Free mulatto John Holman Jr., former executor of the last will and testament of John Holman Sr., asks the court to settle a dispute with his brother, Samuel, who took over executorial duties of their father's estate in 1805 after Holman Jr. left for Africa. Samuel, at the same time, also assumed direction of his late father's slaves and "received, sold & disposed of" the rice crop they produced. Holman Jr. complains now that he has been charged with the plantation rent and the slaves' annual hire since 1805. Pursuant to a suit filed by the Holmans' sisters, the court ordered a partition of the estate, whereby Samuel was allotted nine slaves. This allotment is subject to confirmation from court officials pending determination of Samuel's indebtedness to his brother. The petitioner contends that Samuel has, in fact, received more of the estate than he is entitled to as a legatee. Holman Jr. asks the court to determine a proper disposition of the estate's property. An excerpt from the elder Holman's will reveals that one of his slaves, Elizabeth, is the boys' mother. The will instructs that she be manumitted and that her sons "support and protect her."
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Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
