Anderson County, SC

County Name: 
Anderson
State: 
South Carolina

Total population (1850): 32,318
Enslaved population (1850): 19,262
Percent enslaved: 60%
Extant nineteenth-century inquests: 153
Date range: 1830-1883
Percentage of violent crimes in county sample: 32% (49/153)

Anderson County was named for Robert Anderson, a Revolutionary War hero who helped wrest the land away from the Cherokee in 1777. The resulting cession was then broken into Pickens and Anderson Counties (technically Pickens and Anderson Districts) in 1826. Lacking a central county seat, Anderson Courthouse was built, which gradually became the town of Anderson, now known as 'The Electricity City' because it was the first in the country to have continuous power thanks to a water mill located in the high shoals. Like many counties in the area, Anderson became heavily invested in cotton and textile mills as the nineteenth century progressed.

Anderson County, SC Inquests

Displaying 1 - 50 of 153
Name Deceased Description Datesort ascending Inquest Location Death Type Death Method
Julia Long November 22, 1883 at the residence of David Long Homicide shovel
Robert Brownlee July 26, 1883 at Seneca River Accident
Hewlet Swangum July 21, 1883 at Pelzer, SC Accident
Anna G. Cason June 10, 1883 at Williamston Natural Causes
Minnie Cason June 9, 1883 at Williamston Accident
James Robinson May 20, 1883 n.a. Natural Causes
William Roberts April 11, 1883 at Belton in Anderson County Accident train
Mary Waters March 20, 1883 at or near the residence of Thomas J. Reynolds Unknown
Thomas Dalton February 8, 1882 at Williamston Accident
Giles Guess colored February 2, 1882 at the hosue of John Smith Homicide pistol
Anna G. Goodrich November 10, 1881 at Pelzer, SC Accident train
N. T. Hooper November 7, 1881 n.a. Accident train
John Seawright October 22, 1881 on the public road leading from Craytonville to Anderson Court House Natural Causes
Joe Jenkins October 8, 1881 at the residence of Matilda Rud Natural Causes
Daniel Brown October 8, 1881 at the plantation of Willis Watkins Natural Causes
John Maddox June 15, 1881 at Williamston Accident
William Davis June 11, 1881 at Mr. Jeb Davis's residence Suicide pistol
Martha Morris January 9, 1881 at the residence of Warren Morris Natural Causes
Jane Laniere August 13, 1880 at the residence of G. B. Whiton Natural Causes
Major Crawford July 21, 1880 at Anderson Court House Accident
Sally Williams July 19, 1880 n.a. Natural Causes
Charity Bozeman June 11, 1880 at the house of Aby McAlister Natural Causes
John Williams February 9, 1879 at the house of Newton Perry [?] on the plantation of Thomas Cox Natural Causes
T. J. Blaydon November 30, 1878 at or near Hugh Mahaffey's on the Greenville and Columbia Rail Road about two miles below Williamston Accident train
Peter Knox July 23, 1878 near Calrandellers[?] Ferry on Tugalo River Accident
Mary Thompson June 12, 1878 Accident
Clara Burress February 25, 1878 at the house of Caty Burress on the plantation of Dr. A. G. Cook Homicide pistol
Sam Burton December 9, 1876 Accident laudanum
Daily Thompson December 8, 1876 at Daniel Thompson's Suicide
Mary Magdalene Saxton December 6, 1876 at the house of Enoch Saxton Unknown
George Norris November 23, 1876 at Anderson Courthouse Natural Causes
Allen S. Barksdale June 23, 1876 at the house of Robert A. Gray Homicide axe
Henry Thompson June 17, 1876 at Broadway trestle on the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad Accident train
Allen Johnson June 17, 1876 at Broadway trestle on the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad Accident train
N. W. Lafoy June 17, 1876 at Broadway trestle on the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad Accident train
M. J. Wilson June 17, 1876 at Broadway trestle on the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad Accident train
Jefferson Kitsinger June 17, 1876 at Broadway trestle on the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad Accident train
Willis Watson June 14, 1876 at the river bank on Saulda one mile above Gambell old Bridge Accident
Smith June 9, 1876 near R. H. Anderson's Tanyard Accident
Sam Williams May 30, 1876 in the streets of Pendleton Homicide
Peter Williford May 2, 1876 at Daniel Williford's Natural Causes
Beller McAlester March 11, 1876 at house of deceased Natural Causes
Strather Freeman March 2, 1876 at Flat Rock Church Natural Causes
Lila Gambrell October 21, 1875 at the house of Ran Duckworth Natural Causes
James Jenkins May 30, 1875 at Robert Spence's [?] Mill Accident
George C. Mitchell September 19, 1874 at residence of Marion Mtchell Suicide
colored colored April 24, 1874 at Dr. J. A. Todd's Accident
infant March 30, 1874 at Silas Kay's Unknown
Robert H. Holliday January 20, 1874 at Calhoun Homicide pistol
Lena Hutchinson October 20, 1873 Accident

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