Heth v. Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac R. R.
Heth v. Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac R. R.
Opinion of the Court
I am of opinion, that by the agreement of the 11th of August 1882, between the members of the family of George Pickett deceased, and by the deed of the 4th of March 1833, between the executors and devisees of the said George Pickett deceased, of the one c ' part, and Thomas Green of the other part, reciting and consurnmating that agreement, seventeen undivided twenty-fourth parts of what is called, in the said deed and agreement, the mansion house property, were dedicated to the satisfaction of 8500 dollars, part of a legacy of 12,000 dollars, which had been bequeathed by the said George Pickett deceased, to his daughter Margaret Pickett, and which, afterwards, but before the marriage of the said Margaret with the said John Heth, was, by an indenture made the 14th day of May in the year 1822, between the said Margaret Pickett of the first part, the said John Heth of the second part, and George C. Pickett, then of the City of Richmond, of the third part, duly conveyed to the said George C. Pickett, in trust, for certain uses and trusts in the said deed expressed and declared, as by the said deed recorded in the Court of Hustings of the City of Richmond, and made a part of the record in this case, reference being thereto had, will fully appear.
I am farther of opinion, that the said seventeen undivided twenty-fourth parts of the said mansion house property, having been dedicated as aforesaid, to the satisfaction of 8500 dollars of the legacy aforesaid, the said seventeen undivided twenty-fourth parts of the said mansion house property, became, thereby, subject to the same uses and trusts as are expressed and declared in the said indenture of the 14th day of May 1822, of and concerning the legacy aforesaid.
I am farther of opinion, that all persons purchasing the said seventeen undivided twenty-fourths of the said mansion house property, and having notice, at the time of their purchase of the same, of the uses and trusts to
I am farther of opinion, that the title deeds of the appellees, necessarily led them to the knowledge of the situation of the property. The deed to them from John Heth, under which they claim title to the property, refers to the deed from Thomas Green, conveying the property to the said Heth; and this last deed refers to the deed of the 4th of March 1833, from the executors and devisees of George Pickett dec’d, to the said Thomas Green, which clearly shews that the property aforesaid had been dedicated to the payment of Mrs. Heth’s legacy as aforesaid: and then the deed aforesaid of the 14th May 1822, (which, having been recorded according to the requisitions of our registry laws, the appellees were bound to notice, and are presumed to have noticed,) pointed, directly, to the uses and trusts to which the property aforesaid became subject, in consequence of its dedication as aforesaid. The appellees must, therefore, be regarded as purchasers with notice. They can claim no exemption therefrom, on the ground of the allegation in the said deed of the 4th March 1833, namely, that it was “ well understood that the mansion house property shall be conveyed in such manner and to such persou or persons as the said George C. Pickett, and the said Beverly Jleth, as trustee aforesaid, may require and direct.” The said Pickett was not a party to the said deed, as trustee, but only in his own right, and as acting executor, and one of the surviving devisees and legatees in trust, of and under the last will and testament of his father. He had become entitled, in his own right, under the agreement of the 11th of August 1832, and the deed of the 4th of March 1833, to seven undivided twenty-fourth parts of the mansion house property, in payment of 3500 dollars, in part of the debt due to him from his father’s estate: and, by the same
Concurring Opinion
concurred in the following decree:
The Court is of opinion that the appellants were entitled to recover from the appellees seventeen undivided twenty-fourth parts of the mansion house property, in the proceedings mentioned, or adequate compensation
The decree is therefore reversed with costs, and the cause is remanded to the Court of Chancery, to be proceeded in to a final decree, according to the principles above declared.
Allen and Baldwin, J’s dissented.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Heth & als. v. The Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac R. R. Company
- Status
- Published