15 W. Va. 567 | W. Va. | 1879
delivered the opinion of the Court:
The questions presented by the record in this case are, first — whether the plaintiff can prove by parol evidence that the deed made by Edward G. Steenrod to his father Daniel Steenrod, which on its face was an absolute conveyance for a valuable consideration of the Carrol farm, was in reality by a verbal agreement to be regarded as a deed conveying this land in trust for the use of the grantor for life and remainder in fee simple to his children ; and whether if such verbal trust is satisfactorily proven it would be enforced ; and secondly — if such parol evidence can be received for such a purpose; what must be its character in point of strength and clearness to justify a court in enforcing a trust of this sort, if it would be justified in any case in so doing.
It is a general rule of evidence, that parol testimony
In the case of Porter v. Hayfield, 9 Harris (21 Pa. St. 214, the Court say: “There are cases wherein trusts may be proved by oral testimony; but not in violation of the rule that protects written agreements against such testimony. As a deed of conveyance is intended to define the relations between the parties to it, it is not contradicted when it is shown that the vendee purchased in trust for a third person ; for such evidence only estab
It was however held in Lingelfelter v. Ritchey, 8 P. F. Smith (58 Pa. St.) 448, that parol evidence might be received to establish a trust in favor of the grantor.
The 7th section of the English statute of frauds
It has been a question whether uses at common law could be raised by parol. The conclusion reached by Lord Chief Justice Baron Gilbert shows probably the correct views on this point. His conclusion is that a use might be raised at common law by parol upon any conveyance which operated by way of transmutation of possession as a feoffment; since the estate itself might by the common law pass by a parol feoffment; and therefore by the same reason a use of the estate might be declared by parol. But where a deed was requisite for the passing,of the estate itself, then the declaration of a use could not be by parol. See 2 Story Eq. Juris. §971. If this be correct, the omission of the 7th section of the English statute of frauds in some of the States is immaterial, as by the common law a declaration of trust in any lands “must be manifested or proved by some writing signed by the party who is by law to declare such trust/’ when the conveyance of the land itself can not be verbal, as it now never can be. But nevertheless in some of the States, where the ,7th section of the English statute of frauds has not been enacted, it has been held that trusts in land can be proven by parol. See Dunham v. Chatham, 21 Texas 231; Bailey v. Harris, 19 Texas 110; Hall v. Taylor, 16 Texas 278; Foy v. Foy, 2 Hayw, 131 (N. C. R. by Battle 296); Biggs v. Swann, 6 Jones Eq. 118; Shelton v. Shelton, 5 Jones Eq. 292; Haywood et al. v. Ensley & Haywood, 8 Humph. 466. But the decisions of the courts in States where the 7th sections
In the case of the Bank of the United States v. Carrington et al, 7 Leigh 566, the Court of Appeals of Virginia comment on the omission of the 7th section of the English statute of frauds from our statutes, and they appear to attach some importance to the omission. But as the Court say the case before them was a resulting trust, and even had this 7th section been in our statute, upon the English authorities their decision would have been the same as it was, and what was said by the judges in that case about this 7th section and its effect was confessedly obiter dicta. The same remarks may be applied to the case of Walraven v. Lock et al. 2 Patton & H. 547.
In the case of Sprindle et al. v. Hayworth et al., 26 Gratt. 392, Judge Moncure, in delivering the opinion of the court, after holding that a certain parol declaration of a trust was inadmissible says: “ We do not mean to admit, however, that there is any difference in effect between the English statutes of frauds and ours arising from the omission in the latter of the 7th and 8th sections of the former.”
In Hardman v. Orr et ux., 5 W. Va. 71, the father of a natural daughter purchased land- ..and a had it conveyed to a. natural son,- with. the agreement on his part that at a future time it would be conveyed to the natural daughter of the purchaser. It was held that this trust could be proven by parol and would be enforced against the grantee. It will • be observed that so far as the grantee was concerned the conveyance was voluntary, he having furnished no part of the purchase-money; and according to the views heretofore expressed a parol trust would be enforced against him; for to permit, him to retain the land, w.hen he had paid nothing for it.and
This question is considered in the notes to White & Tudor’s Leading Cases in the notes on Dyer v. Dyer, see vol. 1 Pt. 1, p. 354; and the conclusion reached is:
There is but little difficulty in applying the principles of law I have laid down to the facts in this case. It is neither alleged nor proven that Daniel Steenrod, the grantee, in the deed of March 20, 1832, fraudulently procured this deed to be made to himself and not to the plaintiffs, or that the Carroll farm was purchased and paid for by the plaintiffs, or that this deed was executed to secure a loan or precedent debt due the grantor. In the argument of this case it has been to some extent treated, as if the object of the suit was to correct a mistake made by the scrivener of this deed, and to make it conform to what the parties to the deed designed to have inserted in it. I do not understand this to have been the object of the suit; in the bill there is no allegation that the writer of this deed had made a mistake in drawing it, and no proof that any mistake was made in drawing it.
The allegation of the bill is that some time prior to the execution of this deed it was agreed that Edward G. Steenrod should convey to his father this farm absolutely, as I understand the bill, and it being so conveyed to him, he should hold the same for the grantor for his life, and
The authorities we have cited show that, if this suit had been instituted in a reasonable time after the making of this deed and bill of sale, and it had been clearly and distinctly proven that the grantee paid no consideration for this land, and that he expressly agreed to- hold the same for the use of the grantor for life and the remainder in fee for the use of the grantor’s children, the court would not enforce this trust in favor of the grantor, but would enfoi’ce it in favor of the third parties, the children of the grantor. But the evidence of such parol trust, even had the suit been instituted promptly, must have beeD clear and explicit. Is this case thus proven by clear and explicit evidence? This deed on its face states that the consideration paid by the grantee for this Carroll farm was §3,000.00. It was signed by the grantor, E. G. Steenrod; and it amounts to a solemn admission made by him at the time that he had received of his father, the grantee, full value for this Carroll farm. The only evi-denco introduced to show the contrary is the evidence of the widow of the grantor. This deed when it was drawn was evidently drawn to be signed by her and her husband, as her name is inserted in the body of the deed and two seals attached to it, opposite to one of which is her husband’s name. Buc she never executed this deed; and from this and her own statement it is obvious she was not present when it was executed. Her deposition was not taken for some thirty-two years afterwards. She says : “ Not a dime in the way of consideration was paid
Now the evidence shows that the grantor in this deed was á thriftless man, and his father, the grantee, largely aided in the support of him and his family, and that this very farm was paid for in part, when it was deeded to the son, by two lots in Wheeling which had belonged to to the father. The son then was indebted to the father for aid furnished to him, unless this assistance was understood by the parties to be gratuitous. There is no evidence it was so understood. Is it unreasonble to suppose that it was not so understood, when the parties state on the face of the deed that the conveyance, made by by the son to the father was a valuable consideration ? Is it not rather reasonable to suppose that it was understood that the son was indebted to the father the full value of this land, and that this was the real consideration for this deed ? Then the recital in the deed, that the consideration of the deed was $3,000.00, is consistent with the statement that no cash was paid by the father to the son for this farm.
I have given to the widow’s testimony more weight than it is reasonably entitled to, and have considered her
It may be said however, that it is not absolutely necessary for the plaintiffs to prove that this deed was not made for a valuable consideration, and that though it was made for a valuable consideration, still if it can be shown distinctly that it was made on an express agreement between the grantor and grantee that the land should be held for the use of the grantor for life, remainder in fee for his children, this trust could, though proven by parol, be enforced in favor of the children, though not in favor of the grantor. We have seen there are authorities to sustain this position; but, as I have before shown, it is controverted by authorities equally respectable. I have considered it unnecessary in this case to decide which of
But surely this evidence fails to establish clearly that there was any such distinct contract between the grantor and grantee. An effort was made to strengthen it by proof of loose conversations held long afterwards by the grantee with other parties. The substance of this evidence is set forth in the statement of the case which precedes this opinion. It is exceedingly unsatisfactory in its character, and taken altogether tends rather to prove that there was no agreement between the grantor and the grantee that the property should be held by the grantee
The circuit judge who decided this case files with the papers this note: “The evidence relied upon by the complainants is scarcely sufficient, in my judgment, to warrant the court in holding in favor of their equitable claim and against the letter of the deed which they assail. The evidence to produce that result should be clear and unquestionable, not consisting of vague declarations of the grantor, testified by witnesses who can notin the nature of things give the exact language and all the circumstances under which it was used, and which comport with, an intention to make a particular disposition by devise rather than with a holding in trust for the benefit of given parties. I think the testimony here is too vague and indefinite, including that of Mrs. Steenrod, to warrant a decree for complainants. Phelps v. Seeley, 22 Gratt. 573. But however this may be, the lapse of time is a bar to the remedy sought. Considering the character of the evidence adduced, and the inability resulting from the death of the original parties and other witnesses to get at the true inwardness of the original transactions, and the
In these views I concur; and for the reasons I have assigned the decree of the circuit court of August 10, 1878, dismissing the bill oí the complainants at then-costs must be affirmed; and the appellees must recover oí the appellants their costs in this Court expended and $30.00 damages.
Decree Affirmed.