Library of Congress
Illustration of the port of New Orleans , circa 1842 . Many free Blacks in New Orleans , regardless of their tenuous social position , prospered in the mid-19th century .
Revolution , motivated many South Carolina slaveholders to free their slaves . As to their numbers , 586 free people resided in Charleston according to the 1790 census , which represented 4 % of its population .
Though only 6 % of Charleston ’ s demographic by 1810 , their increasing numbers and the incessant migration of more freed Blacks to the city , because of restrictions placed on the liberties of freed people in other states , alarmed some whites . Governor Geddes felt that continued immigration could lead to a “ disturbance in our domestic tranquility .” As a result , in 1820 , the state legislature passed a law prohibiting immigration and outlawing manumission . Those slaveholders still wishing to free their slaves would have to adopt more sophisticated , legally intricate estate planning devices in hopes of circumventing the 1820 law .
One universal approach adopted by many owners involved the establishment of a “ trusteeship ” with the creator of the trust acting as the beneficiary . The beneficiaries could then exercise emancipation rights whenever they chose . William Ellison , a free mulatto and cotton gin manufacturer with family in Charleston , “ purchased ” his daughter Maria in this manner in 1830 . After technically purchasing her , he immediately vested her ownership in trust by “ selling ” her for “ one cent ” to Col . McCreight . The trust stipulated that though owned by McCreight , he was to allow her to reside with the Ellison family . Under the trust , William Ellison could emancipate at any time ; upon his death , the agreement required that McCreight “ secure her emancipation as soon as possible here or in another state .”
Free Blacks seeking to directly confront the 1820 law without resorting to measures taken by Ellison and others often met with disappointment in the courts . Still , South Carolina , in hopes of closing the freedom loopholes inherent with trusteeship , passed “ An Act to Prevent the
Emancipation of Slaves ” in 1841 . Although passed , “ evasions ” occurred and trusteeship was not effectively curtailed ; in practice , Blacks continued holding one another in trust until 1865 .
Business ownership and working occupations of FPCs closely mirrored that of their counterparts in New Orleans . Brick masons , blacksmiths , butchers , carpenters and barbers were , like in New Orleans , personal service trades avoided by many whites . Females performed domestic services ; skilled women worked in the needlecraft trades . Some , like William Ellison , though not a citizen of Charleston , manufactured cotton gins and sold them throughout the state and as far as Mississippi .
Before purchasing himself at 26 , Ellison apprenticed as a cotton gin manufacturer . Once freed , he purchased land and slaves for the purposes of manufacturing and retailing gins . Records from 1849 support that he sold 15 gins with his
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