The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-04-20
Slave Owners in Williamsburg in 1890.
(By William Willis Boddic.)

(By William Willis Boddic.)
Williamsburg was called Prince
Frederick's Parish, Georgetown Dis
trict, in 1870. 1t is SO Genominated
by the officials who compiled the First
Census of the United St;.tes in 1870.
The First Census shows tie names
of ell heads OF families in tie Parish,
the numbers Of free white males of
16 years and upwards, free white
males undo, 16, free white females,
all other free persons, and slaves un-
der their control.
| In 1890, the Williamsburg commun-
ity was . cattle raising section. The
men produced so much corn, cotton
and vegetables as were required for
use on their plantations, bat little
for market. When they wanted some
money, they drove herd of cattle
over Browns Ferry to Georgetown,
or over Murray's Ferry to Charleston,
where they found ready markets.
When the cattle did not bring so
much money as they needed, the plant
er sold slave. However, there were
some men along the Santee and the
present Georgetown county line who
planted cotton for market. These
were the largest slave owners in the
Parish. But few slaves were required
for herdsmen.
Theodore Gourdin was N 1870 the
largest slaveowner in the territory
now known as williamsburg. He had
I150 slaves of his own and 13 belong
ing to the estate of John James.
Stephen Ford owned SO; Moses Muir
ply, 81; John Baxter, S3; Anthony
White, 70; William Goddard, 70; Ben
jamin Porter, 67; Allen Mcknight,
So; Susanna McCrea, So; Hugh Mont
gomery, 81. Christopher Gadsden had
80 slaves here, but he was not a res
ident of the Parish.
James Snow did not own any slaves,
but he had II free persons under his
control. The term "free persons"
then included those bound for term
of years to service, and it is very
possible that Mr.. Snow sold his slaves
and was experimenting with indentur-
ed labor. Evidently, there is much
interesting history connected with this
matter, and 1 shall do my best to
learn it.
While the herdsmen of Williams
burg in 1870 needed but few slaves
and the large majority owned about
. five, these men had twenty, or more:
Joseph Birch, James Blakeley, Jr.,
John Burrows, John Boone, Paul Ber-
nard, Thomas Boone, John Brocking-
ton, Sr., George Burrows, Robert
Boone, John Callum, William James
Cooper, James Commander, John
C Cheeseborough, Mary Cunningham,
Chovin & Collins, John Dickey, Rob-
ert Dick & Jonas Winn, Patrick Dol
lard & Jokn O'Bryan, John Erwin,
Robert Frierson, Sr., Francis Green,
John Green, William Heathley, VIII
liam James, Jane James, Simms Le-
quieux, James Lacey, John Mckee &
Thomas Seabrook, James Mcknight,
Thomas Mcknight, John Mathews,
Isaac Mathews, Robert Mcconnell,
Roger McGill, Thomas McCrea, Paul
Michau, Manassel Michau, Robert Nc
Cottry, Peter Michau, Jonn Mckee,
Moses Miller, Letitia Nelson, Samuel
Nesmith, Francis Port, Robert Pals
ley, Abraham Perret, Thomas Potts,
Peter Roberts, James Scott, Joseph
Scott & William Reed, John Scott's
estate, Nelson Savage, William Snow,
Gavin Witherspoon, John Perry,
James Witherspoon's estate, Eliza
beth Witherspoon, Thomas Williams,
George Wilson, Robert Wilson, James
Walker, Jchn Witherspoon, Gavin
Witherspoon, Jr., and Robert Winter.
AnnalIino Condition in Armenia.