William Ellison facts for kids

William Ellison Jr. (born around April 1790 – died December 5, 1861), originally named April Ellison, was a skilled craftsman and businessman in South Carolina. He was born into slavery but became a free man and a very successful landowner. He made and fixed cotton gins, which were machines that separated cotton fibers from their seeds. This was a very important job at a time when cotton farming was growing fast in the Southern United States.

Ellison became one of the wealthiest landowners in South Carolina. Records from 1860 show he owned many enslaved people, more than any other free Black person in the state. He also owned a lot of land, over 900 acres. From 1830 to 1865, he and his sons were the only free Black people in Sumter County, South Carolina who owned enslaved people. This county had many cotton farms, and most of the people living there were enslaved.

Ellison's journey to success started when his master taught him the valuable trade of making cotton gins. This skill helped him earn money. He bought his own freedom when he was 26. A few years later, he bought the freedom of his wife and children to protect them. During the American Civil War, Ellison and his sons supported the Confederate States of America. They gave money and help to the government. One of his grandsons even fought with the Confederate Army.

Early Life and Learning a Trade

William Ellison Jr. was born into slavery around 1790 on a farm near Winnsboro, South Carolina. His master named him "April" because that was the month he was born. This was a common way to name enslaved people back then. Around 1800, April was owned by William Ellison, a farmer in Fairfield County, South Carolina.

When April was about 10 years old, his master arranged for him to become an apprentice to a cotton gin maker named William McCreight. An apprentice learns a trade by working with a skilled person. This training was very important because it gave April a valuable skill that would help him make a living as an adult. Cotton gins were in high demand because they made it much easier to process cotton. This invention led to a huge increase in cotton farming across the Southern states.

April Ellison finished his apprenticeship after six years. He continued to work at the shop, but as an enslaved person, most of his earnings went to his master. However, it seems April was allowed to keep some of his money. This helped him save up to buy his freedom later. He learned many complex skills related to making and fixing cotton gins, and he also learned blacksmithing.

Family Life and Gaining Freedom

When April was 21, he started a family with Matilda, an enslaved woman who was 16. Enslaved people could not have legally recognized marriages at that time. They had their first daughter, Aliza/Eliza Ann, in 1811. Later, they had three sons: Henry (born around 1816), Reuben (born around 1818), and William Jr. (born in 1819). They also had two more daughters, Maria and Mary Elizabeth.

On June 8, 1816, when April was 26, his master William Ellison freed him. It seems April used the money he had saved to buy his freedom. After becoming free, he took the name "William Ellison, Jr." to show his connection to the Ellison family.

It took William Ellison many years to buy his wife and children out of slavery. He had to earn enough money and also follow the state laws, which made it hard to free enslaved people. His main goal was to free his wife first. This was important because in slave societies, children born to an enslaved mother were also considered enslaved, no matter if their father was free.

The laws in South Carolina made it very difficult for free Black people like Ellison to free their own family members. Even if they bought them, other free men had to confirm that the person could support themselves once freed. This was especially hard for children. A law in 1820 made it even tougher, requiring special permission from the state government for each person to be freed. This meant many free Black people had to legally "own" their own family members, which put them at risk. If times were hard, their "property" (including family members) could be taken away to pay debts.

Ellison bought his daughter Maria from her owner. In 1830, he set up a special arrangement with a friend. His friend legally "owned" Maria for a small fee, but the agreement allowed Maria to live with her father. This was a way to protect her and let her live as if she were free, hoping the laws would change. Maria later married a free Black man from another county. In 1850, she was listed as a free woman in the census, even though she wasn't legally free on paper. In his will, Ellison left Maria $500, showing his care for her.

Businesses and Land Ownership

After becoming free, Ellison moved to Sumter County, South Carolina in 1817. He set up his cotton gin making business there. This area was quickly becoming a major cotton farming region, so there was a big need for his skills. At first, he paid for the labor of enslaved artisans who were "hired out" by their masters. Within two years, he bought two enslaved artisans to work in his shop. By 1830, he owned four enslaved artisans.

By 1840, Ellison owned eight enslaved people who worked in his cotton gin business. Some were skilled workers, and others did tasks like cutting wood for the gins from his land. By the 1850s, he also ran a blacksmith shop with enslaved artisans. He advertised his business in local newspapers.

Because cotton prices were high, Ellison's services were in demand. Farmers needed cotton gins to process their cotton efficiently. Ellison earned enough money to start buying land. He began with over 50 acres, and by 1850, he owned 386 acres and had his own cotton farm. By then, he owned 32 enslaved people.

The Ellison family joined the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Stateburg, South Carolina. In 1824, William Ellison was the first free Black person to buy a family bench on the main floor of the church. This was a sign of his high social standing, as these benches were usually for wealthy white families.

Ellison and his family also created a family cemetery on their land. Many family members, including his wife, sons, and their wives, were buried there. Family burials continued into the early 1900s.

In 1852, Ellison bought two more farms, bringing his total land to over 1,000 acres. He gave parts of these properties to his sons, who were all working with him in his businesses. By 1850, his sons also owned enslaved women who worked as house servants for their families.

When the American Civil War started in 1861, Ellison offered the labor of his 53 enslaved people to the Confederate Army. He changed his cotton farm to grow different crops to provide food for the war effort. His sons also supported the Confederacy and tried to join the army, but they were not allowed because of their race. They donated money and bought Confederate bonds. When the Confederacy lost the war, these bonds became worthless, and the Ellison family lost their investments, becoming very poor, like many other successful people in the South.

William Ellison's grandson, John Wilson Buckner (born 1831), served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He survived the war and later worked for his uncle, Henry Ellison.

When William Ellison died, he divided his property, including over 60 enslaved people, among his surviving daughter Maria and two surviving sons. He also left $500 to an enslaved daughter he had sold earlier.

See also

• List of slaves
• List of slave owners
• Black slave owners in the United States