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 1 - 50 of 524
Name Deceased Description Date Inquest Location Death Type Death Methodsort descending
Ernest Bean April 6, 1884 at the Mill of B[?] Hill Accident
Joseph Ruffington January 9, 1893 at Thos O Attaways Accident
Charley Ryan May 9, 1892 at T. H. Ramsford Plantion Homicide
Richard J. Barton December 28, 1866 at Mrs Lucinda Bartons Accident
Henry Goodman May 4, 1851 at or near to William H Adams on little horse Creek Accident
infant child infant child December 9, 1891 at a colored cemetary Accident
Clem slave, boy October 3, 1858 at Tabitha Abney's Accident
Rufus Harling September 16, 1897 at Clarks Hill Homicide
Bartly negro man January 16, 1846 in the woods near the plantation of Dr Wm M Bent Unknown
Infant Boy Child Infant Boy Child June 18, 1883 at Marsh Grobe Yard Accident
Ned Dozier September 27, 1893 at MJ Holsteins Homicide
William H Maharey May 25, 1863 at Haslin Factory on the Procelian Manufacturing Company Accident
Richard Lundy December 7, 1891 at Edgefield Court House Homicide
Mary female Slave January 13, 1853 at Isaac Bowles[?] Accident
infant, (male) infant, (male) April 29, 1857 at Potterville Homicide
Unknown August 30, 1866 at Fosity[?] Creek ford Unknown
Riller three negro children October 2, 1846 at the house of Philip Brogden Homicide
Henry Padget freedman November 14, 1866 at Wm Padgets premises on Clouds Creek Homicide
Henry Jones September 21, 1855 Accident
James Frazier Babie October 24, 1890 at D. B Hollingworth Accident
Luther Harris May 26, 1899 at the plantation of George F Towns Homicide
Cooper slave March 17, 1852 at the plantation of L.H. Mundy decd Natural Causes
Willie G. Harris March 25, 1897 at Edgefield CH Homicide
Robert slave, boy April 8, 1847 at Edward Hampton's Suicide
Mary Bright Hanpt[?] October 6, 1881 at Bright Hanpt[?] Unknown
Whit Terry October 19, 1894 J.K. Corleys Place Homicide
Sis Bonham child February 18, 1894 at M.B. Davenports Accident
infant infant December 15, 1892 at Mr. Pleasant Grave Yard Accident
Eldrige Padgett February 9, 1859 at Eidson Padgetts Accident
John J. Cobb July 23, 1843 at William Elkins Mill Pond Suicide
Dudley Roundtree August 10, 1856 at the dwelling house of the late Dudley Roundtree Natural Causes
Lewis slave May 21, 1861 at S. H. Roggers Suicide
John M. Tillman May 6, 1860 at Mr J.A Tillmans Steam Mill Homicide
Ed Glover July 8, 1882 at Poore House Accident
Esther Jeter April 17, 1893 at Huiets x Roads Accident
Minnie Johnson December 22, 1892 at John Bettis plantation Accident
Robert J. Butler September 15, 1864 at Hamburg Homicide
Mary Gillam January 1, 1891 at Mrs Francis Wrights Plantation Natural Causes
Rose negro woman Slave March 14, 1846 at Michael Longs Homicide
Aggy Latily[?] negro woman slave June 21, 1848 at the plantation of N L Griffin Unknown
John McKinny September 26, 1894 at W P. Lipfords[?] Homicide
Rose three negro children October 2, 1846 at the house of Philip Brogden Homicide
Edward slave, boy October 22, 1858 at the residence of Wm Miller Natural Causes
John Matthews October 13, 1829 at the house of William Adams Other
Hampton Reynolds July 30, 1892 at J.W. Reynolds Plantation Accident
Dilsey Seigler September 20, 1869 at Miles Mills Natural Causes
Gus Blocker August 18, 1892 at the plantion of July Blocker Homicide
Jacob Horn February 25, 1866 at the hous of Jacob Horns Homicide
Peter White March 11, 1898 at Jacob White upon the Plantation Silvester Chipley Homicide
R. Mackgrath January 5, 1852 at the house of John Dobey Other

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