JOINT TENANTS, persons who hold or own lands jointly, by title created expressly by one and the same deed or will. It has been uni formly held by the courts that a unity of pos session derived by several and distinct con veyances does not constitute a joint tenancy, but rather a tenancy in common. Joint tenants must have the same interest, derived from the same conveyance, commencing at one and the same time, and held by a united possession. The duration of the estates must he alike in both, and also the interest. Should one hold under the conveyance for a term of years, and the other for life, the possession even for a term of years would not he a joint tenancy. The estate must vest in each tenant at the same time. In the case of a will which gives one an interest to commence at a day named and another an interest to commence a year later, no joint tenancy is created thereby. Should one receive an Interest absolute and another an interest for life, the relation of joint tenants would not be created. The doctrine of sur
vivorship is the distinguishing incident of title by joint tenancy. In the event of the death of one of the joint tenants, the survivor is enti tled to the whole property, and the full title im mediately vests in him. This is not an incident of tenancy in common. Many of the States of the Union have abolished title by survivorship in joint tenancy by constitutional provisions or by express statute enactments. In other States acts have been passed abrogating the distinction between joint tenants and tenants in common ; and inheritance by survivorship not being an incident of tenancy in common, such acts are construed by the courts as abolishing such in heritance. Such acts do not apply to existing joint tenancies, but only to such as may be created after the enactment. Consult Kent, J., 'Commentary on American La& (14th ed., 4 vols., Boston 1896) ' • Blackstone, W., 'Com mentaries' (4th ed., 2 vols., Chicago 1899).