1885 South Carolina Legal Letter Hayne & Ficken Attorneys Charleston Spartanburg For Sale

Book 21 page 17.

• Type: Original Handwritten Legal Correspondence / Ephemera

• Date: May 17, 1885

• Recipient: J. S. R. Thomson, Esq., Spartanburg, South Carolina

• Subject: Court of Common Pleas litigation regarding the Ashley Phosphate Co., S.S. Ross et al., and the Ross & Davenport litigation.

This authentic piece of 19th-century South Carolina legal history is written on the official letterhead of Hayne & Ficken in Charleston. The prominent law firm was composed of notable local figures Isaac Hayne and John F. Ficken (who later served as the Mayor of Charleston from 1891 to 1895).

The letter is addressed to fellow attorney J.S.R. Thomson in Spartanburg regarding an ongoing legal action in the Court of Common Pleas. It references a summons served to the Ashley Phosphate Company (a major industry in post-Civil War South Carolina) regarding a mortgage foreclosure, and asks for an update on the status of the related \"Ross & Davenport litigation.\"

[Case Notes in Margin]:C. P. Brown & E. A. Brown as Admtrs. Est. J. J. Brown dec\'d. PlaintiffsvsS.S. Ross et al and the Ashley Phosphate Co. et al. DefendantsCourt of Common Pleas, Spartanburg Co.

J. S. R. Thomson EsqSpartanburg S.C.

Dear Sir -Enclosed find copy Summons in above entitled action which was served on 15th inst. as upon the Ashley Phosphate Co.. They presume the action is probably to foreclose some Mortgage given by Ross, & that they have been made parties defendant as judgment creditors of Ross & Davenport: And they request that you will take such steps as you may deem proper to protect their interests.What is the present status of the Ross & Davenport litigation?

Yours truly,Hayne & Ficken

The letter is signed by the prominent Charleston law firm Hayne & Ficken, which consisted of two highly influential local figures:

• John Frederick Ficken Jr. (1843–1925): Ficken was an incredibly prominent political and legal figure in South Carolina. A veteran of the Confederate Army (having served in the German Volunteers), he went on to practice law and enter politics. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and, most notably, was elected the 48th Mayor of Charleston, serving from 1891 to 1895. He was also heavily involved in the educational and financial sectors of Charleston, serving as a trustee for the College of Charleston and president of the South Carolina Loan and Trust Company.

• Isaac Hayne: A distinguished Charleston attorney, Hayne belonged to one of the most historic and politically aristocratic families in South Carolina—tracing back to the famous Revolutionary War martyr Colonel Isaac Hayne.

• James S. R. Thomson: A highly prominent and influential attorney based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Thomson was a leading member of the Upstate South Carolina bar and handled major civil, corporate, and property litigation across Spartanburg County. He frequently represented regional interests, railroads, and industrial entities during the post-Reconstruction economic boom of the Piedmont region.

The core of the legal dispute involves the Ashley Phosphate Company, which represents one of the most critical economic drivers of late 19th-century South Carolina:

• The Phosphate Boom: Following the devastation of the Civil War, the discovery of massive land and river rock phosphate deposits along the Ashley and Cooper rivers saved the lowcountry economy. Phosphate was mined intensively and treated with sulfuric acid to create agricultural fertilizer, becoming South Carolina\'s dominant industry and chief export from the late 1860s until the 1890s.

• Industrial Prominence: The Ashley Phosphate Company (headquartered in Charleston) was one of the premier fertilizer manufacturing firms of the era. Because these companies held immense wealth and extensive land/mineral rights, they were constantly entangled in high-stakes legal battles regarding mortgages, land boundaries, and judgment creditors—precisely what this letter addresses.