Description:

Thomas Heyward Jr.
Charleston, SC, May 27, 1788
Declaration Signer Thomas Heyward Jr. Signs Summons Just After South Carolina Ratifies Constitution
Partially printed DS

THOMAS HEYWARD JR., Partially Printed Document Signed, Summons of John James and William McConnico, May 27, 1788, Charleston, South Carolina. 1 p., 12.75" x 7.875". Includes Beckett letter of authenticity. Expected folds; tape repairs to verso; paper and wax seal intact.

With this document, Judge Thomas Heyward Jr. summoned the administrators of the estate of Samuel Little to court in Charleston to answer a case brought against Little's estate by William Burrows, the former Master in Chancery. Samuel Little and William McConnico (c. 1749-1798) were among the justices of the peace and magistrates in Sumter County, South Carolina. They and John James lived in the Camden District near modern Summerton, Clarendon County, South Carolina.

Four days before Heyward signed this document, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the proposed United States Constitution. When, one month later, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, it took effect, and the Confederation Congress set dates for electing members of Congress and a new president early in 1789.

Complete Transcript

SOUTH-CAROLINA.
THE State of South-Carolina. To all and singular the Sheriffs of the said State, GREETING: You, and each of you, are hereby commanded, without Delay to Summon John James and William McConnico, administrators of all and singular the Goods & Chattels Rights and Credits which belonged to Samuel Little deceased, otherwise in his lifetime called Samuel Little of the State aforesaid wheresoever they may be found, within your and each of your respective Districts, so that you compel them to be and appear before the Justices of the said State, at the Court of Common Pleas, to be holden at Charleston, on the first Tuesday in July next, to answer to William Burrows Esquire of the said State, of a plea that they render to him One thousand six hundred and sixty three pounds, seven shillings and four pence good and lawful Money, which from him they unjustly Detain and so forth.
And have you then and there this Writ.
Thos Heyward Jnr
WITNESS the honorable Thomas Heyward Junior Esquire one of the Associate Justices of the said State at Charleston, the twenty seventh Day of May in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-eight and in the twelfth Year of the Sovereignty and Independence of the United States of America.
M: Call / Plf's Atty

Thomas Heyward Jr. (1746-1809) was born in South Carolina and educated at home before traveling to England to study law in the Middle Temple. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1775, and the next year was the last delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence. He returned to South Carolina in 1778 to serve as a judge. He commanded a militia force, and the British took him prisoner when they captured Charleston in 1780. They confiscated his slaves and imprisoned him on a ship in the harbor. He was one of the largest slaveholders in the United States, and though he recovered some slaves after the war, 130 were sent to Jamaica to work on sugar plantations and never returned. Heyward was later transported to St. Augustine, Florida, where he was held for eleven months before being exchanged. After the war, he continued to serve as a judge, retiring in 1798.

William Burrows (1726-1781) was born in London, England, and graduated from All Hallows Staining, St. Olave Parish, Southwark, London, in 1743. He soon emigrated to North America and settled in St. John's Parish, Berkeley County, South Carolina. He was admitted to the bar in 1748. The following year, he married Mary Ward (1728-1775), with whom he had six children. Their children included William Ward Barrows (1758-1805), who served as the second commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps (1798-1804) and created the U.S. Marine Band. William Burrows became a justice of the peace for Berkeley County in 1756 and was a judge by 1764. He owned more than 10,000 acres of land in South Carolina and built a large home in Charleston in the 1770s. By 1778, he lived in the Charleston District, and he served as Master in Chancery from 1761 until his death.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 12.75" x 7.875"
  • Medium: Partially printed DS

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