This week I discovered Historic Newspapers of South Carolina, a free digital newspaper archives. It contained some of the same newspaper notices that I had already seen for my great-great-great grandmother, Nancy (Owens) Kelley's lawsuit against the administrators of her husband John Kelley's estate in Camden, Kershaw County, South Carolina. He died in 1859. The notices provide information as to where their land was but do not shed any light on why she felt it was necessary to sue her own children.
The oddest part, was that as near as I can tell, this suit did not damage her relationship with her children. In fact, several of them were still living with her during the Civil War and after when these requests for partition were occurring.
The Historic Newspapers of South Carolina turned up an earlier notice that I had never seen before.
Kershaw--In Equity
Nancy M. Kelley vs. Mansel P. Kelly, J. Ross Dye,
Admr, et al
BILL FOR PARTITION, & C.
It appearin to my satisfaction that ------ Redding and his wife, Nancy Redding, John K. Thomas, ------ Staggs and his wife, Charlotte Staggs, Thomas Thomas, Jr., ----- Booth and his wife, Francis Booth, and William Thomas, defendants to the above Bill, are without and reside beyond the limits of this State.
It is ordered, on motion of Shannon, Complainant's Solicitor, that the said defendants do answer, plead or demur to the above Bill within three months from the publication of this order. In default whereof an order pro confesso will be entered against them.
WM. R. TAYLOR, C. E. K. D.
Commisioner's Office, March 2d, 1860
March 6
Who are these people?????
From looking at many, many estate notices over the years, I know that generally speaking, everyone named is a legatee or relative. If a man is a bachelor, the legatees could be his parents, siblings, and the children of a deceased sibling. If a man is married with a family, the legatees tend to be his spouse, his children, and the children of a deceased child.
When I look at the people named in this notice, the only child of Nancy and John Kelly's who is named is my great-great grandfather Mansel P. Kelly. His other siblings are not named. I also know that none of Nancy's children, even if they were deceased, were old enough at this time to have grown children. So these people are not Nancy and John Kelly's grandchildren.
It is possible that John Kelly had children by a previous wife and children by her? He was about 20 years older than Nancy, but was married to Nancy by the 1850 census. There were no children from a previous marriage in their household. Thus, the 1850 census does not have any clues. Yet.
This looks like a group of married daughters of John Kelly's. Unfortunately, their husbands are not named. That makes it harder to track them. The three Thomas males have me stumped. Shouldn't their names be Kelly unless they are grandsons by a deceased daughter? Are they grown or children? At what point did they leave South Carolina? Did they migrate together or have they scattered in all directions? Were they born in South Carolina? How old are they? Should I guess that they are roughly Nancy's age--maybe slightly older or younger?
It appears to me that settling the estate has been hampered by the absence of the other heirs, and the suit is an attempt to clear up loose ends.
But who are these people?????
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