Lexington County Museum's Artifact of the Week: Sept. 30 - Oct. 6

This week's artifact is an 1818 letter from Llewellyn W. Threewits to a judge in Granby.  Threewits asks in the letter for an accounting of all the fines imposed on him by the court.  He writes that he only can remember one, a fine imposed for an assault and battery in 1813, but that there may be others.  Threewitts was involved in a court case with his wife at the time, so the letter may be related to that. 

Threewitts wife, Catherine Daniel Threewitts separated from Llewellyn because of his problems with alcohol and asked the court to order LLewellyn to support her.  Although divorce was illegal in South Carolina at that time, a wife could separate from her husband.  If the husband wanted her to return and the wife refused, she lost all rights to alimony and custody of their children.  Llewellyn apparently allowed Catherine to leave and set up a trust to support his separated wife.

See this artifact and more at the Lexington County Museum. Visit www.lex-co.sc.gov/museum for more information.