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 51 - 100 of 153
Namesort ascending Deceased Description Date Inquest Location Death Type Death Method
Mary May April 14, 1854 at J. W. May's Natural Causes
Mary Magdalene Saxton December 6, 1876 at the house of Enoch Saxton Unknown
Mary M. Williams March 20, 1860 at William William's residence Suicide
Martha Morris January 9, 1881 at the residence of Warren Morris Natural Causes
male infant slave male infant slave July 10, 1851 at Jacob Pickle's Unknown
Major Crawford July 21, 1880 at Anderson Court House Accident
M. J. Wilson June 17, 1876 at Broadway trestle on the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad Accident train
Lila Gambrell October 21, 1875 at the house of Ran Duckworth Natural Causes
Lewis Green free man of color September 17, 1859 at the Williamston Hotel Homicide arsenic
Lena Hutchinson October 20, 1873 Accident
Julia Long November 22, 1883 at the residence of David Long Homicide shovel
Joseph Poor December 17, 1857 at William Holand's residence Other
John Williams February 9, 1879 at the house of Newton Perry [?] on the plantation of Thomas Cox Natural Causes
John W. Meeks May 4, 1872 at Brown & Rice's Mill Homicide
John Vandiver March 28, 1845 at residence of Daniel Gentry Accident horse
John Sulivan December 17, 1859 at B. D. Garison's residence Suicide laudanum
John Seawright October 22, 1881 on the public road leading from Craytonville to Anderson Court House Natural Causes
John Saylor August 6, 1870 at or near the Ridge road near E. R. Cobb's residence Natural Causes
John Maddox June 15, 1881 at Williamston Accident
John M. Bonds December 16, 1850 at Isom R. Bond's Natural Causes
John King May 1, 1833 at plantation of the deceased John King Suicide sharp pocket knife
John Hayne May 16, 1861 At the house of Capt. John Hayne Suicide rifle
John H. Megill September 22, 1867 at J. D. Tucker's Unknown
John G. Gorley July 26, 1866 Homicide rope
John Edmonson July 26, 1854 near the road leading from Anderson Court House to the Double Branches. Other
John Dean December 29, 1848 on the publick [sic] road leading from William McMurry's, Esq to J. L. Kenedy's Accident
John Calhoun Clemson August 11, 1871 at Pendleton Accident train
John Brownlee June 7, 1863 at Williamston Natural Causes
Joe Jenkins October 8, 1881 at the residence of Matilda Rud Natural Causes
Jim Mason free man of color January 9, 1850 near the residence of William Poole Accident
Jefferson Kitsinger June 17, 1876 at Broadway trestle on the line of the Greenville and Columbia Railroad Accident train
Jane Laniere August 13, 1880 at the residence of G. B. Whiton Natural Causes
Jane slave March 10, 1863 at Anderson Court House Homicide
James Wilson March 27, 1846 at the house of Alexander Moorehead Natural Causes
James Robinson May 20, 1883 n.a. Natural Causes
James Jenkins May 30, 1875 at Robert Spence's [?] Mill Accident
James Hembree September 24, 1835 at the house of Jesse Hembree Homicide knife or dirk
James Drake December 7, 1854 at residence of James Drake Natural Causes
James Coleman September 16, 1873 at or near Mrs. Fantt's residence and one and 1/2 miles south east of Anderson Natural Causes
Jacob Cromer December 4, 1867 at the residence of Jacob Cromer Accident mule
Jack slave [runaway] November 21, 1835 at Andersonville Accident
Jack slave September 4, 1862 at Mrs. Ann Johnson's residence Homicide pistol
Israel slave November 3, 1845 on the plantation of David Gentry Natural Causes
infant June 12, 1872 Homicide
infant January 23, 1873 at residence of M. A. Snipes Natural Causes
infant March 30, 1874 at Silas Kay's Unknown
infant November 27, 1870 at William Stuart's residence Natural Causes
infant March 10, 1865 at Anderson Court House Homicide
infant January 13, 1868 at Anderson Court House Natural Causes
Hutson B. Sulivan August 13, 1866 at Kely Sulivan's [?] residence Suicide rope or cord

Get in touch

  • Department of History
    220 LeConte Hall, Baldwin Street
    University of Georgia
    Athens, GA 30602-1602
  • 706-542-2053
  • admin@ehistory.org

eHistory was founded at the University of Georgia in 2011 by historians Claudio Saunt and Stephen Berry

Learn More about eHistory

Supporters

+ American Council of Learned Societies
+ DigiLab, Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, University of Georgia