King v. Little
King v. Little
Opinion of the Court
1. The ancient books, purporting to be records of the Lower Housatonic Proprietary, were properly admitted as evidence, without any further proof of the original and continued organization of the proprietary. This species of evidence is that usually introduced in tracing ancient titles, and has been long sanctioned by this court.
2. The original right of John Granger appears, from the evidence, to have been legally transferred to Moses King,
The question, whether the right of Moses King, to make locations in the proprietary, had been exhausted by locations made in his name, and under his authority, must be settled by reference to the locations made prior to his deed to Philip Livingston ; for, after that conveyance, he ceased to have any right of further location.
There is nothing in the case, to show that this deed was a mortgage, except the recital in the deed from Livingston to Reuben King, which assumes that the latter was already the holder of Moses King’s equity of redemption in the premises. We do not perceive that there is any thing, which affects the case, in the suggestion of the defendants, that the deed from Moses King was a mortgage.
The right of Reuben King, on his decease, descended to his heirs at law. By the parol evidence, given at the trial, it appeared, that Bohan King was the son of Reuben King, and, of course, an heir at law ; and, for the purposes of the trial, it was assumed, that he was the sole heir. But, it is now objected, that it is apparent from the documentary evidence put into the case by the plaintiffs, to show their own title, namely, the will of Bohan King, that there were two heirs to the estate of Reuben King, he having also a daughter whose issue survived him. No deed or title is shown by the plaintiffs from those thus entitled to a moiety of Reuben King’s estate. This objection is now relied upon, and, as it is open to the defendant, there must be a new trial; and the plaintiffs will then have an opportunity to supply the defect in their title, if they have any conveyance from the coheirs of Reuben King,
5. We perceive no objection to the children of Henry King claiming title, under the clause “ to the lawful heirs of my son Henry King,” to the estate given them by the will of Bohan King, so far as he was the lawful owner. In the absence of any proof that he had acquired the title of his coheir, his interest therein, as already suggested, must be taken to be a moiety only.
6. Seth King,, one of the plaintiffs, was not a child of Henry King, and does not derive his title directly as devisee under the will of Bohan King. It seems that Harriet King, a child of Henry King, and one of the devisees of Bohan King, died in 1834, without issue and unmarried, and, upon her decease, her interest in the premises in controversy passed by the statute of descents to her father, as sole heir at law. Her father, Henry King, on the 2d of June, 1837, executed a deed, of which a copy is in the case, to Seth King, releasing to him, his heirs and assigns, “ all right, title, and interest, that I have or ought to have to a tract or parcel of land situated in Great Barrington, being the same that was bequeathed by my father Bohan King, deceased, to my children.”
The title acquired under this deed is the only title of. Seth King to any interest in the premises in question. The land, which is the subject of the present action, lies wholly in the town of Sheffield, and it is objected, on the part of the uefendants, that the effect of the conveyance from Henry
Verdict set aside and new trial ordered.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.