James Shoolbred asks that Philip A. Neyle and William C. Bee be prevented from selling a slave named Isis, who, he claims, belongs to him. He avers that Isis is the granddaughter of a slave named Linda, who had been placed in trust for him, along with a number of other slaves, at the time of his marriage to Mary Middleton in 1793. The terms of the trust settlement stipulated that he and Mary would enjoy use of the slaves, who came from Mary's family, during their lifetimes and that the survivor would keep half of them until his or her death. Shoolbred, now a widower, contends that he loaned Isis to his daughter, Eleonora Gibbes, in 1832 with the understanding that the loan did not imply a transfer of ownership. After Eleonora’s death, Isis remained with Benjamin Gibbes, the husband, who again acknowledged to have Isis on loan only. However, Benjamin Gibbes has now become insolvent, and his property has been assigned to Neyle and Bee, who have advertised it for sale. Isis is among the property to be sold. Shoolbred claims that he has applied to Neyle and Bee to return his property, but they have refused. He therefore seeks an injunction to prevent the defendants from selling Isis and an order compelling them to deliver her to him.
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Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
