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Meader v. Archer

Meader & A. v. Archer

Meader v. Archer, 23 A. 521 (N.H. 1889)
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Court
Supreme Court of New Hampshire · State Highest Courts
Decided
December 5, 1889
Judges
Doe, Bingham
Citations
23 A. 52165 N.H. 214
Headnotes
By the law of Massachusetts (Pub. St., c. 148, s. 7) an adopted child is not an heir of the ancestors of the adopting parent.
Summary
In Equity. Demurrer to the bill. Allegations of the bill: Mrs. Young died in Massachusetts May 7, 1889, intestate, owning land in this county, and leaving neither issue nor husband. The plaintiffs are her next of kin by blood, and are tenants in common of the land as her heirs unless the defendant has a better title. The defendant was legally adopted in Massachusetts, April 28, 1884, by Warren H. Holt, wbo was the son and only issue o£ Mrs. Young. Holt died in Massachusetts before the death of his mother. The defendant, by his guardian (he being a minor) claims the land as heir of Mrs Young by virtue of her son’s adoption of him; and his claim prevents the plaintiffs’ selling the land for its value, and is a cloud upon their title. The prayer is for a decree that the premises are the plaintiffs’ property, for an injunction against the defendant’s setting up his claim, and for general relief.

Syllabus and headnotes are prepared by the reporter or publisher, not the court, and are not part of the opinion.

Opinion of the Court — Doe

Doe, G. J.

Holt’s mother outlived him and owned the land at the time of her death, and the plaintiffs are her next of kin. The defendant is Holt’s adopted son. As Holt had no title, the land did not go to the defendant as Holt’s heir. By the law of the defendant’s adoption, he could inherit property which Holt “could have devised by will.” This land Holt could not have devised. By the same law, “ as to the succession to property,” the defendant stands, “ in regard to the legal descendants, but to no other of the kindred of” Holt, in the same position as if he were Holt’s son. This does not make him an heir of Holt’s mother. No objection being made in argument to the form of action, the question of procedure has not been considered.

Case discharged.

Bingham, J., did not sit: the others concurred.

How later courts describe this case

No later court has written an explanatory parenthetical about this case yet.

1892: 11899: 11904: 118922026peak 1892 · 1

Relies on it most ⓘ

  1. Bray v. Miles54 N.E. 446 (Ind. Ct. App. 1899)
  2. Van Derlyn v. Mack66 L.R.A. 437 (Mich. 1904)
  3. In re Estate of Renton3 Coffey 519 (Cal. Supp. Ct. (San Francisco) 1892)

Most recent

  1. Van Derlyn v. Mack66 L.R.A. 437 (Mich. 1904)
  2. Bray v. Miles54 N.E. 446 (Ind. Ct. App. 1899)
  3. In re Estate of Renton3 Coffey 519 (Cal. Supp. Ct. (San Francisco) 1892)

Citing references are not a citator: they show that a later opinion cites this case, not whether it followed, distinguished, or overruled it. Check negative history before relying on this case.

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