The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-05-24
OWNED SLAVES
Some Charleston History Not
Very Generally Known.
RICH C0L0RED FOLKS

Who Owned and Controlled Nepro
Slaves, the Same as White People,
Up to the Close OF the Confederate
War. They Were Very Intelligent
And Stood Well Among the White
People.
There were good many negroes
who owned negro slaves in the South
before the war, says the News and
Courier. In the List Of the Tax
payers 'of the City Of Charleston
1860, published by Evans & Cogs-
well In 1861, the names Of one hun
dred and thirty-two colored people
who owned and paid taxes on three
hundred and ninety slaves in Char
lesion. The tax on slaves was 81
per capita, and the amount paid on
the negroes owned by negroes I'm
this town at the beginning Of the war
aggregated $1,170. Doubtless there
were other shareholders among the
negroes In other parts Of the State.
OUT or theSe we have no record.
mere were negro Shareholders also
In other parts OF the South. Mr.. ].
). Wood, OF Columbus, Ga, recently
told the Enquirer-Sun, Of that city.
an interesting story about the free
negro persons who owned slaves in
their own right in that community.
one OF these Shareholders was Bob
Parker, who ran a line of drays In
Columbus, owning his hands and
drays He also owned negro women
and children. Dilsey Pope owned
her husband and hired him out, and
when he offended her in some way
she got rid OF him by selling him to
Colonel Scaborn Jones. joe Clark !
another negro In Columbus, barber
by trade, owned and worked negroes
whom he bought. If the Dilsey Pope
plan could only be adopted nowadays
among the white people 1t might be
practicable to rid the community of
some very trining husbands: but that
is another matter.
mere were more negro SlavohOld-
ers in Charleston than in any other
community in this State; certainly
there was larger number Of free
persons Of color" here than In any
other city In the South, with the ex-
ception probably of New Orleans. In
this class were included seven Indian
families who had consorted with the
negroes. Some of the family names
of the free persons Of color who
fourished here and owned slaves are
still be to found In the City Directory
and there are many Of their decen-
dants still living, but most Of the old
negroes have left no
sign that they ever existed. The Wes-
ton family was the largest and most
important of the free negro families
living here, and they were all very
good people. The free negroes gen
orally held themselves in high esteem
and were respected by their white
There were Sc taxpayers among
them and in 1861 they paid taxes on
real estate that was valued at $759,-
go. The rate OF taxation on real
estate was $l.40 por cent, SO that
these people paid into the City Treas
ury on account Of their real estate
holdings, slave property and other
eNations OF the municipal govern
ment, $12.2OS.14
The largest owners of slaves
among the colored people here were
II. e. Dereef Undian) and Maria
Weston, each Of whom had fourteen
slaves. Amos Baxter owned 13,
Elizabeth Duprat and George Shrews-
berry each owned 10. Phoebe LOWS
owned H. James Johnston owned 10,
Samuel Weston Trustco) owned 8,
Peter b. Matthews and Jacob Wes-
ton each owned Z. j. a. Sasportas
and Touias Dccoster each owned 5,
and others whose names are not so
familiar owned from to 6. The
largest taxpayer among the free
persons Of color" was Maria Weston
who owned $40,075 worth Of real cs-
tate and paid $613,05 taxes. Other
large taxpayers among these people
were as follows:
Robert Howard, real estate $685.
900. slaves 5, taxes $491.
r. r.. Dereef, real estate $23, 900,
slaves IA, taxes 1884.
William McKinlay. real estate
$25, 900, slaves -, taxes $354.4S.
Joseph Dcrecf, Undian. real es-
tate $4,000, slaves 6, taxes $242.
elias Garden, (1ndian) real es-
tate, $4,000. slaves 3 taxes 1927.
John l.. Francis. real estate, SILL
coo, slaves z, taxes $lS2.40.
Jacob Weston, real estate 81 500,
slaves Q, taxes $l7S.40.
Francis st. Marks, real estate $ll, )
$50, slaves 3, taxes $170.70.
George Shrewsbury. real estate
$500, slaves -. taxes $l53.
Samuel Weston. real estate So
800, slaves 10, taxes $133,2O.
4. Holloway, rcalcstatc $1,000,
slaves ~, taxes $l3lSO.
J. A. Sasportas. real estate 5000,
slaves 5, taxes $11S,S0.
Thomas Il. Small, real estate, ST.
800, slaves 3. taxes $1ll,20.
James, Johnson, real estate $500
slaves 10, taxes $lO2.2O.
Some OF the free persons of color
became prominent in the politics OF
tho city and State after the close OF
the war. and all OF them who went
into politics were allied with the Re
publican party Artson was a con
spicuous name in the Reconstruction
days Of the State. and Sasportas
Deas, De Large, Elfe, Grant, Mci<in
lay, Shrewsbury and Mushingtoi
were also prominent at that time.
The colorcd people returned 3.
| horses for taxation and several o
them owned carriages. They had nC
political privileges but they "er'
amply protected In all their civi
rights and were free to buy and sci
and to engage In whatever Legitimate
commercial enterprise or industria
undertaking they pleased. Hoy
they became into possession OF tn
slaves they owned, whether by gil
or by purchase, we do not know. al
though we were informed, that thos
colored people bought their slave
lust as slaves were purchased by TN
white people, and that they manage
them very much in the same way