Charleston Connections
- Karen Derrick-Davis
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
I've now been to Charleston twice to research my family's roots there. Although SO much information is available on line, when I travel to locations in my family's history I ALWAYS learn something new, or feel and experience something critically important in my journey.
Charleston has a unique place in our country's history. It was the largest port of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, with a total of between 100,000 and 200,000 people trafficked at its wharves. According to National Geographic, historians estimate that over 90% of African-Americans can trace their ancestry through Charleston, SC. Most Africans arrived between 1783 and 1808. In 1808, a federal ban on the importation of enslaved Africans created a boom in the domestic slave trade.
My Lee "First Arrivers": Thomas & Mary Giles Lee, 1732
My 6th great-grandparents, Thomas Lee and Mary Giles (Lee), arrived in Colonial Charles Town (Charleston, SC) in 1732. They wed either in their hometown of Bridgetown, Barbados before they emigrated, or after in Charles Town--or possibly both places. He was 21, she 17.
Thomas Lee made his mark in Charles Town as a builder and architect. He was also an enslaver of Africans brought to this busy Middle Passage port. In his will, he bequeaths to his son, Stephen, "Negroe carpenter slave man Tomm." As Thomas Lee was described as a "master builder" and considered a skilled architect, I assume Tomm was a skilled carpenter.
Thomas is honored on an historic plaque mounted on a house he built. Of course, there is no mention of "carpenter slave man Tomm" or any other enslaved men who probably assisted in building this house that still stands nearly two hundred years later.
Looking for the Elliott Street Tenement
My only clue about where Thomas Lee lived was mentioned in his will--"my Brick House...consisting of Two Tenements, and the Land, Buildings and Hereditaments ...fronting Southwards on Elliott Street..."
First stop: South Carolina History Room at the Charleston Public Library. The librarians did their best, but could find no maps of Charles Town from the mid-1700s. After perusing old directories (nothing helpful there) and looking at other old maps, I pulled myself away and headed to Elliott Street.
Lucky for me, Elliott Street is only two blocks long--so that narrowed the search quite a bit! While wandering along the street, I overheard a gentleman talking to another. He sounded like a tour-guide or historian. I respectfully interrupted and inquired if he had an idea which of the south-facing houses along Elliott Street might be from the 1700s. He pointed to a row of four. Getting closer!
The next day, I went back to the library and did more research on Newspapers.com. I could have done this from anywhere, but I guess sitting in that room inspired me to dig more in places I'd already been. I kept searching for any mention in Charleston newspapers of Thomas Lee from 1732-1769.
Something new popped up!
This ad was a boon for several reasons. First, the date: 1751. Now, I know he had this tenement at least 18 years before his death in 1769. Second, he describes it as "new," which gives a clue about when it was built. Third, he notes it has "three stories," something I did not know yet. Fourth, its location is described as "next door but one to Mr. Poinsett's." Lucky for me, Mr. Poinsett's is a landmark that still exists, today!
So, back to Elliott Street I went. (Note the reference in the historic sign to the poinsettia!)
I feel fairly confident that the house below belonged to my 6th great-grandfather, Thomas Lee. I can now do further research in government records and hopefully find verification.
The Lees & Slavery
Thomas Lee's will is emotionally difficult to read, to say the least. He begins by "commend[ing] [his] immortal spirit into the Hands of God, who gave it, in and thro' the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ my blessed Saviour and Redeemer on whom only I rely for the Pardon and Remission of all my Sins and for Eternal Life and Salvation, and my Body at Death I commit to the Grave to be decently and Christian like interred, hoping for a Glorious Resurrection..." He then moves on to divide up his "Worldly Estate" that "it hath pleased God to bestow upon me..." He begins by bequeathing "unto my loving (and Youngest) Son Stephen Lee, my Negroe Carpenter Slave Man, Named Tomm." He then gives his wife, Jane (his second wife, after Mary's death), "the use of" his house, land and remaining enslaved "Negroes" -- Hampshire, Rinah, Charity, Old Venus and "two of Rinah's children" Little Hampshire and Little Rinah, and of all their future issue and offspring. He then goes back to material goods-- "also of my horse and riding chair and... household furniture."
I remember the first time I read and understood that my ancestors not only casually bequeathed living breathing human beings, but also ALL of these living souls' future offspring and the offspring of those offspring, and so on and so on. This floored and devastated me. My ancestors were bequeathing GENERATIONS of people. How do you even hold that in your brain? My family will control your family for ETERNITY. Thank you, God for "all you have bestowed upon me." Is this how you thank God? Did Thomas Lee really think God was happy with and condoned his behavior?
Stephen (1750-1807) & Dorothea Smiser Lee (1752-1824)
Thomas Lee's son, Stephen, who inherited Tomm the carpenter was a clock and watchmaker, as was his brother, William. They had several addresses on the prestigious Broad Street, which means the family was quite well-off.
Amazingly, the Charleston Museum has a clock that was made by William Lee.
In Charleston directories, Stephen is at first listed as "watchmaker" and then as "factor" and "planter" in later years. According to Wikipedia, a factor is a "commercial agent, business representative, or a type of merchant who acts on behalf of another party, typically in trade, shipping, or the management of estates." I think Stephen gave up watchmaking and moved to more lucrative businesses... Records show he enslaved 9 people in 1790 at the age of 40.
Stephen's wife, Dorothea, hailed from a wealthy German immigrant family. Her father, Paul Belthazer Smiser, owned the 1,750-acre Round O rice plantation (not far from Charles Town), with 60 enslaved noted upon his death.
Paul Smiser Hutson Lee (1784-1852) & Jane Martin Lee (1793-1825)
By the third generation of Lee immigrants in Charleston, slavery is a major source of income and wealth. Stephen's son, Paul (my 4th great-grandfather) seems have to spent his whole career as a planter and "factor" of some sort -- acting as buyer, seller, or agent in a multitude of sales of enslaved people. I found a massive list of documents online where Paul SH Lee is involved in these transactions. So far, I have documented over 100 enslaved individuals. I have only scratched the surface...
By 1836, Paul caught the "Alabama Fever" and moved his family to Carlowville in Dallas County, not far from Selma. He built himself a nice "big house" on hundreds of acres, enslaving many and hoping to benefit from the rich Alabama soil. The Lees along with extended family members and in-laws settled the little town. In 2024, I found his house, which is still inhabited by a descendant.
Connections
Until I started this genealogical journey, Charleston was just a place buried in my ancestral history. Today, I feel connected to it. Charleston and its sordid past are part of my family's story. Now, events in Charleston--like the 2015 shooting at the Emanuel AME Church, specifically targeted because of its history and status--feel personal. My people were part of the problem--the original sin of Charleston. They were integrally involved in the oppression of ancestors of many South Carolinian African-Americans today. It's a connection, but not a great feeling.
