legal effect. Under common law, the recipient of a piece of property must have the legal capacity to receive it, and the property must be delivered to—and accepted by—the recipient. Both are impossible for a tree to do, as it isn't a legal person. William H. Jackson did own the property on the opposite side of Dearing Street from the tree. That plot included the present-day 226 Dearing Street, but in the early 19th century it was simply designated Lot #14. The tree, however, is located on a portion of what had been Lot #15. Jackson and his wife Mildred, along with a J. A. Cobb, sold their property to a Dr. Malthus Ward in 1832, the same year cited on a plaque as being the date of the tree's deed. The Clarke County real estate indices contain no indication of when or from whom Jackson originally purchased the property, although much of the land in that area is reported to have belonged to a Major James Meriwether. Even though Jackson may have lived near the tree as an adult, his childhood was actually spent in Jefferson County, not in Athens, making it unlikely that he had experienced idyllic childhood summers playing beneath the tree's branches. Recent deeds suggest that the tree's square footage remains part of the property at 125 Dearing Street. These documents describe a parcel bounded on the east by Finley Street and on the north by Dearing Street, an area that would seem to encompass the tree. However, the actual plat map for that property clearly does not include the tree's oddly shaped corner: its eastern line lies roughly to the west of the tree's location—as far as the tax assessor is concerned, the tree's area is not a part of that property. This does not confirm that the tree owns itself, but suggests, rather, that it is considered to be within the right-of-way along Finley Street. Athens-Clarke County confirms that the tree is in the right-of-way, and is thus "accepted for care" by municipal authorities; according to city-county officials, local government and the owners of the adjacent property jointly serve as "stewards" for the care of the tree, while Athens' Junior Ladies' Garden Club serves as its "primary advocate". Regarding Jackson's deed, one writer noted at the beginning of the 20th century, "However defective this title may be in law, the public recognized it." In