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 51 - 100 of 524
Name Deceased Description Date Inquest Location Death Typesort ascending Death Method
Joe Weston January 31, 1895 in Edgefield County Homicide
Richmond slave March 3, 1857 at V[?] Elbert Blands residence at Edgefield Court House Homicide
Allen Smith Freedman January 19, 1867 at S.B. Chappells Residence Homicide pistol
Thomas Styson June 22, 1856 at R. M. Fullers Homicide hoe
male baby male baby May 24, 1891 at the Saluda River Homicide
Charles slave, boy September 25, 1861 at Elijah Watson Homicide
Joseph Riddle April 10, 1856 at Hamburg Homicide
J. H. Christian July 21, 1856 in the village of Edgefield in Room No 11, in B. J. Ryans Hotel Homicide pistol
William M. Tredaway March 27, 1851 at the house of William M Tredaway at Beach Island Homicide
Johnson Peterson March 9, 1892 at Deny[?] S.C. Homicide pistol
Stephen Stalmaker August 30, 1850 at J.M.C. Freeland's Homicide plank
James Reynolds December 20, 1860 at the residence of James Reynolds Homicide
infant infant March 24, 1892 at Pinksville Homicide
Andy Padgett July 5, 1891 near Ridge Spring Homicide knife
Henry Mobley December 11, 1899 at Johnston Homicide pistol
Ned Dozier September 27, 1893 at MJ Holsteins Homicide
Frank Holson freedman January 9, 1867 at Lee Holson Homicide pistol
Matilda H. Posey February 26, 1849 at the house of Martin Posey Homicide stick
Nelson Smith freedman, boy October 4, 1866 at Andrew Warts Homicide
Levi H. McDaniel March 9, 1859 at or near the 17 mile Post on the Scotts Ferry Road Homicide
Prince negro boy December 23, 1849 at Thos G. Lamars Mills on little horse creek Homicide knife
infant child infant child December 14, 1877 at Dr. K N Hudsons plantation Homicide
William Samuel April 26, 1891 at Scima[?] Hill Church Homicide
William negro man, boy, slave February 13, 1849 at R. F. Barretts Homicide knife
Whit Terry October 19, 1894 J.K. Corleys Place Homicide
Isham Glover August 9, 1892 at Edgefield C.H. Homicide
James Booth August 23, 1878 at E. C. House Homicide
Hammond Frasier November 6, 1897 at Trenton S.C. Homicide pistol
Willis Asbell December 7, 1877 at Ridge Spring Homicide
Willie Toney March 26, 1899 at Edgefield Court House Homicide
Allen Holmes March 4, 1882 at Oscar Seigler Residence Homicide
Sam Howard Freedman August 6, 1866 at L. L. Halls Homicide knife
Peter negro man June 16, 1838 at a Mr. Azariah[?] Abneys Homicide stick
Apling negro man April 5, 1849 in the woods in said district near the Lexington line on a branch of McGier Creek Homicide
Robert Parks September 27, 1894 at Parkville Homicide lick
Henry Turner September 24, 1878 at Johnstons Homicide
Will Collens October 20, 1894 at Gaines SC Homicide
Bill King August 9, 1881 at H C Kings Residence Homicide hoe
Prophet Burt freedman December 29, 1866 at E.N. Troys Homicide knife
Jacob Horn February 25, 1866 at the hous of Jacob Horns Homicide
Isham Glover August 10, 1892 at Edgefield C.H. Homicide
Andrew Trapp December 4, 1869 near Trapps Mills Homicide knife
Thomas Glover August 2, 1893 at Bill Werk[?] Residence Homicide
Samuel Posey October 21, 1860 at P. B. McDaniels Homicide pistol
Edmund Brown December 24, 1853 at the house of Wm Merchantile[?] Homicide
Joe slave, boy September 13, 1860 at the residence of D. M. Glover Homicide
Jesse Weatherford September 4, 1849 at the plantation of Mrs R Blaylock Homicide shotgun
Robert J. Butler September 15, 1864 at Hamburg Homicide
Henry Burt June 21, 1895 at Henry Burts Homicide knife
Daniel slave, boy May 27, 1862 at John H. Fair Homicide shotgun

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