Downing v. Glen Rock Oil Co.
Downing v. Glen Rock Oil Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
To give validity to the lien of a leasehold mortgage under the recording acts as construed by our decisions, the mortgage must be placed on record in the proper county, together with the lease ; or, if the lease has been previously recorded in a deed book a distinct reference must be made in the mortgage to the book and page where the lease is recorded. In the case in hand, the lease and mortgage were left for record with the recorder of Washington county on May 7, 1902, and were recorded in his office at the same time, the former in a deed book and the latter in a mortgage book. The mortgage contained the following recital: “ being a leasehold for the purpose aforesaid on land of William Bamford let and demised by him the said William Bamford to the said Glen Rock Oil Company for a term of ten years from the 10th day of August, 1901, and as much longer as oil or gas is produced in paying quantities, with the sole right to produce therefrom oil and natural gas. Said lease being dated August 10,1901, and herewith recorded and referred to and made part hereof.”
It is contended by the appellant that if the lease and mortgage are left at the recorder’s office at the same time and the lease is recorded in the deed book at the time of recording the the mortgage, as was done in the present case, the latter must contain a reference to the book and page where the lease is recorded. It is claimed that this is the proper construction of the Act of May 13, 1876, Purd. 664, pi. 199. The effect of this construction of the statute would be to render inoperative the Act of A.pril 27, 1855, Purd. 664, pi. 197. That act requires the mortgage to be “placed on record in the proper- county, together with the lease,” but does not designate the book in the
The facts in this case bring it clearly within the act of 1855. The two instruments were recorded at the same time in the office of the recorder of Washington county, the lease in a deed book and the mortgage in a mortgage book. The latter, therefore, was “ placed on record in the proper county, together with the lease.” Here the act of 1855 was “ literally com
The learned auditor has found and reported the facts very fully and they are sufficient to justify the conclusion that the mortgagee is entitled to the fund in controversy.
The decree is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.