Chesterfield County SC Estates~Estate Folder #95–John Thomas Meehan, 1894.

 

This is a new series of posting, appearing every Sunday, on selected Estate Folders from the Estate files of Chesterfield County. No known estates exist for the period before the Civil War. They were destroyed with the burning of the Courthouse. There are a few “Equity Records” in the State Archives. Do not overlook this valuable resources if you are looking for ancestors in Chesterfield County, South Carolina.

Today we will be looking at the following Estate folders:
Folder #95
John Thomas Meehan
This estate folder begins at image #240 and ends with image #302. (images 240-302)

John Thomas Meehan was the owner of a Mercantile Store in Chesterfield, South Carolina.  The estate required special handling because of the number of individual items that had to be liquidated. The estate totaling 62 pages can be accessed at this hyperlink:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19384-38330-11?cc=1911928

When I pull an estate folder for research basically I am looking for 3 distinct items/facts.

1. What was his/her date of death?
2. Is there a WILL?
3. Who are the Heirs-at-Law?

In the case of this estate folder, there was no Will and the heirs at law were not named within the probate folder.
 
Petition for Letters/Date of Death:


















Transcription:
State of South Carolina}
County of Chesterfield} In Probate Court
ExParte J. E. Meehan
To Hon. H. D. Tiller, Judge of Probate
The petition of the above named petitioner shows that John T. Meehan late of the above State and County died intestate in the said State and County on the 23^rd day of Feby 1894 leaving an estate of personal property amounting to about ($4500) four thousand five Hundred dollars and considerably indebted and it is necessary that the said estate be administered an according to law. That petitioner is the wife of the said John T. Meehan and desires letters of Administration on said estate—
Feby 27 1894                                       W. F. Stevenson
                                                              Petitioner Attorney
 
In a petition submitted to the Court by W. F. Stevenson, Administrator of the Estate of John T. Meehan, Mr. Stevenson requested that he be allowed leeway in the sale of the  store inventory because of it’s unique merchandise. 
 








 

“the personal estate consists almost entirely of a large stock of Merchandise which cannot be sold at public auction to advantage and such sale would be at a great sacrifice.”

The Court granted his request.















Transcription:
State of South Carolina}
County of Chesterfield} In Probate Court
On hearing the petition of W. F. Stevenson as administrator of J. T. Meehan deceased which is hereto attached?
It is ordered that he have leave to sell the stock of goods of said estate either in bulk or in large lots or in the usual course of mercantile business as in his judgment seems best employing such clerical force as is necessary to handle said goods, as sort and arrange them and dispose of them advantageously.
It is further ordered that the other assets be disposed of at Public sale as usual in estate sales on the 1^st day of Apr. 1894 and that he render a true account of said sales to this Court. March 16 1894.
                                                                    A. D. Tiller
                                                                    Judge of Probate

There is an extensive inventory listing of merchandise that Mr. Meehan carried in his Mercantile store. It’s very interesting to browse through this inventory and see the items available for purchase in the late 1880’s to 1900’s. 
 
Start of Inventory (Images 268-300) 
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19384-38186-15?cc=1911928
 
Estate Closed:
Request to closed the Estate was made by W. F. Stevenson to the Court on 30 march 1895. The court ordered the estate closed. 
 

It is ordered that he [W. F. Stevenson] be discharged from his trust as administrator of the Estate of J. T. Meehan, deceased.
 
John Thomas Meehan was born abt 1851 and died on 23 Feb. 1894, age 43. He married J. Elizabeth Funderburk abt 1877. John and Elizabeth had 7 children; 3 sons and 4 daughters. 

Their daughter, Mary E. Meehan, married my 2nd Cousin 3 times removed William McNair 'Mack' Davis. 









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[1] "South Carolina Probate Records, Files and Loose Papers, 1732-1964," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-19384-38330-11?cc=1911928 : 21 May 2014), Chesterfield > Probate Court, Estate records > 1865-1927 > Cases 0088-0152 > image 240 of 1495; county courthouses, South Carolina, and South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Columbia.