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37 Me. 11

Smith v. Stanley

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Decided July 1, 1854

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · decided 1854-07-01

On Facts agreed. Writ op Dower. The plaintiff was lawfully married to Jotham Smith in 1831, and he died in 1850, and demand of dower in the land described in plaintiff’s writ was made in March, 1853.

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently March 1927

2 state decisions

Relies on Stow v. Tifft

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1854-07-01

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Hathaway, J.

¶1— If a grantee of land, at the time when he receives his deed, execute a mortgage of the same premises to his grantor, to secure the payment of the purchase money, he has but an instantaneous seizin, by virtue of which his wife does not acquire a right of dower; nor are her rights as to dower in such case any different, if the mortgage be made to a third person, who paid the consideration in pursuance of a previous arrangement between the parties. Clark v. Monroe, 14 Maine, 351; Stow v. Tift, 15 Johns. 458.

¶2Nothing but payment in fact or the release of the mortgagee will discharge a mortgage. Crosby v. Chase, 17 Maine, 369.

¶3When Stanley joined Jotham Smith, in the deed to William, of one half of the premises mortgaged to him, and released all his interest therein, the mortgage of that half was thereby discharged, and Jotham’s seizin thereof had effect by relation, from the time of the execution of the original deed from Eastman, and the demandant became dowable of that half of the land; but Stanley released only one half of the land mortgaged; he received no payment *14in fact of the debt secured by the mortgage of the other half, except by the land; and the result is that the demand-ant is entitled to judgment for her dower in one undivided half of the premises and no more.

¶4Defaulted as agreed by the parlies.

¶5Judgment for dower in one moiety.

Shepley, C. J., and Howard, Rice and Cutting, J. J., concurred.
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