been given ; for the description of the premises in that deed is very general and loose. This lease, taken in connexion with the subsequent leases to Cheever, must
And the strong presumption is, that the heirs intended to convey and relinquish all their right and title to the Cheevei farm, however it might have been acquired. No other reasonable inference can be made from the language of the deeds and the facts proved. And this presumption is much strengthened j by the conduct of the parties since the conveyance. The long ; acquiescence of the heirs in the possession of Cheever, and \ those to whom he conveyed the premises, taking into consideration their greatly increased value, is a strong circumstance to show that the parties supposed that the whole farm had been conveyed. Upon the whole, therefore, we can have no doubt as to the intention of the parties ; and we think there is no technical rule of law, as to the construction of deeds, that
But supposing we should adopt the construction contended for by the demandant’s counsel, still the question would remain, whether the tenants have not made out a good title. Admitting this construction, the objection is, that the heirs of Melvin, who entered on the premises in 1832, had a good right of entry, because Cheever’s possession, after the death of Dr. Kittridge, was less than 20 years; and this is unquestionably so, unless the possession of Kittridge and Cheever were so connected as to have kept up a continuous disseizin. For it is a principle well established, that where several persons enter on land in succession, the several- possessions cannot be tacked, so as to make a continuity of possession, unless there is a privity of estate, or the several titles are connected. Whenever one quits the possession, the seizin of the true owner is restored, and an entry afterwards by another, wrongfully, constitutes a new disseizin ; as was decided in Potts v. Gilbert, 3 Wash. C. C. 475. And the same principle is laid down in Ward v. Bartholomew, 6 Pick. 415; in Brandt v. Ogden, 1 Johns. 158; in Doe v. Campbell, 10 Johns. 475; in Jackson v. Leonard, 9 Cow. 653; and in Allen v. Holton, 20 Pick. 465.
But in the latter case it was decided, that where one of two disseizors, in possession as tenants in common, abandons the land, the abandonment does not enure to the benefit of the disseizee, but the cotenant holds the land against the disseizee, in the same manner as if he had been from the beginning a sole disseizor. No conveyance of the moiety held by the other disseizor is necessary, and the disseizee cannot regain his seizin,
The next objection to the tenants’ title is, that Kittridge entered by mistake as to the boundaries of the mortgage deed, and that such an entry would not constitute a disseizin ; or if it would, that as the tenants relied on the mortgage, as one ground of their title, they are estopped to set up a title by disseizin. We think there is no good ground for this objection, in either branch of it. As to the supposed mistake, the demandant cannot now set up the objection ; for by the report it appears, that his counsel admitted that thirty years of adverse possession had been proved ; and adverse possession, without right, constitutes a disseizin, provided the possession be notorious and exclusive. But if there had been no such admission, there is nothing in the case reported to support the objection. For Kittridge entered•' in 1796, under his judgment. He entered, therefore, under a title hostile to that of Melvin ; and if his title was not good, the entry and expulsion of Melvin clearly constituted a disseizin. If one enters under a void grant, he is a disseizor. ;
The only other question which remains to be decided is, whether the right of Mrs. Melvin, the mother of the demandant, has been barred. The argument is, that if the demanded premises were included in the judgment which Kittridge recovered against Melvin, neither he nor his wife had any right to enter ; and therefore their neglecting to enter would not bar her right. To this' argument there are several objections. In the first place, the premises are not described with sufficient certainty to
But supposing Melvin’s right of entry was barred by the judgment, it does not follow that his wife could not enter to prevent her right from being barred by the statute of limitations. An estate in remainder or reversion may be taken in execution, and the officer may enter for the purpose of delivering seizin to ‘lie judgment creditor, without being a trespasser upon the tenant of the particular estate. And for a like reason, the wife of Melvin, he not objecting, might make a formal entry on the land, (though he could not,) for the purpose of preventing the statute bar.
And lastly, another and a decisive answer to the argument of the counsel for the demandant is, that the statute of limitations is express and clear, that when a right of entry into any lands, tenements or hereditaments, accrues to a feme covert, her right of entry is barred, unless she enters within thirty years from the time her right of entry first accrued ; as was decided between these same parties, in 16 Pick. 161. This may have been an unwise law, and it has been since altered by the Rev Sts. c. 119, § 5. But the language of St. 1786, c. 13, is clear,
We are therefore of opinion that the tenants have made out a good title to the whole premises, on the grounds stated, and are entitled to judgment.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Benjamin Melvin v. Proprietors of the Locks and Canals on Merrimack River
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- 1 case
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- Published