Edgefield County, SC

County Name: 
Edgefield
State: 
South Carolina

Total population (1850): 39,262
Enslaved population (1850): 22,725
Percent slave: 58%
Extant nineteenth-century inquests: 524
Date range: 1829-1899
Percentage of violent crimes in county sample: 39% (202/524)

The small, rural district of Edgefield, South Carolina was the Deadwood of its day, amassing a reputation for murder and mayhem unique in the nation. Forget the gangs of New York, the toughs in tailored suits strutting about Edgefield's Court House Square were up for almost anything. Take this typical exchange between Thomas Cherry and Charles Cobb.

Cherry: "You Damn puppy."

Cobb: "What are you?"

Cherry: "Do you mean to call me a Damn puppy?"

Cobb: "What are you?"

Cherry: "If you call me a Puppy, I will ag you in the face."

Cobb: "You are nothing else."

With that Cherry stabbed Cobb through the face with an umbrella.

"If we over in Edgefield insult each other, there is generally a fight or a funeral afterwards."

"If we over in Edgefield insult each other, there is generally a fight or a funeral afterwards," noted Ben Tillman, one of the ten men of the district to serve the state as governor. Like Tillman, circuit judge Thomas Mackey took an almost perverse pride in the region's reputation. "I am going to hold court in Edgefield," he told a friend, "and I expect a somewhat exciting term, as the fall shooting is about to start."

Like most reputations, Edgefield's was at once deserved and exaggerated. At 39 percent, Edgefield County does have the highest proportion of violent crimes in the CSI:D sample. At 35 percent, Greenville County is not that far behind. More important, Edgefield's reputation for affairs of honor masks the mountain of dishonorable violence revealed by the morgue. Men spoiling for a fight on the street are rarely much different at home. In June 1893, Bill Gasten was sitting near his wood pile when his wife emerged from the house to draw some water from the well. Something she said set him off and he grabbed up a walking stick, hit her with it, then threw her down and began choking her. Emerging from the kitchen, her sister grabbed up the stick and told Bill to "let his wife alone." She had just started back to the kitchen when Bill cracked her head with a hoe.

Edgefield County, SC Inquests

Displaying 501 - 524 of 524
Name Deceased Description Date Inquest Location Death Type Death Methodsort descending
Matilda H. Posey February 26, 1849 at the house of Martin Posey Homicide stick
Mary Blocker December 6, 1894 at R H Parks Accident strychnine
Edward Horton August 7, 1879 near Wesley Barrs[?] Accident sunstroke
Manerva Sanders March 22, 1890 at Webb S.C Accident tornado
Sam negro man October 19, 1856 on the track of the South Carolina Rail Road between the Paper Mill and Marsh's Accident train
Wallace Halloway June 25, 1895 at Edgefield Court house Accident train
Richard negroe Boy April 21, 1863 in the District of Edgefield Accident train
Emanuel Johnson October 7, 1893 at Wards Accident train
Hugh Wetherford June 25, 1895 at Edgefield CH Accident train
George Delaughter April 30, 1861 at the Hamburg Passenger Depot Accident train
James Blocker May 6, 1897 Accident train
Fannie Ford March 5, 1893 at Trenton S.C. Accident train
Isaac negro man December 1, 1856 at a point on the South Carolina Rail Road [?] Brooks Mill creek Accident train
Henry Peterson June 13, 1893 at Ridge Spring Accident train
Ezekiel Thomas February 4, 1879 near Johnstons Accident train
Andrew negro man October 6, 1855 on the track of the South Carolina Rail Road Accident train
Albert Brunson June 26, 1895 at Edgefield CH Accident train
Unknown October 10, 1869 at Graniteville Accident train
Charles Cobb March 13, 1893 at or near Johnston Homicide umbrella
Aron slave, boy June 15, 1862 near the White house Suicide vine
Billy November 28, 1857 at the South Carolina Rail Road Accident wagon
Uriah Koon October 16, 1847 at the house of Col John Hunt Accident wagon
Henry Langley April 2, 1848 at Wm Vances Accident wagon
John Radford April 12, 1860 at the residence of John Radford Accident wagon

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