Anderson County, SC
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
Name | Deceased Description | Date | Inquest Location | Death Type | Death Method |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mary M. Williams | March 20, 1860 | at William William's residence | Suicide | ||
John Sulivan | December 17, 1859 | at B. D. Garison's residence | Suicide | laudanum | |
Lewis Green | free man of color | September 17, 1859 | at the Williamston Hotel | Homicide | arsenic |
Samuel Ward | July 19, 1859 | at Church Cross Roads | Natural Causes | ||
Sophia Hall | March 19, 1859 | at or near Samuel Martin's residence | Natural Causes | ||
Morriss unknown | free man of color | January 7, 1858 | at Grief Tater's residence | Natural Causes | |
Joseph Poor | December 17, 1857 | at William Holand's residence | Other | ||
David McClellan | November 27, 1857 | at residence of David McClellan | Accident | ||
Henry Davis | October 30, 1857 | at Anderson Courthouse | Accident | ||
Celia King | September 8, 1857 | at Peter King's residence | Suicide | hank of cotton thread | |
Patsy Wilson | colored free woman | June 17, 1857 | at the residence of Robert Wilson | Suicide | |
Edward Lawrence | March 29, 1856 | at Pendleton village | Accident | wagon | |
Bonaparte Bates | March 26, 1856 | at the Fuller old field | Accident | ||
Harry | slave | December 17, 1855 | at Jesse Gray's residence | Natural Causes | |
Elizabeth McHolister | August 16, 1855 | at the house of Elijah McHolister | Natural Causes | ||
Harry | slave | July 7, 1855 | at Pendleton village | Natural Causes | |
James Drake | December 7, 1854 | at residence of James Drake | Natural Causes | ||
Will | slave | November 18, 1854 | at William Nevitt's | Homicide | rail |
Sam | slave | October 5, 1854 | at the plantation of James W. Harrison | Suicide | |
John Edmonson | July 26, 1854 | near the road leading from Anderson Court House to the Double Branches. | Other | ||
Mary May | April 14, 1854 | at J. W. May's | Natural Causes | ||
Thomas D. Cook | April 10, 1854 | at Stover's Ferry on Savannah River | Accident | ||
Anthony | slave | July 2, 1853 | at Samuel J. Hannond's plantation | Accident | |
Frances Pagett | April 15, 1853 | at William Pagett's | Natural Causes | ||
male infant slave | male infant slave | July 10, 1851 | at Jacob Pickle's | Unknown | |
John M. Bonds | December 16, 1850 | at Isom R. Bond's | Natural Causes | ||
Jim Mason | free man of color | January 9, 1850 | near the residence of William Poole | Accident | |
John Dean | December 29, 1848 | on the publick [sic] road leading from William McMurry's, Esq to J. L. Kenedy's | Accident | ||
Ephraim Mayfield | April 1, 1847 | at the plantation of Ephraim Mayfield | Suicide | knife | |
James Wilson | March 27, 1846 | at the house of Alexander Moorehead | Natural Causes | ||
Edward Whitt | March 1, 1846 | near John Baurman's | Accident | horse | |
Israel | slave | November 3, 1845 | on the plantation of David Gentry | Natural Causes | |
Aaron Hardin | June 24, 1845 | at plantation of Mr. Moses Chambles | Accident | ||
John Vandiver | March 28, 1845 | at residence of Daniel Gentry | Accident | horse | |
Sarah Martin | July 14, 1844 | at residence of Mrs. Sarah Martin | Natural Causes | ||
Moses | Slave | April 10, 1844 | at Clayton Webb's Plantation...near the Spring Branch | Homicide | shotgun |
Matthew Gambrell | August 12, 1843 | at James Mattison's | Suicide | manilla rope | |
Nancy Steele | December 11, 1842 | at the Poor House | Suicide | rope | |
female daughter of | female daughter of | November 28, 1841 | at graveyard at Hammonds Old Field | Homicide | |
Sarah McCulley | wife of Barney McCulley | September 1, 1841 | at the house of Barney McCulley | Accident | |
Barbary Havard | wife of Mark Havard | November 5, 1840 | in the house of Mark Havard | Suicide | |
Samuel McCulley | December 29, 1839 | in Broadway Creek | Accident | ||
Truman Miles | October 22, 1839 | at Anderson Courthouse | Accident | ||
Jack | slave [runaway] | November 21, 1835 | at Andersonville | Accident | |
James Hembree | September 24, 1835 | at the house of Jesse Hembree | Homicide | knife or dirk | |
Caleb Chappell | January 22, 1835 | at or near house of John Ledbetter | Other | ||
John King | May 1, 1833 | at plantation of the deceased John King | Suicide | sharp pocket knife | |
Henry | slave | December 25, 1830 | on public highway from Pendleton to Pickensville [modern-day Easley] | Accident | |
Reuben Parker | August 22, 1830 | at house of Edwerd Sherman | Homicide | chair | |
Samuel | Negro Man | Accident |