{
  "id": 8625584,
  "name": "HATTIE HOWARD and AMOS HOWARD, Her Husband, v. MARSHALL FAISON, Administrator, et al.",
  "name_abbreviation": "Howard v. Faison",
  "decision_date": "1928-10-24",
  "docket_number": "",
  "first_page": "206",
  "last_page": "208",
  "citations": [
    {
      "type": "official",
      "cite": "196 N.C. 206"
    }
  ],
  "court": {
    "name_abbreviation": "N.C.",
    "id": 9292,
    "name": "Supreme Court of North Carolina"
  },
  "jurisdiction": {
    "id": 5,
    "name_long": "North Carolina",
    "name": "N.C."
  },
  "cites_to": [
    {
      "cite": "70 S. E., 934",
      "category": "reporters:state_regional",
      "reporter": "S.E.",
      "opinion_index": 0
    },
    {
      "cite": "154 N. C., 559",
      "category": "reporters:state",
      "reporter": "N.C.",
      "case_ids": [
        8652912
      ],
      "opinion_index": 0,
      "case_paths": [
        "/nc/154/0559-01"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "analysis": {
    "cardinality": 275,
    "char_count": 3502,
    "ocr_confidence": 0.502,
    "pagerank": {
      "raw": 4.03580807328026e-08,
      "percentile": 0.20724914850248027
    },
    "sha256": "f6df3434704f1c752940bef8812130fe781556688540e27dc8ac6782244432df",
    "simhash": "1:b953cc4417374731",
    "word_count": 605
  },
  "last_updated": "2023-07-14T19:28:30.620798+00:00",
  "provenance": {
    "date_added": "2019-08-29",
    "source": "Harvard",
    "batch": "2018"
  },
  "casebody": {
    "judges": [],
    "parties": [
      "HATTIE HOWARD and AMOS HOWARD, Her Husband, v. MARSHALL FAISON, Administrator, et al."
    ],
    "opinions": [
      {
        "text": "Beogden, J.\nLewis B. Williams, a negro preacher, died intestate in 1925. The defendant is bis administrator. The deceased left a wife, but no children. The plaintiff, Hattie Howard, claims that she is a half sister of the deceased, and as such entitled to a distributive share of his estate.\nThe evidence tended to show that the father of the plaintiff was a slave named Israel Williams or Mullins, who, before the Civil War, had married a woman, presumably named Joanna. During the Civil War Israel was sold and the family separated. Thereafter Israel married \u201cMandy\u201d and had by her one child named Hattie, who is the plaintiff in this action. Lewis Williams, the deceased, was preaching on one occasion at Bryant\u2019s Chapel in Jones County. During the course of his sermon he remarked \u201cthat he had never seen his father. His mother told him his father was sold during the Civil War.\u201d Thereupon Israel Williams, father of the plaintiff, who was in the congregation, asked the preacher, \u201cWhat was your mother\u2019s name ?\u201d and the preacher replied, \u201cJoanna.\u201d Israel then exclaimed, \u201cI am your father.\u201d\nAn old negro man, 97 years of age, who was present, testified as follows: \u201cThe old man (Israel) kept looking at him (Lewis Williams), and when he found out he was his son they like to broke up the church. They run together so and kept a-hugging, and he (Israel) said that was his first wife\u2019s son.\u201d\nThe jury was doubtless impressed with the dramatic reunion of these simple souls. The issue submitted to the jury was: \u201cIs Hattie Howard the half sister of Lewis Williams as alleged in the complaint?\u201d This issue was answered in the affirmative. Exceptions were addressed to the judge\u2019s charge upon the theory that certain instructions given the jury constituted an expression of opinion upon the weight of the evidence, but an examination of the entire charge discloses that the case was fairly presented and correct principles of law applied. \u201cAncestry, relationship and descent are questions which are scarcely susceptible of proof except by what has been said about them by persons in a position to know, not so much the actual kinship one person bore to another, as the kinship which one person said he bore to another, or which one person was reputed to bear to another.\u201d Rollins v. Wicher, 154 N. C., 559, 70 S. E., 934.\nThere is one expression in the testimony which ought not to be lost from the literature of the world. An old negro testified that the plaintiff bad contracted smallpox some years ago and that after that time \u201csbe was never so solid in ber bead.\u201d It does not appear bow \u201csolid\u201d plaintiff was in ber bead before tbe ravages of tbe disease. At all events, while plaintiff might not have been \u201csolid\u201d in ber bead at tbe time of tbe trial, sbe was apparently \u201csolid\u201d with tbe jury.\nAffirmed.",
        "type": "majority",
        "author": "Beogden, J."
      }
    ],
    "attorneys": [
      "G. L. Daniels, B. O\u2019Hara and Gui\u00f3n & Gui\u00f3n for plaintiff.",
      "Z. V. Bawls, W. H. Lee and F. C. Brinson for defendant."
    ],
    "corrections": "",
    "head_matter": "HATTIE HOWARD and AMOS HOWARD, Her Husband, v. MARSHALL FAISON, Administrator, et al.\n(Filed 24 October, 1928.)\nExecutors and Administrators \u2014 Actions \u2014 Evidence of Relationship of Heir.\nUpon the issue as to whether the plaintiff was the half sister of the intestate and therefore entitled to a distributive share of the estate, testimony of one, in a position to know, that the deceased and the father of the plaintiff affirmed and regarded themselves to be father and son, is competent evidence upon the issue.\nCivil aotioN, before Grady, J., at Spring Term, 1928, of Pamlico.\nG. L. Daniels, B. O\u2019Hara and Gui\u00f3n & Gui\u00f3n for plaintiff.\nZ. V. Bawls, W. H. Lee and F. C. Brinson for defendant."
  },
  "file_name": "0206-01",
  "first_page_order": 286,
  "last_page_order": 288
}