Remarks on the 1850 Mortality Schedule of Sumter District, South Carolina. Certified on December 23, 1850. Remarks: The Map of So Carolina exhibits Sumter District in nearly the Centre of the State - Large in Territory - of irregular shape, & contained by the state survey made in 1821 (1985) Nineteen Hundred & Eighty five square miles - Its population in 1850 is 33.262 Free ["Whites" scratched out] 10.197 Slaves 23.065 It is bounded on the North by Kershaw District - on the East by Lynches Creek or River on the South by Williamsburg & Charleston Districts - on the West by the Santee & Wateree Rivers - A large portion of this District is occupied by the heads of Black River This pertion of the Territory is very level, & affects very little descent, so that the water goes off sluggishly - The same remark is true of the territory bordering on the Santee It is very level & flat, & the branches running into the Santee carry off the water slowly The same is the case with the lower part of Lynches River. The Santee & Wateree Rivers, have an alluvion Swamp of from 1 to 5 miles wide of amazing fertility, but subject to innundation from the Rain Water & melting of Snows towards the Heads of the River in North Carolina so that comparatively little of it is cultivated - The remainder of the District is high & broken - Mostly Sand Hills - with salubrious atmosphere - fine (gusting ?) Springs of the purest Water - & as "healthy as the mountains" The inhabitants of the Flat Lands use Well Water - of the broken county Spring Water - The Climate in Winter is not often as low as 25 - Seldom affording ice an inch thick, & that for a very few days. It is often up to 70 in Winter - In Summer it varies from 70 to 95 - The Soil is generally Sandy - covering a fine Clay at irregular depths, from a few inches to many feet - on the margins of the Creeks & some places on the Rivers, tracts of Oak & Hickory Lands prevail - very fertile - The largest portion of the District is covered with a splendid growth of Yellow & Pitch Pines on most of the Heads of Black River, Marl has been discovered since the geological surveys under the authority of the State in 1843 by W Ruffin & in 1844 by W Tumey - The Marl is in some places near the surface, & elsewhere deeper. But few & small experiments have as yet been made by the farmers of that portion of the District - The Water of Some few Springs & Branches, are known to be impregnated with Lime - In some places it is impregnated with Iron - But generally the water is called "Free Stone Water" The larger portion of this District is not healthy. A great deal of Miasma is generated in the Summer from the stagnant Waters - & especially after the Ponds & Streams have dried in all the flat regions & in the River Swamps - Bilious & Longestive Fevers are numerous - often followed by Dropsy - Diseases of the liver are very common at (all ?) ages - The Medical Profession find very remunerating pationage in full 3/4 of the District - The Hilly portion of the District however possesses very fine Health - The "High Hills of Santee" are situated in Sumter District, commencing about 200 feet Bluff on the Wateree Swamp near Manchester & extending North East across the District - This name is confined to 10 or (1?) miles of the Range nearest to the River - beyond it is called the Bradford Spring Range - The High Hills of Santee have been famed for their Health Wealth & Refinement - This region is extensively underlaid by what is vulgarly called "(Fullers ?) Earth". Ruffin & Tumey call it "Infusorial Clay" - It is in most places soft - easily cut with the Pick Axe & grubbing hoe - It resists the action of Water entirely yet where exposed to the air it decomposes & breaks, or rather splits with a fracture nearly lonchoidal It seems to be imperfectly crystalized A (?ge) piece will on exposure to the air, scale off in successive layers, down to a very small piece; which is generally hard & Silicious - It comes out to the day in a vast number of places on the Hill sides: is decomposed by the action of the air - is then absorbed by the Rains, & carried down & fertilizes the lower grounds & vallies - The attention of farmers is now being drawn to it, as a natural fertilizer & it is thought more worthy of Scientific examination than it has yet received in this District - Bradford Spring (or Rather Springs) situated about 25 miles from the River, following the course of the Range; & is noted for the great Salubrity of the atmosphere - its pure Water besides some of the Springs (?ing ?) (Qualities unknown) - A large amount of Rock comes out to the day in the Hilly portion (perhaps River Deposits) and along the Banks of the Water Courses & in the Beds of the Streams - In many places on the High Hills of Santee, the Rocks bear unmistakable evidence of the action of fire - The upper portion of Lynches Creek in Sumter District is supposed to be within the Gold Region. Profitable mines are in operation on Lynches Creek, above the Sumter Line. - There is supposed to be a great deal of Iron Ore in Sumter District. Specimens were sent from the waters of Green Swamp to a Furnace in North Carolina & pronounced to be very rich. Lynches River is Boatable for Pole Boats & the Santee & Wateree are navigated by Steam Boats - The Camden Branch of the So Carolina Rail Road passes thro Sumter District from North to South about 25 miles - The Wilmington & Manchester Rail Road is laid out from East to West thro Sumter District & finds its Western Farmers near Manchester - Cotton is the Staple Product of the Plantations - and Indian Corn - Rice Peas & Sweet Potatoes is the principal food of the inhabitants - The summer of 1850 was until August, remarkably Dry, occaisioning the Provision crop of every description to fail fully one half - Cotton being a tougher lived & a Hardier Plant recovered in a great measure after the Drought ceased, & has made in this District a tolerably fair crop - The Cotton Crop probably would have been a large one, but the extensive Storms of the last of August passed over this District doing immense Damages - This District is named after General Thomas Sumter of the Revolution - an officer of great merit & Bravery - The seat of Justice is named Sumterville - a small town containing Whites 500 - Slaves 330 - Free Negroes 10 = Total 840 - J. W. Stuckey Assistant Marshal -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- General Notes: 1. Transcribed in 1983 by Steven James Coker based on a copy made from microfilm at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. 2. Writing shown inside parentheses () with a question mark indicates the transcriber is not certain as to the correct reading of the word or words. Writing in parentheses witb no question mark is as shown in the document. 3. Words shown inside brackets [] have been inserted by the transcriber and are not found in the document. 4. For this presentation, little attempt has been made to layout the text identical to that shown in the document. In particular, words per line and line breaks may vary. 5. This is not offered as a true and exact transcription. Although the transcriber has attempted to be accurate in making the work. Examination of the original document should be done if a more accurate version is wanted or required.