Metadata
Title
Christ Church and St. Peter's Church correspondence and copy of Joseph Dobbins's will, 1804
Date
1803/1804
Digital Identifier
ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-20
Call Number
4.2.0.20; F508
Description
Includes copy of Joseph Dobbins's will, and associated correspondence. Dobbins (d. 1804) of Columbia, South Carolina, bequeathed the bulk of his estate to support widows at Christ Church Hospital in Philadelphia. The documents detail the contents of the will and codicil, including his instructions to emancipate two enslaved girls, Matilda and Amey, and the subsequent legal complications under South Carolina law. Correspondence from Rev. David E. Dunlap details Dobbins's death, the securing of his papers, and the refusal of the named executor, Thomas Jones, to serve.
Subject
Place
Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
South Carolina--Columbia
South Carolina--Richland County
Congregation
Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA
Extent
2 documents (oversize)
Format (Digital)
tiff
Rights
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
Language
eng
Type
Text
Abstract
This collection contains an authenticated copy of the will and codicil of Joseph Dobbins of Columbia, South Carolina, together with related correspondence to the Vestry and Wardens of Christ and St. Peter's Churches in Philadelphia. In his will, dated July 19, 1803, Dobbins ordered his just debts paid, directed that his enslaved servant girl Matilda, described as “a Mulatta” about eleven years old, be set free at his death, and bequeathed his estate—126 shares in the Bank of South Carolina and other property amounting to about $6,000—to the poor and distressed widows supported by the bounty of Dr. Kearsley in Christ Church Hospital. He appointed Thomas Jones, President of the Bank of South Carolina, as executor in conjunction with the vestry and wardens of Christ Church and St. Peter's Church in Philadelphia [p. 1r]. The will was witnessed by Hugh Grant, James Pearle, and Jesse Perry, proven before Sam Taylor, Ordinary of Richland District, on August 7, 1804, and certified as a true copy on August 13, 1804 [p. 1r].
A codicil dated April 11, 1804 gave a silver quart tankard marked “MF” to Rev. John Foster, and bequeathed three lots of land on Taylor Street in Columbia, numbered 20, 21, and 22 and purchased from Thomas H. Wade, along with the remainder of Dobbins's silver plate to Rev. David E. Dunlap and his wife Susanna P. Dunlap. The codicil also appointed the Dunlaps as guardians of Matilda and of the freed girl Amey until the girls reached eighteen years of age or married [p. 1v]. The codicil was witnessed by Benjamin Waring, Robert Hendrick, and Daniel Wade, proven before the Ordinary, and certified as a true copy on August 13, 1804 [p. 1v].
The correspondence includes a September 3, 1804 letter from church warden Thomas Cumpston acknowledging receipt of the authenticated copy of the will and noting that a vestry would shortly be called to determine action [p. 2r]. A lengthy letter from Rev. Dunlap recounts that Dobbins lived with Dunlap's family during his last illness, suffered from gravel and other infirmities, and died on May 29, 1804 in his seventy-second year. Dunlap describes securing Dobbins's keys and trunks after his death, discovering the will with neighbors present, and corresponding with named executor Thomas Jones [p. 2r].
Copied letters follow. Thomas Jones's letter of June 18, 1804 declines the executorship because legal advice indicated that the vestry and wardens could not serve as executors and that responsibility would fall on Jones alone, creating inconvenience and requiring possible Court of Equity involvement [p. 2v]. Henry Baily's legal opinion of the same date advises that the will appeared duly executed, that the codicil formed part of the will, that the Dunlaps could take possession of the land subject to debts, and that dividends from the Bank of South Carolina stock should be remitted to the authorized agent of those administering the trust for poor and distressed widows [p. 2v]. Baily further cautions that the attempted emancipation of Matilda did not conform to a recent South Carolina act and should not proceed without an order from the Court of Equity [p. 2v]. Dunlap concludes by urging prompt action from Philadelphia to relieve him of responsibility for Dobbins's papers and property, noting that Dobbins's debts were few but that he held notes amounting to approximately $2,500 to $3,000, including an $800 or $900 note already in suit [p. 2v].
A codicil dated April 11, 1804 gave a silver quart tankard marked “MF” to Rev. John Foster, and bequeathed three lots of land on Taylor Street in Columbia, numbered 20, 21, and 22 and purchased from Thomas H. Wade, along with the remainder of Dobbins's silver plate to Rev. David E. Dunlap and his wife Susanna P. Dunlap. The codicil also appointed the Dunlaps as guardians of Matilda and of the freed girl Amey until the girls reached eighteen years of age or married [p. 1v]. The codicil was witnessed by Benjamin Waring, Robert Hendrick, and Daniel Wade, proven before the Ordinary, and certified as a true copy on August 13, 1804 [p. 1v].
The correspondence includes a September 3, 1804 letter from church warden Thomas Cumpston acknowledging receipt of the authenticated copy of the will and noting that a vestry would shortly be called to determine action [p. 2r]. A lengthy letter from Rev. Dunlap recounts that Dobbins lived with Dunlap's family during his last illness, suffered from gravel and other infirmities, and died on May 29, 1804 in his seventy-second year. Dunlap describes securing Dobbins's keys and trunks after his death, discovering the will with neighbors present, and corresponding with named executor Thomas Jones [p. 2r].
Copied letters follow. Thomas Jones's letter of June 18, 1804 declines the executorship because legal advice indicated that the vestry and wardens could not serve as executors and that responsibility would fall on Jones alone, creating inconvenience and requiring possible Court of Equity involvement [p. 2v]. Henry Baily's legal opinion of the same date advises that the will appeared duly executed, that the codicil formed part of the will, that the Dunlaps could take possession of the land subject to debts, and that dividends from the Bank of South Carolina stock should be remitted to the authorized agent of those administering the trust for poor and distressed widows [p. 2v]. Baily further cautions that the attempted emancipation of Matilda did not conform to a recent South Carolina act and should not proceed without an order from the Court of Equity [p. 2v]. Dunlap concludes by urging prompt action from Philadelphia to relieve him of responsibility for Dobbins's papers and property, noting that Dobbins's debts were few but that he held notes amounting to approximately $2,500 to $3,000, including an $800 or $900 note already in suit [p. 2v].
Thumbnail
IIIF Manifest
https://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/iiif.cfm/ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-20/manifest
