The daughter and son-in-law of the late Thomas Terry request the settlement of his estate. They report that the late Terry bequeathed his daughters Martha and Priscilla each "one half" of his estate, which included slaves. The will stipulated that said slaves be held in trust by the estate's executors and hired out for the said daughters' benefit. With the death of the original executors and the "said Estate having become derelict,” Robert Lewis and John McLure took over the administration of said estate. Twenty-year-old Martha affirms that she is now married and has two children; her sister Priscilla is married as well and has reached an age of maturity. Submitting that the "said negro slaves should be delivered up ... to be used and enjoyed" by the two women "for their proper maintenance and support," the petitioners report that they have requested McLure to account for the slaves' hires and have asked Lewis to deliver up the slaves. However, McLure and Lewis claim that the two women are not entitled to "their respective legacies until they attain the age of twenty one years." The Cherrys therefore ask the court for an account of the slaves' hires with a year-by-year record of each transfer and financial transaction. They further request that the slaves be equitably divided between the two sisters.
Result: Ordered pro confesso.
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Repository: South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia, South Carolina
