The seven children of Robert Matthewes seek an account of his estate, the return of estate slaves illegally sold, and the partition of the estate. Robert Matthewes died intestate in 1827, leaving a large estate, including sixty-five slaves. His widow administered the estate until her death in 1829 but never partitioned the property among the heirs. After marrying Susan Matthewes, Samuel H. Hamilton became the administrator of the estate. The heirs complain that Hamilton has not filed the required annual accounts, leaving them "unable to learn how the estate stands." He refuses to partition the estate, and he sold at least fourteen of the slaves to John O'Neal despite the repeated refusal of the ordinary to authorize the sale. The petitioners ask the court to compel Hamilton to account for his administration and to enjoin him from disposing of any more property. They also ask the court to issue a writ of partition. Furthermore, the petitioners ask the court to void the sale to John O'Neal, to order him to return the slaves, and to compel him to account for the slaves' wages and hires while in his possession.
Result: Partially granted.
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Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
