UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISIONS ON-LINE

A patent issued on 18 November, 1784, for one thousand acres of land, in Kentucky, to J.C. who had previously, in July 1784, covenanted to convey the same to M.G., the ancestor of the lessor of the plaintiff, and on 23 June, 1756, M.G. made an agreement with R.B., the defendant in ejectment, to convey to him seven hundred and fifty acres, part of the tract of ore thousand acres, under which agreement R.B. entered into possession of the whole tract, and on 11 April 1787, J.C., by direction of M.G., conveyed to R.B. the seven hundred and fifty acres in fulfillment of said agreement, which were severed by metes and bounds, from the tract of one thousand acres. J.C. and his wife, on 26 April 1791, made a conveyance in trust of all his property, real and personal, to R.J. and E.C. On 12 February 1813, R.J., as surviving trustee, conveyed to the heirs of M.G., under a decree inequity, that part of the one thousand acres not previously conveyed to R.B., and in the part so conveyed under the decree, was included the land claimed in the ejectment. R.B. (the defendant) claimed the land in controversy under a patent for four hundred acres issued on 15 September, 1795, founded on a survey made for B.N., May 12, 1782, and under a deed of 13 December, 1796, from one Coburn, who had, in the winter and spring of 1791, entered into and fenced a field within the bounds of the original patent for one thousand acres to J.C. claiming to hold the same under B.N.'s survey of four hundred acres. Held that upon the issuing of the patent to J.C. in November, 1784, the possession then being vacant, he became by operation of law vested with a constructive actual seizin of the whole tract included in his patent, that his whole title passed by his prior conveyance to M.G. (the ancestor of the lessor of the plaintiff), and that when it became complete at law by the issuing of the patent, the actual constructive seizin of J.C. passed to M.G., by virtue of that conveyance.

Held that when subsequently, in virtue of the agreement made in June, 1786, between M.G. and R.B. (the defendant), the latter entered into possession of the whole tract under this equitable title, his possession being consistent with the title of M.G. and in common with him was the possession of M.G. himself, and enured to the benefit of both according to the nature of the respective titles. And that when subsequently, in April, 1787, by the direction of M.G., J.C. conveyed to the defendant seven hundred and fifty acres in fulfillment of the agreement between M.G. and the defendant, and the same were severed by metes and bounds in the deed from the tract of one thousand acres, the defendant became sole seized in his own right of the seven hundred and fifty acres so conveyed. But as he still remained in the actual possession of the residue of the tract, within the bounds of the patent, which possession was originally acquired under M.G., the character of his tenure was not changed by his own act, and therefore he was quasi-tenant to M.G., and as such continued the actual seizin of the latter, over this residue at least, up to the deed from Coburn to the defendant in 1796.

Held that if Coburn, in 1791, when he entered and fenced a field, &c., had been the legal owner of B.N.'s survey, his actual occupation of a part would not have given him a constructive actual seizin of the residue of the tract included in that survey, that residue being at the time of his entry and occupation in the adverse seizin of another person (M.G.) having an older and better title. But there being no evidence that Coburn was the legal owner of B.N.'s survey, his entry must be considered as an entry without title, and consequently his disseizin was limited to the bounds of his actual occupancy.

The deed of 16 July, 1784, from J.C. to M.G., being more than thirty years old and proved to have been in possession of the lessors of the plaintiffs and actually asserted as the ground of their title in the equity suit, was admissible in evidence without regular proof of its execution.

The deed from J.C. and wife to D.J. and E.C. in 1791 was not within the statute of champerty and maintenance of Kentucky, for, as to all the land not in the actual occupancy of Coburn, the deed was operative, the grantors and those holding under them having at all times had the legal seizin.

In general, judgments and decrees are evidence only in suits between parties and privies, but the doctrine is wholly inapplicable to a case like the present, where the decree in equity was not introduced as per se binding upon any rights of the other party, but as an introductory fact to a link in the chain of the plaintiff's title, and constituting a part of the muniments of his estate.

The deed of 1813, from R.J., surviving trustee, under the decree in equity, was valid without being approved by the court and recorded in the court according to the statute of Kentucky of 16 February, 1808, ch. 453. clubjuris

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This was an action of ejectment, in which the defendants in error were the lessors of the plaintiffs below, and which was brought to recover the possession of a tract of land in the District of Kentucky claimed by them under a patent issued to John Craig November 18, 1784, for 1,000 acres of land included in three separate warrants of 320 acres, 480 acres, and 200 acres, surveyed for John Craig, on 14 January, 1783.

On 16 July, 1784, John Craig conveyed by deed the said tract of land to Michael Gratz, the ancestor of the lessors of the plaintiffs, and covenanted to cause a patent to issue to said Gratz, or if it could not issue in his name, that said Craig would stand seized to the use of Gratz, and make such other conveyances as should be necessary to confirm the title. On 23 June, 1786, Gratz made an agreement with Robert Barr the defendant in ejectment, to convey to him 750 acres of land, part of the said 1,000 acres; the defendant entered into possession clubjuris

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of the whole tract, and settled a quarter and farm thereon, and on 11 April, 1787, John Craig, by the direction of said Gratz, conveyed to the defendant Barr 750 acres in fulfillment of said agreement, which were severed by metes and bounds from the said tract of 1,000 acres. On the 26th of April 1791, John Craig and his wife made a conveyance in trust to Robert Johnson and Elijah Craig of all his property, real and personal. On the 12th of February 1813, Robert Johnson as surviving trustee, under a decree in equity of the circuit court for the District of Kentucky, conveyed to the lessors of the plaintiffs that part of the 1,000 acres not previously conveyed to the defendant Barr and in the part so conveyed was included the land claimed in this action.

The defendant Barr claimed the tract of land in controversy, under a patent for 400 acres, issued by the State of Kentucky, on 15 September, 1795, founded on a survey made for Benjamin Netherland, May 12, 1782.

On the trial of the cause, the plaintiffs read in evidence to the jury the patent to John Craig for 1,000 acres of land; copies of two other surveys for John Craig; the deed of 16 July, 1784, to Michael Gratz, the ancestor of the lessors of the plaintiffs; the deed of trust of 26 April, 1791, from John Craig and wife to Robert Johnson and Elijah Craig; the deed of 12 February, 1813, from Robert Johnson (as surviving trustee) to the lessors of the plaintiffs; the decree in the chancery suit between Michael Gratz and John Craig and others, clubjuris

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under which that deed was made; the surveys, plats and reports of 14 January, 1783, signed by John Price and the agreement between the said Gratz and Barr. The plaintiffs also introduced parol testimony establishing the boundary of the land patented to John Craig, and proving the defendant's possession of the whole tract.

The defendant gave in evidence a deed from one Coburn to him dated 13 December, 1796, the deed from Craig to him of 11 April, 1787, the plat and certificate of Netherland's survey, the certificate of its conveyance by Ann Shields to the defendant, and gave parol testimony that in the winter and spring of 1791, Coburn entered into, and fenced a field within the boundary of Craig's patent, claiming to hold the same under the title of Netherland as part of the land included in his survey of 400 acres.

The defendant objected to the admission in evidence of the record and proceedings of the circuit court in the chancery suit between Michael Gratz and John Craig and others, but the decree was permitted to be read to the jury, to which the defendant excepted. The defendant also excepted to the admission in evidence of the deed from John Craig to Michael Gratz, dated the 16 July, 1784, because the same was not proved by the subscribing witnesses, nor their absence accounted for.

The court instructed the jury as follows:

1. That if it should be of opinion that neither the defendant nor John Coburn, under whom he claims, was in actual possession of the land now in dispute prior clubjuris

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to 18 November, 1784, the date of the patent to John Craig for the land now in dispute, the emanation of the said grant gave possession to the said John Craig of the whole of the said land, and that the present plaintiffs were entitled to the benefit of that possession.

2. That if the jury should be of opinion that Robert Barr the defendant, entered upon and took possession of the land in contest under a contract with the ancestor of the plaintiffs and was so possessed at the time of the settlement of Coburn, under whom the defendant now pretends title, that the possession of Coburn, when taken, did not extend within the patent lines, under which the lessors of the plaintiffs claim, beyond his actual occupancy.

3. That Coburn's claiming and fencing a part of the land in 1791, or whenever the jury should be of opinion he took possession and fenced within the patent limits aforesaid did not give to him a legal possession to any other part of the land within the patent to Craig than that of which he had the actual occupancy.

4. That the possession of Coburn, attempted to be proved, more than twenty years before the bringing this suit did not bar the plaintiffs' right to sue further than he showed an actual possession for twenty years or upwards next before bringing this suit.

The defendant objected to the instructions so given the jury and moved that the court should give certain other instructions to the jury, which were refused. A verdict was taken for the plaintiffs and judgment rendered thereupon. The defendant afterwards moved for a new trial, which was refused by clubjuris

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the court. The cause was thereupon brought by writ of error to this Court.