Flippen v. Flippen

McCLOUD, Chief Justice.

The question is whether the grantors in interfamily multiple partition deeds partitioning specific tracts of land to individual family members left (or intended to leave) undivided only the “usual ⅛ royalty,” or all royalty including overriding royalty and royalty in excess of the usual ⅛.

Estelle Flippen, who owned approximately 4,950 acres of land in Shackelford County, on September 5, 1953, conveyed to each of her eight children, Menville Flippen, Tom Flippen, Kate Flippen Gillen, Alta Flo Flip-pen Burleson, Charlie Flippen Crow, Arthur Flippen, Pattie Flippen Smith,…