Lethe Plantation – Allendale County

Basic Information

• Location – Allendale County

• Origin of name – ?

• Other names – ?

• Current status – ?

Timeline

• ? – Earliest known date of existence

• ? – House built

• ? – Robert McLewrath served as South Carolina's Chief Armorer during the Revolutionary War. Near the end of the war, he left Charleston and purchased the plantation (1).
  

• 1790 – McLewrath died and his estate was left in legal limbo for many years (1).
  

• ? – Isaac Bordeaux acquired the plantation (3).
  

• 1819 – Bordeaux passed away. He left most of his property jointly to his nieces and nephews. However, his will stipulated that Martha, who was a free, black woman and Lincoln stay at Lethe Plantation as long as they desired. Bordeaux strongly condemned "the deplorable ill treatment and oppresson their color and human situation" and made provisions in his will for Martha and Lincoln to not only have full use of the house, all buildings and land of Lethe but they also were to receive yearly payments from his estate and Lincoln was to be taught to read and write. Lincoln was Isaac's mulatto son with Martha most likely his mother (3) (4).
  

Land

• Number of acres – ?

• Primary crop – ?

Slaves

• Number of slaves – Approximately 100 in 1790 (1)

Buildings

• ?

References & Resources

1. Robert McLewrath

2. Claude Henry Neuffer, editor, Names in South Carolina, Volume I through 30 (Columbia, SC: The State Printing Company)
    Order Names in South Carolina, Volumes I-XII, 1954-1965
    Order Names in South Carolina, Index XIII-XVIII
   

3. Will of Isaac Bordeaux

4. Bordeaux Family