Sumter County, South Carolina, is rich in history, haunts, and folklore. From the haunted Church of the Holy Cross, containing not one but two popular ghost stories, to the historic Ellison Plantation, the entire county should have a permanent historical marker stamped on every street corner.
One community, Stateburg, is home to William Ellison Jr., a prominent and wealthy plantation owner who played a crucial role during the Civil War. Ellison, born in April 1790, was a formerly enslaved African American who achieved considerable success as a slaveholder.
Ellison earned his freedom in 1816, having learned the valuable skills of a cotton gin maker and blacksmith. Eventually, Ellison would free his family from slavery, buy a plantation from a former South Carolina governor, and become one of the wealthiest property owners in the state. He also owned and operated a cotton gin and built gins that he sold throughout the South.
The Ellison family attended the Church of the Holy Cross and was the only black family with a pew. Some say that his plantation was one of the worst for enslaved people to encounter, with a reported mean streak. At one point, Ellison owned up to 68 enslaved people, making him the largest of the 171 black slaveholders in South Carolina, and he owned more than 900 acres of land at the time of his death.
The Ellison family supported the Confederacy, providing the government with substantial donations and aid. A grandson fought informally with the Confederate Army and survived the war.
William Ellison died on December 5, 1861.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
Images: John G. Clark Jr. (The Ellison Family Cemetery)