Susan E. Conner, widow of Henry L. Conner, brought a case to the Supreme Court against William St. John Elliott and Daniel W. Brickle and his wife, who were heirs of her deceased husband's estate. The issue was whether or not Susan had the right to receive dower from her late husband’s land in Indiana that he owned before their marriage but sold after they married without her knowledge or consent; she argued that since it was acquired prior to their marriage she should be entitled to dower rights on it even though it had been sold by him afterwards without her permission or knowledge. The court ruled in favor of Susan stating that although Henry did not have any legal obligation under Indiana law at the time for obtaining his wife's consent before selling property obtained prior to marriage, he still could not deprive his wife of what would otherwise be due as part of an equitable settlement between them upon dissolution of their union; thus Susan was granted one-third interest in all lands purchased with proceeds from sale which were held by defendants as heirs at law and next friends for minors among them - this ruling established precedent for future cases involving similar issues concerning marital property laws across states within US jurisdiction .

In the dissenting opinion of this case, Justice McLean argued that the plaintiff should have been awarded a larger portion of her late husband's estate. He reasoned that since she had provided for and taken care of him during his life, it was only fair to award her more than what was originally granted by the court. Furthermore, he noted that under Tennessee law at the time, if a widow did not receive enough from her deceased husband's estate to support herself and any children they may have had together then she would be entitled to additional funds from other heirs in order to provide for them. Therefore, Justice McLean concluded that Susan E. Conner should have received more money as compensation for taking care of Henry L. Conner during his lifetime and providing for their family after his death.