Crow v. Supervisors Jefferson County
Crow v. Supervisors Jefferson County
Opinion of the Court
The only question that need be considered in this case, is the construction of the deed from Samuel Washington and wife to John Kearsley and others, dated the 31st of August, 1801. This deed was made soon after the creation of the county of Jefferson out of a portion of Berkeley county. This deed is founded on a valuable consideration, and must stand on the footing of a regular conveyance of bargain and sale. It conveys to said Kearsley and eighteen others, and to their heirs and assigns forever, four half lots described therein, in the town of Charlestown, to be held'by them and their heirs forever, “in trust, notwithstanding that' one of the aforesaid lots is to enure to the inhabitants of said town of Charlestown, for the purpose of erecting a market house thereon; the remaining three lots for the purpose of erecting the public buildings thereon.”
The deed is formally and technically drawn, and contains the usual covenants (found in deeds of that day) of title,
The question now recurs : What is the proper construction of the deed, with reference to the use and enjoyment of the property thereby conveyed? A critical examination of the whole deed, it seems to me, can leave no reasonable doubt as to the intention of the grantors in making such conveyance ; namely, to limit one only of- the lots so conveyed, to the use of the inhabitants of Charlestown, for the purpose named, and the others to the use of the county, whereon to erect its public buildings. This would appear to be clear from the language used, in the part of the dee.d creating or describing the trust; one of the lots being expressly limited to use of the “inhabitants of Charlestown,” the fair implication is, that the others were not limited to the use of the identical same persons. And, moreover, when it is remembered that the county of Jefferson had just been created and Charlestown designated as the county seat, and that the county must necessarily have public buildings in said town, while the latter need not, it seems to me there can be no reasonable doubt, from the terms used in this clause of the deed, that they refer to the public buildings of the county and not of the town. But if, upon the language here used there could be any rational doubts as to the object or purpose of the
The decree must be affirmed with costs and damages.
Decree affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- William Crow and David Howell v. Supervisors Jefferson County
- Status
- Published