Blue House Plantation, Charleston County, South Carolina

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Edisto Island, Charleston, South Carolina
Surnames/tags: slavery black_heritage Edisto Island

US Index of Plantations

South Carolina Plantations

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Civil War 1.2 Owners 1.3 Slaves 1.4 Labor Contracts 2 Sources

Background

A property containing 300 acres (900 acres by 1872), Blue House Plantation was first granted to William Fry, who passed it on to Ichabod Fry. The plantation was eventually owned by Constantine Bailey, known as "Con Bailey", who also owned the smaller Palmetto Plantation. Con Bailey was related to many of the Bailey clan on Edisto Island.^[1]

Blue House plantation was also said to have belonged to a family called Dodd, and another called Fishburne.^[2]

This plantation was passed from father to son in the Mikell family as well. See the will of Ephraim Mikell 1838^[3] "There was a cotton house, a gin house, a cotton harbor for drying cotton, stables, barns, corn house, shop for preparing farm implements, a pump house, and two buildings that must have been for overseers, because one was called the Charlie House but he had been long dead years ago."^[4]

By 1840 the plantation had gone into "decree of equity", which meant that after the death of Ephraim Mikell in 1831, and his father in 1838, Mrs. Mikell couldn't afford to keep the plantation belonging to her son.^[5]

Civil War

Constantine Bailey owned the plantation during the Civil War. After the war the Freedmen's Bureau were allocating land to many of the freed persons on the sea islands. The following were issued land certificates to parcels of land on the Blue House Plantation property. Much of the land was returned to the owners so it is uncertain if those persons ever really received their parcel of land on the Blue House property.

1865 Freedmen's Land Certificates Issued from Edisto Island, South Carolina by Mr. Alden, Agt. of Bureau to the following freed persons:^{[6] [7]}

• Aug. 23 171 Kit Washington
• Aug. 23 172 Rachel Crofford
• Aug. 23 173 Hackey/Hickey Coles
• Aug. 23 174 Tom Simmons

• James Gibbs
• Peggy Gibbs

In 1872 the Blue House Plantation was being sold at auction.^[8]

Owners

• William Fry - William Fry to Ichabod Fry, 300 acres, 22 Aug 1711.^[9]
• Ichabod Fry

• Dodd
• Fishburne

• Ephraim Mikell 1741-1809 - Residence plantation
• Ephraim Mikell 1774-1838
• Ephraim Mikell 1808-1831 - Residence plantation
• Ephraim Mikell 1828-1865 - Residence, at least when a child

• Constantine Bailey - Residence plantation

Slaves

1859 - Runaway from the Blue House Plantation on yesterday morning, five Negro Men, viz: Sam, Jordon, Adam, George, and Henry, all Black, and aged from 23 to 27 years of age. They will most likely try to make their way along the Charleston and Savannah Rail Road to Charleston, and cross the Ashley River at the New Bridge, and then along the Northeastern Rail Road for Wilmington, N. C. A liberal reward will be paid for the apprehension of all or either of the above Negros, delivered in the Work House or any Jail so the owner gets them. Apply at 111 East Bay. ^[10] (Most likely ran away during the Con Bailey ownership)

For more information please see:

• Slaves of Ephraim Mikell 1809
• Slaves of Ephraim Mikell 1808-1831
• Slaves of Ephraim Mikell 1828-1865
• Slaves of Constantine Bailey, South Carolina

Labor Contracts

Labor Contracts for Blue House per Constantine Bailey ^[11] p. 17-7

James Gibbs

Rachel Crawford

Peggy Gibbs

Tom Simmons

Huckey Coles

Sources

1. ↑ Spencer, Charles, Edisto Island 1663 to 1860: Wild Eden to Cotton Aristocracy Charleston, SC: The History Press (2012), p. 151
2. ↑ https://south-carolina-plantations.com/charleston/blue-house.html
3. ↑ Wills and miscellaneous probate records, 1671-1868: "South Carolina Probate Re... Bound Volumes, 1671-1977"
   Catalog: Wills and miscellaneous probate records, 1671-1868 Wills v. 40-41 1834-1839
   Image path: South Carolina Probate Records, Bound Volumes, 1671-1977 > Charleston > Wills, 1834-1839, Vol. 041 > image 254 of 493; citing Department of Archives and History, Columbia.
   FamilySearch Image: 939L-JXS3-L3 (accessed 13 February 2023)
   • WB 41 p.717, will of Ephraim Mikell 1838
4. ↑ Capturing the Memory of Edisto Oral History https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:122743
   • see transcription p.7-8
5. ↑ Under Decree in Equity https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charleston-mercury-1840-blue-house-p/124569764/
   • The Charleston Mercury, Charleston, South Carolina, Sat, Mar 14, 1840, Page 3
6. ↑ United States, Freedmen's...t Commissioner, 1865-1872: "United States, Freedmen's...t Commissioner, 1865-1872"
   Catalog: Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the state of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870 Personnel rosters 1868. Requests for transportation 1865-1866. Register of signed transportation, orders given to officers 1866-1867. Registers of orders authorizing transportation 1866-1867. Transportation requests received 1866. Transportation orders issued 1866. Monthly transportation reports 1866-1868. Other records 1865-1867. (NARA Series M869, Roll 44)
   Image path: United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 > South Carolina > Roll 44, Other records, 1865-1867 > image 25 of 70; citing multiple NARA microfilm publications; Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1861 - 1880, RG 105; (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1969-1980).
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9TZ-D987-3 (accessed 13 May 2023)
   • 1865 Freedmens Bureau land certificates
7. ↑ United States, Freedmen's...t Commissioner, 1865-1872: "United States, Freedmen's...t Commissioner, 1865-1872"
   Catalog: Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the state of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870 Unregistered Applications for Restoration of Property, A-K 1865-1868. (NARA Series M869, Roll 30)
   Image path: United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Assistant Commissioner, 1865-1872 > South Carolina > Roll 30, Unregistered applications for restoration of property, A-K, 1865-1868 > image 112 of 742; citing multiple NARA microfilm publications; Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1861 - 1880, RG 105; (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1969-1980).
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9TZ-83LG-R (accessed 17 May 2023)
8. ↑ Sale at Auction https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charleston-daily-courier-1872-sale-a/124570106/ The Charleston Daily Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, Fri, Mar 15, 1872, Page 3
9. ↑ Memorials of seventeenth and eighteenth century South Carolina land titles and index to auditor general memorials, 1731-1775: "Memorials of seventeenth and eighteenth century South Carolina land titles and index to auditor general memorials, 1731-1775"
   Catalog: Memorials of seventeenth and eighteenth century South Carolina land titles and index to auditor general memorials, 1731-1775 Memorial books, v. 3-4
   Film number: 008621904 > image 333 of 1183
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C34L-L3C9 (accessed 13 May 2023)
   • 1711 Memorial Deed Bk 3 p.306
10. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charleston-daily-courier-1859-runawa/124542706/
    • The Charleston Daily Courier, Charleston, South Carolina, Wed, May 25, 1859, Page 3
11. ↑ Spencer, Charles, "Documents on Edisto Island History" Edisto Island, SC: Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society (2008)