The students of the Radical University: Edward James Sawyer

Edward James Sawyer
From History of the American Negro: South Carolina Edition

Edward James Sawyer (b. October 16, 1854; d. May 9, 1928)
South Carolina.  Born enslaved.  Black.
Occupation: lawyer, merchant, postmaster, school teacher.
Father's occupation: carpenter.

Edward James Sawyer was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina to Edward J. Sawyer and Charlotte Hall Sawyer.  At the time of his birth, both parents were enslaved, and his father worked as a carpenter.  Both parents had come to South Carolina from Florida after having been purchased by speculators. Sawyer's mother Charlotte died when he was young. Growing up, Sawyer worked for a merchant and helped build furniture (by bottoming cane-seated chairs). 

Sawyer attended common schools in Fayetteville and Wilmington, North Carolina and then entered the University of South Carolina.  Sawyer registered at the university at some point between February 1874 and January 1876.  He was a college student following the modern studies track.  The university closed before he completed his degree.

The year after the university closed (in 1878), Sawyer moved to Bennettsville, South Carolina in Marlboro County.  He stayed there for the rest of his life and saw great personal success.  Writing about the former U of SC students in 1911, C. C. Scott wrote that Sawyer was, "One of the most substantial and influential men in Bennettsville."

Sawyer moved to the town to work as principal of the graded school.  He held this position for roughly 15 years (until 1893).

While working as school principal, Sawyer took on a number of other responsibilities. Among others, he opened a retail grocery store that he ran until 1918.  Over time, he purchased a substantial amount of land and worked as a farmer.

In 1879 (the year after he was made principal), Sawyer founded and edited a semi-monthly newspaper The Pee Dee Educator.  The newspaper continued to be published for roughly 20 years (until around 1900), making it one of the longest running Black newspapers in South Carolina.

Sawyer resumed his education in the 1880s.  He completed Allen University's college program in 1882 and then began taking law classes at Allen.  At the time, Allen's law school was run by D. A. Straker, who had been the law partner of Sawyer's former classmate T. McCants Stewart.  Sawyer was admitted to the state bar in 1885 and received an LL.D. degree in 1886. Sawyer's former USC classmate J. C. Whittaker passed the state bar at the same time as Sawyer. Their achievement was announced in the New York Times.

Sawyer maintained a law office, although he practiced law infrequently and was quoted as saying that "The profession does not pay."  During this time, he was the only African American with legal training in the northeastern part of the state.

Sawyer was active in politics and played a significant role in the state Republican Party.  In 1892, he won the Republication nomination for U.S. Representative of the 6th district.  The incumbent had died towards the end of his term, so Sawyer simultaneously ran in a special election for the remainder of the incumbent's term and in the regular election. Sawyer ran against John L. McLaurin, a Democrat and, at the time, supporter of Governor Benjamin Tillman.  Sawyer lost the election by wide margin (934 votes to 8,572 in the general election).

Sawyer also received federal appointments.  He was the Bennettsville postmaster during the Republican presidencies of Chester A. Arthur (1883-85) and Benjamin Harrison (1892-93).

Sawyer was an outspoken opponent of the 1895 state constitutional convention. Tillman and his supporters had openly advocated for holding the convention as a way to disenfranchise African Americans by revising the state constitution.  The Manning Times newspaper reported that, at an October 1894 meeting of African American Republicans, Sawyer gave a speech in which he urged his audience to oppose the constitutional convention and condemned Tillman's supporters as the "white trash of the country."  African Americans, he argued, should support Conservative Democrats because, while the Conservatives were opposed to political rights for African Americans, they were willing to make concessions in order to defeat Tillman.  Moreover, Sawyer said, if Tillman's attempt at disenfranchisement is defeated, then African Americans will eventually gain political power as they will retain access to voting rights and education for their children.

In a June 1895 interview for (white-run) The State newspaper, he again expressed his opposition to Tillman and his support for Conservative Democrats.  However, in contrast to his 1894 speech (and perhaps indicating Sawyer's awareness of  The State's largely white readership), he reportedly did not advocate for African American political power.  Instead, he expressed an acceptance of white political control, saying that "the colored people had no...intention of attempting to control the State government; that they recognized that it would be much better...for intelligent, honest white men to rule."

Beyond his involvement with the Republican Party, Sawyer acted as a public advocate for African Americans.  On August 10, 1897, he was part of a delegation that presented Governor Ellerbe a letter asking him to prevent extrajudicial lynching of African Americans.  Also part of the delegation was his former U of SC classmate Alonzo G. Townsend.

Sawyer returned to the topic of lynchings on August 25, 1903 when he spoke at a meeting in Columbia, SC.  There he gave a speech in which he appealed to white citizens to enforce anti-lynching laws more faithfully.  Punishing African American criminals using legal means, he argued, was a more effective way to deter crime. Sawyer's former classmate George W. Murray also spoke at the meeting.

Sawyer was reported to be the wealthiest African American in Marlboro County.  In 1911, C. C. Scott wrote that he'd been informed that Sawyer was worth about $75,0000 (roughly 2 million dollars in 2020).

Sawyer also worked to create economic opportunities for other African Americans.  In 1913, he was part of a committee that was changed with organizing an African American-run bank in South Carolina.  In February of that year, the South Carolina Union Bank was formed at the committee's recommendation.  Working with Sawyer on the committee were his former U of SC classmates C. C. Scott and J. H. Johnson.  In the 19020s, Sawyer was president of the Workers Enterprise Bank, a bank in Bennettsville.

Sawyer was involved with Claflin University.  In 1901, he received an honorary A.M. degree from the university, and he served on the Claflin Board of Trustees for a number of years.

Sawyer died of tuberculosis on May 9, 1929 in Bennettsville.  The State published a lengthy and positive, although condescending, obituary which stated that Sawyer "was always courteous to the white people. He never had any trouble.  He knew his place."  He is buried in Ideal Cemetery in Marlboro County.

Sources
1). 1880; Census Place: Bennettsville, Marlboro, South Carolina; Roll: 1235; Page: 416D

2). 1900; Census Place: Bennettsville, Marlboro, South Carolina; Page: 16

3). 1910; Census Place: Bennettsville Ward 4, Marlboro, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1467; Page: 18B

4). South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Columbia, South Carolina; South Carolina Death Records; Year Range: 1925-1949; Death County or Certificate Range: Marlboro

5). Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives.

6). Caldwell, A. B.  History of the American Negro: South Carolina Edition.  A. B. Caldwell Publishing Co., Atlanta, Ga.  1919.

7). "J. E. Sawyer [sic]", May 11, 1929.  State (published as The State).  Columbia, South Carolina. Page 13.

8). "Former president Negro Fair Dies", May 11, 1929.  Columbia Record (published as The Columbia Record), Columbia, South Carolina.  Page 3.

9). "The Pee Dee Colored Leader", June 5, 1895.  State (published as The State), Columbia, South Carolina.  Page 3.

10). "South Carolina Union Bank", February 15, 1913.  The Southern indicator.  p. 1.

11). "Notice of Opening Books of Subscription of the South Carolina Union Bank", February 15, 1913.  The Southern indicator.  p. 9.

12). "Negros Meet", September 2, 1903.  The Manning Times.  p. 1.

13). "Republican Pow-wow", October 31, 1894.  The Manning Times.  p. 3.

14). Work, Monroe N.  Negro Year Book: An Annual Encyclopedia of the Negro, 1921-1922.  Negro Year Book Company, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama (1922).  p. 351.

15)  McQueen, J. T. (1996). Edward James Sawyer (1854-1929). The Author?

16) "Colored Men Admitted to the Bar," May 28, 1885. New York Times. p. 5.

The students of the Radical University: William M. Dart

William M. Dart
From the Columbia Record, March 21, 1936.

William Myrtenello Dart (b. Abt. 1854)
South Carolina.  Born free.  Mulatto.
Occupation: teacher
Father's occupation: painter

William M. Dart was born in South Carolina to William and Susan Dart, free persons of color.  The father worked as painter in Charleston.

Dart left South Carolina to attend Howard University in Fall 1870.  He entered into the (College) Preparatory Department and studied alongside fellow Charlestonians Paul J. Mishow, John M. Morris, and Alonzo G. Townsend.  He graduated from the program on June 12, 1872 and then entered Howard's Collegiate Department.  He stayed at Howard until Spring 1874, the end of his sophomore year.

After his sophomore year, he left Howard at the encouragement of Cornelius C. Scott.  Scott, another Howard student from Charleston, had learned from former Howard Professor Frances L. Cardozo that the University of South Carolina had started admitting African American students.  Cardozo was involved with the reorganization of the university as he was a member of the university Board of Trustees and generally involved in South Carolina politics.  He advised Scott and his classmates to enroll in the university and lent them money for travel expenses.  Following Cardozo's recommendation, Dart returned to South Carolina with Scott, John M. Morris, and Paul J. Mishow.

Dart registered as a student at the University of South Carolina on January 5, 1874.  He enrolled as a college student following the classical studies track.  He graduated with an A.B. degree in June 1876.

After completing his education, Dart stayed in Columbia and worked as an educator. By 1879, he was the principal of the Howard School. The Howard School was a public high school for African Americans.  It had a reputation for offering an excellent education and was the only public school offering a high school education to African Americans until the 1910s.

Dart also served as the first president of the State Association of Colored Teachers.  Of Dart, C. C. Scott wrote in an article on the former U of SC students, "He enjoyed in an unusual degree the confidence and respect of the best people of both races in Columbia.  He was a man of rare ability and scholarship and an excellent Christian."

Dart had passed on by 1911, according to Scott, although the present author has been unable to find a death record.

Sources
1).  1860; Census Place: Charleston Ward 6, Charleston, South Carolina; Page: 432

2). 1870; Census Place: Charleston Ward 4, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1486; Page: 243A

3). 1879.  Columbia City Directory. Richland County Public Library, Columbia, South Carolina

4). "When Negroes Attended the State University", May 8, 1911. State (published as The State).  Page 9.

4). "Teachers of State Organized", March 21, 1936. Columbia Record.  Page 57.

Note to self: Look up his 1884 president's address in the library.

The students of the Radical University: Benjamin Barber

Benjamin Barber (b. Abt 1852)
South Carolina.  Mulatto.
Occupation: Farm laborer. 
Father's occupation: Farm laborer. 

Benjamin Barber appears in the 1876 University of South Carolina catalogue.  He is a freshman from Greenville following the modern studies track.  The university closed before he finished his degree.

Benjamin can tentatively be identified as appearing in the 1870 U. S. Census and living in Greenville County with his parents Mary and Andrew.  Andrew and his son were working as a farm laborers.

Source Cited

1). 1870; Census Place: Austin, Greenville, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1498; Page: 472B.

The students of the Radical University: William Boykin

William Ellison Boykin (b. Abt. 1856)
South Carolina.  Born enslaved.  Black/Mulatto.  
Occupation: farmer, storekeeper, teacher
Father's occupation: minister

William Boykin was born in South Carolina to Monroe and Mary Ann Boykin. Before emancipation, the family was enslaved by Thomas Jefferson Withers in Kershaw County, near Camden, South Carolina. Withers was a state court judge and a signer of South Carolina's Ordinance of Secession.

Judge Withers acquired ownership of William's family through his wife Elizabeth T. Boykin. Monroe worked as Judge Withers' man servant and was responsible for driving Withers' horse and buggy when he traveled along his judicial circuit.

The South Carolina politician B. F. Perry said that Withers had a reputation for treating his slaves well. In a biographical account on Withers, he wrote: "his treatment to the slaves...was so kind, indulgent and humane that it displeased some of his neighbors, and demoralized the slaves of other plantations.... His house servants did pretty much as they pleased, and he did not pretend to watch over them." While Perry's statement should be regarded with skepticism, Judge Withers appears to have treated the Boykin family well. Wither died of natural causes near the end of the Civil War (on November 7, 1865). His heirs gave the newly freed Boykin family two tracts of land. Part of the land is now Monroe Boykin Park.

After the Civil War, the father Monroe served as the first pastor of newly formed Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. The church was created by African Americans who wanted their own place of worship. Previously, they had been allowed to be members of the white Baptist church. Monroe would remained at Mt. Moriah's pastor for many years, but he also occasionally preach at other churches in the region.

William grew up in Camden. He was friends with J. C. Whittaker, another student at U of SC who grew up in Camden.William and J. C. may have known each other through family connections. Whittaker was enslaved by James and Mary Boykin Chestnut. Judge Withers and his wife had become Mary's legal guardians after her parents died. 

William first appears in university records in the January 1876 University of South Carolina catalogue.  He described as a freshman from Camden following the modern studies track.  This university closed before he completed his degree.

By 1880, William was living in Marion County and working as a school teacher. However, most of his life was spent in Camden, a city he had moved to by 1900.  There he received government appointments as gauger, postmaster, and storekeeper.  He also worked as a farmer.  Fellow former U of SC student C. C. Scott said that William as a "substantial citizen in Camden."

Sources Cited

1). Caldwell, A. B.  History of the American Negro: South Carolina Edition.  A. B. Caldwell Publishing, Atlanta, GA.  1919.

2). Marszalek, John F.  Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker.  Simon and Schuster, 1994.

3). 1870; Census Place: De Kalb, Kershaw, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1499; Page: 175B.

4). 1880; Census Place: Kirby, Marion, South Carolina; Roll: 1234; Page: 165D.

5). 1910; Census Place: Camden Ward 1, Kershaw, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1463; Page: 7B.

6). "When Negroes Attended the State University", May 8, 1911. State (published as The State).  Page 9.

7. Pegues, A. W. Our Baptist Ministers and Schools.  Willey & Co. Springfield, Mass.  1892. pp. 73–78.

8). Kirkland, Thomas J. and Kennedy, Robert M. Historic Camden, Part Two" Nineteenth Century. The State Company, Columbia, SC. 1926.  pp. 193–194.

9). Perry, B. F. Reminiscences of Public Men. John D. Avil & Co., Philadelphia. 1883. pp. 222–228.

The students of the Radical University: William D. Crum

From Wikimedia Commons

W. D. Crum
From An era of progress and promise

William Demosthenes Crum (b. February 9, 1859, d. December 7, 1912)
South Carolina.  Born free.  Mulatto.  
Occupation: collector of customs, consul general, physician
Father's occupation: farmer

William was born in South Carolina to Darius and Charlotte C. Crum.  Charlotte was a free person of color, and Darius was the son of a (white) German immigrant.  Darius ran a plantation in Orangeburg.  In 1850, he owned 350 acres, and his plantation had an estimated value of $1000 (roughly the equivalent of $55,000 in 2019).  There were 11 enslaved people working on the plantation, and by the time the Civil War broke out in 1861, this number had grown to roughly 40.  During the war, Darius died, and the family's finances were ruined.  With the help of his older brothers, William attended the Avery Normal Institute in Charleston.  He graduated in 1875.

William first appears in University of South Carolina records in the January 1876 university catalogue.  He described as a freshman from Charleston following the modern studies track.  The university closed before he completed his degree.

After the 1877 closure of the University of South Carolina, William moved to Washington D.C. and began attending the Medical Department at Howard University.  He graduated in the class of 1880.

William returned to Charleston after receiving his degree and worked as a physician.  He was a prominent figure within the city.  He served as a trustee for the Avery Normal Institute and was active in Republican politics, regularly serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention and acting as party chairman in Charleston County for 12 years.  He was friends with many politically prominent African Americans including Booker T. Washington, former Mississippi Governor P. B. S. Pinchback and former U of SC student Whitfield McKinlay.

Politically William held moderate positions on African American rights.  For example, in 1903 the Boston Guardian quoted him as saying, "Social equality is something the white man need not fear.  All we ask is the God-given right to earn an honest living, and the privilege of enjoying the fruits thereof, unmolested by the lyncher with his shotgun and rope."

In 1892, William was appointed postmaster of Charleston by President Benjamin Harrison.  However, this appointment was strongly opposed by white Charlestonians and the appointment was withdrawn.

William was again considered for a federal appointment in 1902.  At the recommendation of Booker T. Washington, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed William as Collector of the Port at Charleston.  This decision was controversial and strongly opposed by the white press in Charleston.  In January 1903 when William's appointment was sent to the U. S. Senate for approval, a delegation of whites from Charleston traveled to D.C. to deliver a protest, arguing before the Senate that, for example, William "is a colored man, and that in itself ought to bar him from office."  The Senate declined to act on Roosevelt's appointment, so William was appointed on interim basis (an action the President could take without Senate approval).

Due to continued Senate opposition, William served in an interim capacity from 1903 to 1905.  William served with discretion.  For example, he allowed whites who did not want to deal with African American officials to work with a white deputy collector.

William's appointment was finally approved by senate in 1905.  He continued to hold the position until 1908.  That year William Howard Taft won the presidential election, and he and outgoing President Roosevelt agreed not to reappoint William to avoid controversy.  William relinquished his position in March of 1909.

The next year (in 1910) William was appointed U. S. Minister Resident/Consul General (a diplomatic position) to Liberia by President Taft at the suggestion of Booker T. Washington.  This was a political compromise.  The appointment was noncontroversial as the position was traditionally held by African Americans.  (Earlier it had been held by former U of SC students Owen Smith and William H. Heard.)  In Liberia, he advocated for increasing trade with the U.S. and helped negotiate a border dispute with England.

In 1912, while in Liberia, William fell ill with "African fever."  He was granted a leave of absence and returned to Charleston where he died in December 1912.  He is buried in the Friendly Union Society Cemetery.

W. D. Crum
From Library of Congress

Sources
1). Gatewood, Willard B. "William D. Crum: A Negro in Politics." The Journal of Negro History 53, no. 4 (1968): 301-20.

2). Padgett, James A. "Ministers to Liberia and Their Diplomacy." The Journal of Negro History 22, no. 1 (1937): 50-92. Accessed April 9, 2020. doi:10.2307/2714318.

3). Tindall, George B.  South Carolina Negroes 1877-1900.  Columbia, University of South Carolina Press.  2003.

4). 1880; Census Place: Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: 1222; Page: 420D

5). 1900; Census Place: Charleston Ward 8, Charleston, South Carolina; Page: 10

6). 1910; Census Place: Charleston Ward 8, Charleston, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1452; Page: 9A;

7). Seventh Census Of The United States, 1850; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29.

The students of the Radical University: Charles W. Creighton

Newspaper advertisement for C. W. Creighton's law services
From the Edgefield Advertiser

Charles William Creighton (b. January 1, 1857; d. February 10, 1943)

South Carolina.  White.
Occupation: farmer, lawyer, 
Father's occupation: preacher

Charles William Creighton was born in South Carolina to Frances E. Creighton and George W. M. Creighton.  The father was a Methodist preacher.  In 1860, the family was living in Edgefield, but they had moved to Winnsboro by 1870.

Creighton evidently entered late to the University of South Carolina.  He is listed as a freshman on the classical studies track in January 1876, but he is not listed in a February 23, 1875 report.  The university closed before he finished his degree.

By 1880, Creighton had returned to Edgefield and was working as a lawyer.  In September, 1885, a man was lynched near Creighton's home.  Edgefield resident O. T. Culbreath had been arrested for the murder of W. H. Hammond.  The night of the arrest, while conferring with his lawyers, Culbreath was seized by a group of about 10 men who dragged him out of town, shot him, and left him for dead.  However, Culbreath was alive, although seriously injured and was able to walk back to Edgefield.  On his way back, he stopped by Creighton's house and asked for help, but Creighton thought he was a drunk acting obnoxious and did not response.  Culbreath died the next day of his injuries.  His murder was condemned both by Creighton and by local newspapers.

Around the late 1880s, Creighton became involved in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and moved to Cokesbury.  He was made a Methodist preacher in 1887 and a presiding elder in 1904.  He received appointments to the Lexington Circuit, the Santee Circuit, Newberry, Walterboro, Bennettsville, and Cokesbury.

In 1903, Creighton founded a Methodist newspaper – The Christian  Appeal – and served as the newspaper's editor.  The Christian Appeal had an estimated circulation of 3,000 and was based in Greenwood, South Carolina. Creighton moved to Greenwood around the early 1900s.

Creighton's newspaper work brought him in conflict with regional Methodist officials.  As newspaper editor, he published articles and editorials critical of them.  The presiding elders, he said, abused their authority to remain in power and increase their salaries at the expense of their preachers.  One editorial that presiding elders found especially offensive stated that

When we take into consideration the competency and efficiency of the presiding elders and the amount of service which they render to the church, we discover a clear case of graft.

Church officials took action against Creighton in December, 1905 at the annual state Methodist conference.  At the conference, a presiding elder preferred charges of falsehood and slander against Creighton.  These charges were publicly debated for the next 5 years.

Over the course of the next year (in 1906), a committee of church officials investigated the charges in closed sessions.  Ultimately they recommended that Creighton be tried on charges of falsehood and slander and immorality at the next annual conference.

At that conference, held in December, 1906, an appointed committee of 13 church officials tried the charges made against Creighton.  The committee's deliberations concluded with a closed session that lasted 63 hours.  At its conclusion, the committee sustained two charges of gross immorality, one based on the original complaints about falsehood and slander and one based on false and slanderous statements made after the previous annual conference.  Based on this finding, Creighton was dismissed from the ministry and expelled from the Methodist Church, South.

The church's decision was hotly debated in newspaper Letters to the Editor over the next year.  The matter finally came to an anticlimactic conclusion in May, 1910 (roughly 5 years after the original complaint).  Creighton had appealed the South Carolina Conference's decision to the General Conference.  The Committee of Appeals disallowed his appeal on technical grounds (that he had preached after taking the appeal).

Around the time he founded The Christian Appeal newspaper, Creighton became involved in politics.    In September, 1904, he gave a sermon in which he spoke out against a proposed bill (the Brice Bill) to change the state liquor law.  At the time, alcohol could only be purchased at state-run dispensaries, and the proposed bill would have given individual counties greater control of the dispensaries (for example, a county could forbid dispensaries).  The dispensary system was largely the creation of then Governor Benjamin Tillman and was an important source of patronage for him.  Both Tillman and then state Representative Coleman Blease opposed the bill.

Creighton said that he strenuously opposed the proposed bill because he supported prohibition and thus supported stronger restriction on alcohol sales. The proposed bill, he argued, would weaken existing restrictions.  Creighton was criticized in a Letter to the Editor of The State newspaper.  The letter writer objected to Creighton taking the same stand as Governor Tillman, a man he felt should be objectionable to any religious leader.

Creighton's later actions showed him to be a strong ally of Blease.  For example, Creighton gave speeches in Greenwood in support of Blease and entertained him when he was in town.  Their relationship caused them both problems in March, 1912.  That year Blease was governor, and newspapers revealed that he had paid Creighton $900 (roughly equivalent to $23,000 in 2020) from the governor's contingency fund.  Creighton was evasive when reporters questioned him about the payment, saying "I have absolutely no statement to make."

Governor Blease later explained that the payments were for Creighton's work as a special detective, but newspapers continued to cast suspension.  They reported that the comptroller general challenged the payments on the grounds that they were not properly itemized (Creighton had simply written that the payments were for "special services rendered").  The nature of Creighton's detective work remained obscure, and some newspapers suggested the work was largely campaign work for Blease's reelection.

Blease was successfully reelected.  After the election, newspapers cast further suspicion on Creighton.  They reported that Creighton had submitted a bill to the comptroller general for publishing election notices, but the comptroller general held that the bill was an overcharge and only provided partial reimbursement (of $51.92 instead of the requested $81).

Newspapers largely ignored Creighton after Blease's reelection.  He remained in Greenwood, and continued his work as newspaper publisher, farmer, and lawyer.  In 1915, he represented a group of African Americans who claimed to have been refused voting certificates by the county board of registration.  Creighton's advocacy for African American voting rights is notable in light of his support for Coleman Blease as the denial of African American rights was central to Blease's politics.

Creighton died on February 10, 1943.  He is buried in Elmwood cemetery at Ninety Six in Greenwood County, South Carolina.

Sources
1). State (published as The State), February 11, 1943.  Page 14.

2). 1860; Census Place: Edgefield, Edgefield, South Carolina; Page: 75; Family History Library Film: 805219.

3). 1870; Census Place: Township 3, Fairfield, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1496; Page: 73B

4). 1880; Census Place: Edgefield, Edgefield, South Carolina; Roll: 1228; Page: 1A

5). 1910; Census Place: Greenwood Ward 2, Greenwood, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1459; Page: 1B

6). 1920; Census Place: Greenwood, Greenwood, South Carolina; Roll: T625_1694; Page: 1B

7). 1930; Census Place: Greenwood, Greenwood, South Carolina; Page: 7B

8). 1940; Census Place: Greenwood, Greenwood, South Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-03815; Page: 2A

10). Edgefield Advertiser, August 28, 1879.  p. 5.

11). "Rev. C. W. Creighton to Answer Charges."  The State, December 15, 1905.  p. 1.

12). "The Creighton Case is Now Being Heard Committee."  The State, March 23, 1906.  p.1.

13). "C. W. Creighton Was Expelled Upon Recommendation." The State, December 6, 1906.  p. 1.

14). "Creighton Case Now is Settled Methodist Committee." The State, May 11, 1910. p. 1.

15). "Opposes Brice Bill. Cokesbury Preacher Takes."  The State, September 6, 1904.  p. 2.

16). ""Replies to Rev. Me. Creighton."  The State.  September 9, 1904.  p. 4.

17). "Blease Men Meet. Some 200 Voters Form Club."  The State, July 28, 1912. p, 9.

18). "Strictly a Personal Matter Rev. C. W. Creighton."  The State, March 17, 1912.  p. 5.

19). "Expense Account Must be Itemized.  The State, May 10, 1912.  pp. 1–2.

20). "Gov. Blease Interviewed in Newberry."  Columbia Record, March 19, 1912.  p. 6.

21). "Election Claims Reduced."  The State, December 17, 1912. p. 12.

22). "Jea' Mus' Vote."  Columbia Record, August 11, 1915. p. 4.

The students of the Radical University: Howard Agnew

Howard Agnew
From geni.com.

Howard Agnew (b. March 26, 1860; April 24, 1894)

New York. White.

Occupation: editor.

Father's occupation: physician

Mother's occupation: authoress

Howard Agnew was born in 1860 in Yonkers, New York to Samuel James and Mary (Platt) Agnew. Both parents were from prominent families that are described in more detail in the entry for his brother Holmes.

Howard's maternal grandfather was Zephaniah Platt, a prominent lawyer and politician who had served as Attorney General of Michigan during the 1840s. Zephaniah was active in the anti-slave movement and served as vice president for the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Howard and his family moved to South Carolian after the Civil War. Their reasons for leaving are not recorded, but they likely moved to follow Howard's grandfather, Zephaniah. In February 1868, Zephaniah was appointed Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the 2nd Circuit Court of South Carolina.

Zephaniah replaced judge A. P. Aldrich. Aldrich was a conservative South Carolinian who had supported the Confederacy and strongly opposed Reconstruction. At the time, South Carolina was under military rule and under the command of General Edward Canby. Canby removed Aldrich after he publicly refused to perform the obligations of his office. Aldrich had directed a court clerk not to swear in juror, likely in protest against a recent act that permitted African-Americans to serve on juries

Following the adoption of a new state constitution, civil government was restored to South Carolina. A newly form state legislature elected Zephaniah to his judgeship in August, and he remained in the position until his death in 1871.

In South Carolina, Zephaniah lived in the town of Aiken. Its unclear where Howard and his family lived. Howard's parents got divorced at some point before 1871. Howard's mother Mary remarried Theodore W. Parmele, a Union veteran who was serving on the federal government's war claims commission. Parmele lived in Columbia, and Howard was living with him (at 45 Senate St.) by the mid-1870s.

In Columbia, Howard enrolled at a student at the University of South Carolina some time after 1874. He was a college student following the classical studies track. His brother Holmes was a preparatory student. The university closed before Howard completed his degree.

Howard's father Samuel J. appears to have had little involvement with his sons after he divorced Mary. By 1880, he had moved to Kansas City, Missouri. Although both his sons remained on the east coast, Samuel would remain in Kansas City until his death in 1899. 

In 1877, after the end of Reconstruction, Howard left the south to attend Harvard University. Intriguingly, he appears not to have talked about his time at the University of South Carolina. Indeed, an obituary in an alumni publication makes no mention of this event and instead makes the (incorrect) statement that Howard's "boyhood was spent in the South, where, unaided, he prepared himself for college."

Howard left Harvard University without receiving a degree. He then moved to New York City and worked in journalism. He was at the New York World, served as literary critic of the New York Graphic, was on the editorial staff of the New York Herald. While working at the Herald, Howard began experiencing health problems, so he left the city for the Adirondack mountains. He settled into the town of Saranac Lake and worked as a hotel proprietor. After living in the Adirondacks for three years, Howard's health improved, and he returned to the city. He began working for the Commercial Advertiser, serving as the newspaper's musical critic. 

Sadly, Howard began to experience further health problems in 1894, and he died on April 24.

Sources

1) "Who is Hon. Zephaniah Platt?" The Charleston daily news. [SC], May 7, 1868, p. 3.

2) "The Death of Judge Platt." The Charleston daily news. [SC], April 22, 1871, p. 3

3) "Supreme Court, Tuesday, May 9" The daily phoenix. [SC], May 10, 1871, p. 1

4) "Death of a Carpet-Bagger." Edgefield advertiser. [SC], April 27, 1871, p. 2.

5) "Zephaniah Platt and Social Equality." The daily phoenix. [SC], August 08, 1868, p. 3.

6) "Zephaniah Platt!" Edgefield advertiser. [SC], September 23, 1868, Image 2

7) "Court Day in Blackville." The Charleston daily news. [SC], September 01, 1869, p. 1.

8) Fifth Report of the Secretary of the Class of 1881 of Harvard College, January, 1892 - August 1898. Boston, Geo. H. Ellis, Printers. 1898. p. 94-95.

9) "Obituary Notes." The Sun [New York]. April 25, 1894. p. 5.

10) "Sojourners in Gotham." The Evening World [New York]. October 2, 1888. p. 2.

11) Kansas City, Missouri, City Directory, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1893, 1889, 1890. 

The students of the Radical University: George W. Dickson

George Washington Dickson (b. 1856)

George Washington Dickson from Orangeburg appears in university records as having registered as a student on October 5, 1874.  The present author has been unable to find any other information about him.

The students of the Radical University: Calhoun McBride

Calhoun McBride (b. Abt. 1854)
South Carolina.  White.
Occupation: physician, postmaster.
Father's occupation: farmer.

Calhoun McBride was born in South Carolina to Mary and James McBride.  The father James was originally from Virginia but had moved to Union, South Carolina by the time his son was born.  James worked as a farmer, and in 1850, he owned 307 acres of land which his family farmed with the help of 2 enslaved workers.  James died of old age in 1869 (when Calhoun was 15 years old).

Calhoun was admitted to the University of South Carolina as a scholarship student in fall 1875. He followed modern studies track.  The university closed before he finished his degree.

By 1880, he had moved to Bolivar County, Mississippi and was working as a physician.  He last appears in the historical record in 1887 when he received an appointment as U.S. postmaster for Hushpucken, Mississippi (an unincorporated community in Bolivar County).

Sources

1). 1860; Census Place: Union, South Carolina; Page: 216

2). 1870; Census Place: Union, Union, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1510; Page: 567B

3). 1880; Census Place: Beat 3, Bolivar, Mississippi; Roll: 642; Page: 492C; Enumeration District: 156

4). Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives

5) Yorkville Enquirer [York, SC]. October 13, 1875. p. 2.

The students of the Radical University: Benjamin Nance

Benjamin William Nance (b. Abt. 1858)
South Carolina.  Black.
Occupation: railroad mail agent, teacher.

Benjamin Nance was born in South Carolina to Ham and Susan Nance.  His father was a farm laborer who was living in Newberry, South Carolina by 1870.

Benjamin first appears in university records in the 1876 University of South Carolina catalogue.  There he is listed as a freshman following the modern studies track.  The university closed before he finished his degree.

By 1880, Benjamin had moved back to Newberry and was workings a teacher. He later moved to Spartanburg and worked as a railroad mail agent.  He last appears in the historical record in the 1900 U.S. Census.

Sources

1). 1870; Census Place: Newberry, Newberry, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1504; Page: 654B

2). 1880; Census Place: Newberry, Newberry, South Carolina; Roll: 1235; Page: 18D; Enumeration District: 108

3). 1900; Census Place: Spartanburg Ward 6, Spartanburg, South Carolina; Page: 22; Enumeration District: 0110

The students of the Radical University: George W. Murray

George W. Murray
From Wikipedia

George Washington Murray (b. September 22, 1853; d. April 21, 1926)
South Carolina.  Born enslaved.  Mulatto.
Occupation: farmer, politician, teacher.

George W. Murray was born on a plantation in Sumter County, South Carolina to unknown enslaved parents.  Little is known about Murray's childhood.  His parents died before the end of the Civil War, and Murray took up farming while a teenager.  In 1871, he began working as a teacher despite a lack of formal education.

Murray registered at University of South Carolina on October 5, 1874.  He entered into the college preparatory (or sub freshman) class, but by 1876, he had entered the college class and was following the classical studies track.  The university was closed before he completed his education.

After leaving the university, Murray returned to Sumter and continued working as a teacher and farmer.  He was very successful, and by 1880 he owned 64 acres of land.  

Starting in 1880, Murray became interested in politics and began to gain prominence within the state Republican Party.  He was appointed as a customs inspector at the port in Charleston in 1890 and served until 1892.  After stepping down as inspector, he ran for U.S Congress, seeking to represent the 7th congressional district in the House of Representatives.

Murray defeated a number of candidates, including the incumbent Thomas E. Miller, for the Republican nomination. The subsequent election was controversial.  In one county, votes for Murray were thrown out because of alleged ballot irregularities, and when official returns were published, no result was announced for the 7th district.  Following established procedure, the matters was brought before the State Board of Canvassers.  The board decided to accept most of Murray's votes and awarded him the election by a tiny margin: Murray received 4,995 votes to his Democratic opponent's 4,955.

Murray represented South Carolina's 7th congressional district in the 53rd Congress (from 1893 to 1895).  He was the sole African American in Congress.  His first speech was a speech opposing a proposed repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, an act favored by free silver advocates.  Another notable speech was a speech opposing an appeal of laws that provided federal supervision of elections.  (A major concern for African Americans was that unsupervised election would lead to African American disenfranchisement.) Both speeches were ultimately unsuccessful as both repeals passed.

Murray ran for reelection in 1894, although for a different district (the 1st congressional) because of redistricting.  As in the previous election, the election saw widespread allegations of voting misconduct, but this time the outcome was different.  Murray lost the popular vote election by a wide margin (3,913 to 5,650 votes for his Democratic opponent), and while he brought an appeal to the Board of Canvassers, this time the board upheld the outcome.  However, Murray brought a further appeal to the House of Representatives.  The House award him the seat, although it took them until June 4, 1896 to reach this decision, so Murray missed much of the 54th Congress.

Murray's political career effectively came to an end in 1897.  At the 1895 state Constitutional Convention, the constitution was revised so as to effectively disenfranchise African American voters.  Murray ran for reelection in 1896, but he predictably lost the popular vote to the white Democratic candidate by a comfortable margin. As before, he tried to challenge this result through appeals to the  State Board and to Congress, but this time, the outcome was upheld.

Murray's defeat in the 1896 election marked the beginning of African Americans' exclusion from South Carolina politics.  For almost one hundred years (until 1993), no African American would represent South Carolina in U. S. Congress.  

After losing the election, Murray returned to farming in Sumter.  Over the course of the 1890s, he expanded his farm and sold and leased property to tenant farmers.  This created serious legal problems for Murray in 1903.  Murray had sold land to Scipio Chatman and his son James.  The Chatmans were African American farmers, and they began to dispute the terms of the sales agreement around 1903.  After Murray served them a final eviction notice, the Chatmans charged Murray with forging a contact that he had presented at a legal proceeding.

Murray was found guilty of forgery.  The judge fined him $250 (roughly the equivalent of $5000 in 2020) and sentenced him to three years hard labor on a chain gang or in the state penitentiary.  Murray tried to appeal the decision, with his lawyer arguing that the forgery charge was part of a conspiracy to damage him as revenge for his political activity.  After unsuccessfully exhausting his opportunities for appeal, he fled the state and moved to Chicago, Illinois.  

Murray initially kept a low profile in Chicago.  He divorced and remarried, and also worked a series of jobs including treasurer for a department store and secretary for a cleaning company. He began to play a more public role in 1909 when accepted an invitation to be the "orator of the day" at an Emancipation Day celebration.  

Murray's public prominence brought him to the attention of the South Carolina legal system, and the sheriff of Sumter County began extradition proceedings against him in September 1909.  The case was debated in the South Carolina press, and ultimately Murray was not extradited.  The reasons for this are unclear, but Murray's biographer John Marszalek argues that the Governors of South Carolina and Illinois probably reached an informal agreement to allow Murray his freedom.

Murray had been jailed in Chicago while his extradition was being debated, and after he was freed, he left the city and went on a lecture tour for almost 10 years.  He spoke on African American political issues and published his ideas as the book Race Ideals: Efforts, Causes, and Remedy for the Afro-America Race Troubles.

Murray returned to Chicago and largely stopped traveling around 1920.  He focused on writing a second book Light in Dark Places.

Murray died in 1926.  His funeral was covered on the front-page of Chicago's black newspaper the Defender and his funeral was attended by people such as John R. Lynch and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.  He is buried in Lincoln Cemetery in Chicago.

George W. Murray
From Race Ideals

Sources

1). Marszalek, John F. 2006. A Black Congressman in the Age of Jim Crow: South Carolina's George Washington Murray.  New Perspectives on the History of the South. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

2). Culp, Daniel Wallace.  Twentieth Century Negro Literature Or, A Cyclopedia of Thought on the Vital Topics Relating to the American Negro.  J. L. Nichols & Company.  1902.

3). Gaboury, William J. "George Washington Murray and the Fight for Political Democracy in South Carolina." The Journal of Negro History 62, no. 3 (1977): 258-69. 

The students of the Radical University: Clarence W. Fox

Clarence W. Fox, ca.1903
Men of Massachusetts

Clarence W. Fox
From The Western Druggist, August 1893

Clarence Woodbury Fox (b. April 12, 1857; d. February 12, 1912)
New York.  White.
Occupation: clerk, merchant.
Father's occupation: clergyman, farmer, teacher.

Clarence W. Fox was born in Ashland, New York to Clarinda S. and Henry J. Fox. Henry was originally from England.  Henry embraced Methodism and, in 1844, left England.  He planned to go to Canada, but during a stay in New York City, he was convinced by Methodist ministers to stay there and work as a pastor.

The year Clarence was born (in 1857), his father Henry J. became the president of Ashland Collegiate Institute (a school in Ashland, New York which was open from 1858 to 1861). That year his father also received an A.M. degree from Wesleyan University.  Over the next few years, the family moved around the state as his father changed jobs and continued his education.  The father received a D.D. degree from Union College (in Schenectady, New York) in 1866.  During this time, Clarence studied at public schools.

The family left New York for South Carolina in 1869. They first moved to Chesterfield County, and the father tried to start a farm. The family had a difficult time there. Recent immigrants like the Fox family were subject to Klan violence, and the Fox family ended up abandoning their farm. They left Chesterfield for Charleston in 1872. That year Clarence's father Henry J. was appointed to a church in Charleston. 

The family moved again in 1873. That year, they moved to Columbia, South Carolina because the father had been given the position of Professor of Rhetoric, Criticism, Elocution, English Language and Literature at the University of South Carolina.

On July 27, 1874, Clarence applied to be a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Pont. His application was sponsored by Robert B. Elliott. West Point records indicate that Clarence was ultimately rejected as a candidate.   At the time, upon arrival on campus, candidates to the Academy were required to undergo a physical examination and academic testing.  Presumably Clarence was rejected on that basis, although Academy records justify the rejection with the unknown abbreviation "Ac. Bd."  

Clarence registered as a university student at the University of South Carolina on November 21, 1874.  He entered into the college preparatory (or sub freshman) class, but had moved to the college class following the modern studies track by 1876. The university closed before he completed his degree.

Clarence's formal education ended with the university's closure. He entered business and moved to Boston.  He lived in Saugus, a town in the greater Boston area. For several years, he worked as a bookkeeper at L. C. Paul & Co., a company that made bottle glassware and "druggists' sundries." In 1882, he decided to start his own business and, in partnership, he formed Fox, Fultz & Webster which later became Fox, Fultz & Co.  Like L. C. Paul & Co., his firm sold things like glassware to pharmacists.

Clarence's contributions to the glassware industry was not limited to running his business. He also worked as an inventor. He received at least nine U.S. patents. For example, he received a patent for a shaker for mixing drinks in 1891. 

Beyond his work, Clarence was a member of the East Saugus M.E. Church and active in local politics.  He served as a Saugus selectman and was twice a Republican delegate (in 1894 and 1900).  

Clarence died on February 12, 1912 from heart trouble after a brief disease.  His death certificate lists the cause as grippe followed by interstitial nephritis with angina pectoris. He was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Saugus. His death was reported in The National Druggist, a periodical for pharmacists. That periodical described him as "a man of liberal views, kindly in nature and much loved by his fiends, of whom he had a great many."

Clarence W. Fox
From New York, the Metropolis

Clarence W. Fox in 1905
Boston Globe, February 28, 1905

Clarence W. Fox was elected Saugus selectman in 1905
Boston Globe, February 28, 1905

  

Advertisement for Fox, Fultz & Co.
From American Druggist And Pharmaceutical Record, Volume 36: 1900.

The Fox, Fultz & Co. building

From New York, the Metropolis

Patents

1) C. W. Fox. "Glass Holder." No. 378,361. United States Patent Office. February 21, 1888.

2) C. W. Fox. "Shaker for Mixing Drinks." No. 447,069. United States Patent Office. February 24, 1891.

3) C. W. Fox. "Device for Washing Bottles." No. 457,603. United States Patent Office. August 11, 1891.

4) C. W. Fox. "Spatula." No. 479,937. United States Patent Office. May 19, 1892.

5) Clarence W. Fox. "Funnel." No. 502,881. United States Patent Office. August 8, 1893.

6) C. W. Fox. "Machine for making suppositories." No. 509,154. United States Patent Office. November 21, 1893.

7) C. W. Fox, J. G. Blount, & B. J. Noyes. "Machine for making tablets, pills, &c." No. 597,110. United States Patent Office. January 11, 1898.

8) C. W. Fox. "Nursing Bottle." No. 898,975. United States Patent Office. January 5, 1907.

9).  C. W. Fox. "Liquid-Receptacle."  Patent No. 901,433. United States Patent Office. October 20, 1908.

Sources

1). "New England Letter" The Western Druggist.  August 1893,  Volume XV,  Number 8: pp. 338-339.

2). National Wholesale Druggists' Association.  Proceedings of the National Wholesale Druggists' Association.  Volume 38.  1912.

3). "Clarence W. Fox"  National Druggist. March 1912:  p. 170.

4). 1910; Census Place: Saugus, Essex, Massachusetts; Roll: T624_588; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 0482

5). 1880; Census Place: Saugus, Essex, Massachusetts; Roll: 527; Page: 274C; Enumeration District: 146

6). 1870; Census Place: Old Store, Chesterfield, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1491; Page: 359A

7). 1870; Census Place: Old Store, Chesterfield, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1491; Page: 366A

8). Warriner, Edwin.  Old Sands Street Methodist Episcopal Church of Brooklyn N. Y.: An Illustrated Centennial Record, Historical and Biographical.  Phillips & Hunt, New York: 1885. pp. 331-333.

9) 1900; Census Place: Saugus, Essex, Massachusetts; Page: 22; Enumeration District: 0464; FHL microfilm: 1240648

10) Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911

11) 1860; Census Place: Ashland, Greene, New York; Page: 897; Family History Library Film: 803758

12) "Clarence W. Fox Buried." February 16. 1912. p. 11. 

13) "Saugus solid for Hayes" Boston Globe September 19, 1894. p. 4.

14) "Caucus results Elsewhere." Boston Globe, April 19, 1900. p. 3.

15) "Six Aspire to Board." Boston Globe, February 28, 1905. p. 5.

16) "Here From Many States." Boston Globe, September 9, 1903. p. 4.

The students of the Radical University: Nathaniel Middleton

Nathaniel Hill Middleton (b. April 7, 1856; d. March 31, 1900)
South Carolina.  Mulatto/Black.  
Occupation: instructor, physician. 
Father's occupation: minister, tailor, teacher, carpenter.

Nathaniel Hill was born in 1856 in South Carolina to Abram and Sarah Bing Middleton.  Sarah was a free person of color.  Abram was born into slavery in Charleston, although he led a life of relative privilege.  He was a literate skilled laborer who worked as a carpenter.  After the Civil War, he moved  the family to Midway, South Carolina and worked as a school superintendent.  He was a delegate to the 1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention and a founding member of the Trustees of Claflin University.  Abram's brother Benjamin represented Barnwell County in the South Carolina House of Representatives, 1872-74.

Nathaniel registered as a student on April 1, 1874.  He entered as a freshman in the college student following the modern track.  The university closed before he completed his studies.

In 1880, he was working as a teacher in Orangeburg, South Carolina. During the 1878 election, he served as a supervisor of election at the polling station for Bull Swamp (in Orangeburg County). Each polling station was assigned two election supervisors, one appointed by the Democrats and one appointed by Republicans. Nathaniel was the Republican representative, and his Democratic counterpart was W. C. Wolfe, a White farmer.

The 1878 election was an important one as it was the first election held since the end of Reconstruction. Statewide, the election resulted in an overwhelming victory for Democrats. Republicans contended that Democrats had won the election through acts of voter fraud, such as ballot box stuffing.

Allegations of voter fraud in Orangeburg County attracted particular attention. The county was part of the 2nd congressional district. The incumbent district Representative, Republican Richard H. Cain, chose not to run for re-election, and the election ended up being a contest between Democrat Michael P. O'Connor and Republican Edmund W. M. Mackey. Both were White South Carolinians who had previously served in state government. The general election saw O'Connor winning the election after receiving 20,568 votes to Mackey's 13,182. However, Mackey contested the outcome, claiming that reported outcome was fraudulent and he had received a majority of the votes legally cast.

Congress investigated Mackey's claims and took testimony from individuals involved in the election. Both Nathaniel and the other election supervisor offered testimony. To maintain order, a (Republican) U.S. deputy marshal and some (Democratic) state constables were present at the polling station. However, they presence proved unnecessary as the election proceeded in a "peaceably and quietly" manner. However, when the election supervisors and the election managers counted ballots, they found irregularities. Over the course of the day, they had kept a list of everyone who had voted. They counted that 328 people has cast votes, but 429 ballots were found in the ballot box. Furthermore,  some ballots had been submitted with extra ballots folded inside. They destroyed those extra ballots, and then an election manager pulled out ballots and destroyed them until the count of ballots agreed with the count of voters. The election return was then found to be 205 votes for O'Connor, 122 votes for Mackey  and 1 ballot left blank. When this outcome was announced, many African-Americans voters appeared "discontented." Upon seeing this, Nathaniel remarked to them that they would have been more successful if they had supported the Wade Hampton, the popular Democratic governor, instead of Republican candidates. This reflected a view held by some Republicans that it was a mistake to have run candidates for the election instead of supporting the ticket headed by Hampton (who was seen as a moderate within the Democratic party). 

Congress ultimately upheld the legitimacy of the election and O'Connor remained in office. However, two years later (in 1880), O'Connor ran for re-election against Mackey. O'Connor was declared the winner of the election, but Mackey alleged that the victory was secured through fraud and contested the outcome. Unlike the previous election, this time Congress affirmed his claim and awarded him the congressional office. 

While Congress was deliberating, Nathaniel continued his studies at Claflin University, and he graduated with an A.B. degree around the Congress made its ruling. Nathaniel was one of the first two students to receive a college degree from Claflin. He left for Tennessee shortly after completing his studies.

Nathaniel moved to Tennessee to attend Meharry Medical College. He began his studies there in fall 1882. There he studied alongside fellow former U of SC students James E. Asbury,  J. J. Durham, and Zebulon W. McMorris.  Nathaniel graduated and received his M.D. in 1884.

After completing his education, Nathaniel moved to southeastern Texas.  He first moved to Oakland (a small town in Colorado County) and started a medical practice with Governer R. Townsend.  Governer had graduated with Nathaniel from Meharry and had moving to Texas from Lumberton, North Carolina.

Nathaniel's partnership with Townsend seems to have only lasted a year as Townsend then left Oakland and moved to Victoria, Texas, a town about 80 miles away.  Nathaniel himself left Oakland for Columbus, the county seat, around 1887.  He remained there for about 10 years before returning to Oakland.

In Oakland, Nathaniel was joined by his former UofSC classmate Robert L. Smith.  Nathaniel and Robert seem to have remained in touch after they moved to Texas.  Around the time he returned to Oakland (In 1893), Nathaniel purchased roughly one-third of an acre of land adjacent to a tract owned by Robert.

Sadly, Nathaniel was found dead in the Navidad river on April 1, 1900.  A local newspaper reported that he had fallen in the river and drowned, possibly after suffering an epileptic fit.

Sources
1).  1870; Census Place: Midway, Barnwell, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1484; Page: 292A.

2). 1880; Census Place: Orangeburg, Orangeburg, South Carolina; Roll: 1237; Page: 266A.

3).  Middleton, Earl M with Barnes, Joy W. Knowing Who I Am: A Black Entrepreneur's Struggle and Success in the American South.  University of South Carolina Press.  2008

4). Beckford, Rhoades Beckford.  Biographical Dictionary of American Physicians of African Ancestry, 1800-1920.  Africana Homestead Legacy Publishing, Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  2011.

5). Meharry Medical College, “1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1890  Meharry Medical College Catalogue,” Meharry Medical College Archives.

6). United States, Congress, House. E. W. M. Mackey vs. M. P. O'Connor: Papers in the Case of Mackey vs. O'Connor, Second Congressional District of South Carolina. Government Printing Office, 1880. 46th Congress, 2nd session, Mis. Doc. No. 40., Part 1. pp. 345-346. 

7). United States, Congress, House. E. W. M. Mackey vs. M. P. O'Connor: Papers in the Case of Mackey vs. O'Connor, Second Congressional District of South Carolina. Government Printing Office, 1880. 46th Congress, 2nd session, Mis. Doc. No. 40., Part 2. pp. 1290-1301. 

The students of the Radical University: T. F. P. Roberts

Thomas Francis Parks Roberts (b. June 28, 1858; d. February 26, 1883)
South Carolina.  Black.
Occupation: pastor

T. F. P. Roberts was born on June 28, 1858 in Charleston, South Carolina to unknown parents.  He registered at the University of South Carolina on October 5, 1874, entering the college program and following the classical studies track.  The university closed before he completed his degree.

Roberts continued his education at Atlanta University, entering the university as a sophomore in the 1877-8 academic year.  At Atlanta University, Roberts was joined by a number of former U of SC students including John L. Dart, J. J. Durham, Fletcher H. Henderson, J. J. Holland, Samuel Henry McCoy, Edward Johnson Stewart, and Philip G. Drayton.  Roberts received an A. B. degree from the university in 1880.

After completing his education, Roberts worked as a Methodist Episcopalian preacher in Elberton, Georgia.  By February, 1883, he had fallen ill with consumption and returned to Charleston.  There he was treated by his former classmate W. D. Crum.  Despite medical care, he died on February 26, 1883.  Roberts is buried in the Friendly Union Society Cemetery.

Sources
1). South Carolina Department of Archives and History; Columbia, South Carolina; South Carolina Death Records; Year Range: 1875-1899; Death County or Certificate Range: Charleston

2). Adams, Myron W. General Catalogue of Atlanta University: 1867-1918.  Atlanta University Press.  1918.

The students of the Radical University: Edward Johnson Stewart

Edward Johnson Stewart (b. 1855; d. 1884)
South Carolina.  Mulatto.
Occupation: teacher
Father's occupation: farm laborer?

Information about Edward Stewart's before his enrollment at the University of South Carolina is incomplete.  He may be the Edward Stewart, born 1855, that appears in the 1870 U.S. Census living in Scott (in Colleton Country, South Carolina).   If so, then his parents are Nelson and Susan Stewart.  Nelson was working as a farm laborer in 1870.  By 1874, Stewart was living in Newberry, South Carolina.

Edward registered at the University of South Carolina on April 1, 1874.  He was part of the college class and followed the classical studies track.  The university closed before he completed his degree.

After the university closure, Edward moved to Atlanta University, which he attended from 1877 to 1879.  After graduating with an A.B., he moved to Washington, Georgia.  There he taught school until his death in 1884.


Sources
1). General Catalogue of Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia 1867-1918.  Atlanta University Press.  1918.

2). 1880; Census Place: Washington, Wilkes, Georgia; Roll: 172; Page: 321D; Enumeration District: 136

3). 1870; Census Place: Scott, Colleton, South Carolina; Roll: M593_1492; Page: 139A

The students of the Radical University: Owen L. W. Smith

Owen Lun West Smith (b. May 18, 1851; January 5, 1926)
North Carolina.  Born enslaved.  Mulatto/Black.  
Occupation: U.S. ambassador, minister, teacher.

Owen L. W. Smith
From One Hundred Years of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

Owen. L. W. Smith was born a slave in Sampson Country, North Carolina to Ollen (or Allen) and Maria Hicks Smith, both enslaved African Americans.  During the Civil War, he served as a personal servant in the Confederate Army.  He was present at the Battle of Bentonville in March 1865.  That battle saw the defeat of a Confederate army by General Sherman, and Smith followed Sherman's army afterwards.  With the army, he traveled through North Carolina and to Washington D.C.  According to some accounts, he was present at the May, 1865 Grand Review of the Armies in D.C.

After the Civil War, he returned to North Carolina, where he worked as a farmer and furthered his education. In May, 1870, he set out for New Orleans, but he ended up staying in South Carolina.  He started teaching in a public school in 1871, and two years later year, he was appointed as a trial justice in Aiken country by Governor Franklin J. Moses Jr.  (Trial justice was a low-level judicial position similar to a Justice of the Peace.)

Smith enrolled as a student at the University of South Carolina in April 1, 1874.  Several accounts state that he studied law, but university records describe him as an undergraduate college student following the modern studies track.  The university was closed before he completed his degree.

After Reconstruction, Smith returned to North Carolina and became involved in the AME Zion church.  He converted to the religion at a 1880 camp meeting, and the next year, he joined the North Carolina Conference (the church's regional administrative body).  He then began working as an AME Zion minister in various parts of North Carolina.  In November 1883, he became pastor of St John's Church in Wilson, North Carolina.  During this time, he served as corresponding editor of the Star of Zion, the official journal of the AME Zion Church.  In 1898, he was awarded an honorary D.D degree by Livingstone College.

President McKinley appointed Smith to two terms as the U.S. ambassador (or Minister Resident/Consul Genera) to Liberia from February 1898 to May 1902.  Before arriving in Liberia, he traveled in England, and his accounts of those travels were published in the Star of Zion.  

Smith died in January 1926 after a long period of poor health. He is buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Wilson, North Carolina.

Hon. Owen L. W Smith, Minster to Liberia
From the Schomburg Center

Owen L. W. Smith
From Wilson County Public Library

Sources:

1). "Rev. Owen L.W. Smith, US Minister to Liberia." Wilson County Public Library Local History and Genealogy Blog.  Accessed March 21, 2020.

2) 1870; Census Place: Lisburn, Sampson, North Carolina; Roll: M593_1159; Page: 258A

3). 1880; Census Place: Whiteville, Columbus, North Carolina; Roll: 959; Page: 96A; Enumeration District: 053.

4). 1910; Census Place: Wilson Ward 3, Wilson, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1137; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0116; FHL microfilm: 1375150.

5). 1920; Census Place: Wilson Ward 3, Wilson, North Carolina; Roll: T625_1327; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 113.

6). Johnston, Hugh Buckner and Eagles, Brenda Marks. “Owen Lun West Smith.” Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, P-S.  Volume 5. 1994.

7). Hood, James Walker.   One Hundred Years of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, or the Centennial of African Methodism.  AME Zion Book Concern, New York.  1895.