I’d like to introduce you to a short-lived, local organization that you’ve probably never heard of. The Emigrant Society, or, more properly, the "South Carolina Society for the information and assistance of persons emigrating from other countries,” existed from March 1795 through at least the summer of 1796. During its brief tenure, this organization embarked on a promotional campaign to lure Europeans to settle in the Palmetto State. Who was the Emigrant Society, and what were their motivations? Did their campaign bear fruit for South Carolina? Let’s time-travel back to the eighteenth century and see if we can find the answers to these important questions.
From the earliest days of the Carolina colony in the 1660s to the post-war boom of the 1760s, the government of South Carolina launched a number of legislative initiatives to recruit “poor Protestants” to settle here. These efforts (which you can read about in Robert Meriwether’s 1940 book, The Expansion of South Carolina, 1729–1765) were moderately successful, and helped establish backcountry townships such as Purrysburg, Orangeburg, Williamsburg, and others. South Carolina’s colonial efforts to recruit settlers were far less successful than those launched by northern states such as Pennsylvania and New York, however. By the early days of the eighteenth-century, South Carolina had acquired an international reputation for being a “dangerous” colony, in two respects. First, our sultry climate and swampy topography contributed to a high rate of mortality, especially among the immigrants from northern Europe. Second, by the year 1708, enslaved Africans formed the majority of South Carolina’s population, and this fact terrified many Europeans who feared the prospect of violent rebellions.
In the wake of the American Revolution, South Carolina and the other American states began the long process of recovering from eight years of internal war. Infrastructure and businesses needed to be rebuilt and expanded, and new commercial networks had to be established among the various states and with the old nations of Europe. To strengthen the new nation and to fuel its growth, the United States needed more tax-paying citizens—farmers, laborers, tradesmen, merchants, and more. In this respect, the northern states had a distinct advantage over the southern states like South Carolina. Already possessed of a larger European population and a smaller African population, the northern states were well-poised to use their existing commercial and cultural contacts in Europe to draw more emigrants from abroad. South Carolina, saddled with a reputation for being unhealthy and dangerous, was going to have to try harder if it wanted to increase its traditionally-modest share of new taxable citizens.
This was the situation in the early months of 1795, when, on March 9th of that year, the [Charleston] City Gazette printed an anonymous letter about the need for immigrants, written by a local correspondent who called himself “One of the People.” I have no clue as to the identity of this author, but the content of his letter is rather elegant and succinct. Rather than summarize it, I’d like to share the entire text with you and let “One” speak to this issue in his own words:
“To the Citizens of Charleston.
The troubles of Europe are daily compelling many of its inhabitants to seek an asylum in this peaceful happy country. The Northern states have, in consequence thereof, received a great accession of persons and property; but South Carolina has been less fortunate, though no part of the union affords the means of living and providing for a family on easier or better terms. One reason why Europeans prefer landing in New York, Philadelphia or Baltimore, to Charleston, is, that in the three former cities societies are formed for the relief, assistance, encouragement and direction of emigrants; but no such societies exist in the latter. The hospitality of individuals is as great here as there; but being without the benefit of system, and unknown abroad, it affords no inducements to emigrants to land in this port. The prejudices against our climate are greatly exaggerated, with respect to the sea coast, and wholly unfounded as far as they relate to the middle and back country. On an impartial consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of our climate and soil, of what a poor man may do by his labor and a rich man by his capital, it may be safely affirmed, that there are many thousands in Europe and America who would greatly better their circumstances by removing from their native land and fixing their residence in South Carolina.
While the tide of emigration is strong, the people of this state are fairly entitled to come in, with their fellow citizens to the Northward, for a portion of the benefits likely to result from an increase of population. Policy and interest, as well as humanity to the friendless stranger, therefore, point out the propriety of putting ourselves on a footing with them, as far as respects the hospitable reception of those who come to settle in our country.
Impressed with these sentiments, several gentlemen have expressed a wish that an Emigrant Society should be forthwith formed in Charleston.
It is therefore humbly proposed, that a free conference be held on this subject at the City-hall, on Wednesday, the 18th instant, at twelve o’clock, at which time and place some observations thereon shall be submitted to the citizens, and their opinions taken on the policy of instituting such a society. It is requested that those who favor the proposed institution should attend, and those who have objections to it may with propriety also come forward and state their reasons against the adoption of the measure.”
A quick check through the newspapers of early America (thanks to CCPL’s subscription to an online database called America’s Historical Newspapers) confirms the assertions made by “One of the People.” In the mid-1790s, there were in fact several “Emigrant Societies” in a number of American port cities, including Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Portsmouth (New Hampshire), and even Washington, D.C. In this respect, “One of the People” was proposing that Charleston should adopt a national trend that seems to have started around 1790. Rather than relying on government-sponsored legislative initiatives, as many of the American colonies had done in the past, these post-Revolutionary societies represented voluntary, de-centralized campaigns to strengthen the nascent United States by increasing the productive, taxable population. Furthermore, here in South Carolina, such an organization would provide an opportunity to combat the persistent rumors that the state’s climate and its demographics represented potential dangers to immigrants.
Let’s return to Charleston in the spring of 1795. In response to the published invitation from “One of the People,” a group of interested gentlemen gathered in Charleston City Hall (the upper story of the Exchange Building) at mid-day on Wednesday, March 18th, to discuss ideas about attracting immigrants to South Carolina’s bustling port city. The assembled group, which included a number of professional men and experienced civil leaders, chose John Bee Holmes, then intendant (mayor) of the City of Charleston, to chair the meeting and got down to business. I know of no records documenting the specifics of their conversation, but later reports indicate the general mood was positive. Before closing the meeting, the ad hoc group appointed a committee to form the outline for a new organization or society, and to draft a “paper” to encourage emigrants to settle in South Carolina.
A few days after that initial meeting, the [Charleston] City Gazette of Monday, March 23rd, carried a brief announcement under the heading “Emigrant Society.” This notice, addressed to “the gentlemen who have given in their names as willing to form an Emigrant Society,” requested their attendance at another meeting to be held at City Hall on Thursday, March 26th, at twelve noon. The chairman of this proto-society, John Bee Holmes, stated that the purpose of the second meeting was “to receive the reports of the committee appointed on the 18th instant, to prepare a plan or a constitution for the society, and a paper of information to strangers.”
The following Monday, March 30th, the City Gazette carried a brief notice penned by Broad-Street printer, William P. Young, under the heading “Emigrant Society.” Mr. Young informed readers that “a paper, containing information to persons disposed to emigrate to South Carolina, printed by order of the Emigrant Society, is now ready to be delivered by the subscriber, gratis, to those who are desirous of circulating the same. It is wished by the society, that gentlemen writing to their correspondents abroad, would occasionally enclose one of these papers in their letters.”
I know of no surviving printed copies of the “letter” produced by the Emigrant Society in late March 1795, but we are fortunate that the full text of this document was printed in the [Charleston] City Gazette on April 22nd of that year. The “letter” is really an essay summarizing the land, resources, commerce, and advantages of the state of South Carolina in just over 2,100 words. It also provides us with the full name of the organization: The South Carolina Society for the information and assistance of persons emigrating from other countries.” Their “letter” is a remarkable document that provides an interesting view of how Charleston’s civic leaders viewed their home state in 1795, so I’d like to share the entire text with you.
“Information to those who are disposed to migrate to South Carolina.
South Carolina lies between the 31st and 34th degrees of North latitude, and between the 78th and 81st degrees of west longitude from London. In form it nearly resembles a triangle, the base of which extends along the sea above two hundred miles. Georgia on the south, and North Carolina on the north side thereof, approximate to each other about three hundred miles from the sea coast, so as nearly to form an angle enclosing the whole of the state. Hence more than nineteen in twenty of its inhabitants are perfectly secure from the incursions of Indians; and none are at all exposed to them, but a few residing in a single angle of the state, at the foot of the mountains. For eighteen years past there has been no war between any tribe of Indians and the people of South Carolina, and there is little probability of any in future: but should such an event take place, the dangers to be apprehended from it will be truly inconsiderable, and these will be daily diminishing.
Within the state of South Carolina, are millions of acres of good plantable [sic] land, comparatively useless for want of cultivation; these would afford employment and subsistence to ten times the number of all its present inhabitants. The country along the coast, and for eighty or an hundred miles to the westward, is generally low and flat, and abounds more or less, especially on and near the rivers, with swamps or marshes; these, when cleared and cultivated, yield, in favorable seasons, on an average, to the planter, an annual income of from twenty to forty dollars from each acre, and often much more: but this species of soil cannot be cultivated by white men, without risqueing [sic] both health and life. Though a residence in or near these swamps are very injurious to health, yet it has been satisfactorily ascertained, that by moving three miles therefrom, into the pine lands which occupy the middle ground between the rivers, an exemption from autumnal fevers may be obtained. These swamps do not cover an hundreth [sic] part of the land in South Carolina, yet as they are most productive, and have been first and longest cultivated, they have given to the whole state the name of being unhealthy; though it is well known, that in Charleston, and in the high dry pine or fir lands of the low country, and in the whole of the back country, and in every part of the state, not contiguous not [sic; to] swamps, marshes, or stagnant water, the inhabitants enjoy as great a portion of health as is usual in most parts of the world.
Near the coast, rice, indigo, hemp, Indian corn, every species of pulse [that is, beans and pease] and potatoes, rye, oats, and cotton, are raised with ease and great plenty. From experiments which have been made, it is well ascertained, that olives, silk, and madder [a vegetable dye] may be as abundantly produced in South Carolina, as in the South of France. On and near the many rivers, which water the state, lumber of all kinds may be cut to great advantage.
The woods abound with pine trees, ash, maple, beach, tupelow [sic], cypress, red and white cedar, juniper, poplar, walnut, hickory, sycamore, chesnut [sic], mulberry, gum, sassafras, wild cherry, chinquopin [sic], laurel, bay, locust, sumach [sic], dogwood, and all the variety of oaks; the live oak in particular, so useful in ship building, and the palmetto grow in great plenty on the sea islands, and lands adjacent.
In the vicinity of Charleston, firewood, when brought to market, though abundant and easily conveyed by water, will sell for five times the first cost of the lands from which it is cut; and the land, after it is cleared, will sometimes command a higher price than before.
About a hundred miles from the coast, the swamps terminate; the land is high and dry, and from thence to the western extremity of the state is beautifully diversified with hills and vallies [sic], affording most agreeable prospects, resembling Devonshire in England, or Languedoc in France. In this part of South Carolina, the country is remarkably healthy—In the warmest season the heat of the day is far from being excessive, and the nights are pleasantly cool—land can be there safely cultivated by white men, and is so for the most part; and though it can be purchased by the acre for a price varying from half a dollar to four dollars, it will yield, in good seasons, to the industrious cultivator, an annual income of from five to fifteen dollars from every acre that is carefully planted. The winters are so short, and mild, that two crops, one of barley and one of corn, or one of wheat and one of corn have been frequently obtained from the same ground within a twelve month.
And in the low country numerous herds of cattle and hogs may be maintained throughout the winter, as well as summer, by the feeding on the spontaneous productions of the earth; and even in the most western parts of the state, they do not require to be fed more than three or four months in the year. The adjacent oceans and rivers abound with fish. Trout, bream, mullets, whiting, blackfish, bass and rockfish, are common. Shad and herring are so abundant in their season, that they may be caught with facility in great quantities. The country is well stocked with wild geese, ducks, turkies [sic], and pigeons, with plovers, woodcocks, impes [sic] and partridges. Deer are so easily procured, that the flesh of one, full grown, may be purchased, in many parts of the state, for a dollar, and no game laws exist to restrain the inhabitants from availing themselves of the means of support, which the woods, the air, and the waters afford.
In the upper country, indigo, wheat, Indian corn, rye, barley, oats, tobacco, hemp, flax, and cotton are profitably raised; and from late experiments it has been ascertained that vines may be cultivated, and wine made to great advantage: Snakeroot, pinkroot, and a variety of medicinal herbs grow spontaneously; also ginseng on and near the mountains. The silk worm might be easily and extensively propagated, and silk raised to great advantage in every part of the state.
A canal from Santee to Cooper river, is now more than half done, and seven hundred labourers [sic] are constantly employed thereon. When this is compleated [sic], which will probably be by the end of the year 1796, it will bring navigation to the doors of a great proportion of the inhabitants of the state, and leave none in the most inland situation fifty miles removed from the benefits of conveying by water, to market, the fruits of their industry.
A monied [sic] capital may be employed to great advantage in South Carolina, in various ways, viz.
First. In commerce. The sea ports are Beaufort, Georgetown and Charleston. Beaufort is noted for its excellent harbor and healthy situation. Georgetown is advantageously situated at the confluence of several rivers, connected with an extensive back country of both the Carolinas, and bids fair to be a place of importance. Charleston is by far the most considerable city on the sea coast, for an extent of six hundred miles. From it are annually exported about the value of two millions [sic] and a half of dollars, in native commodities; and it supplies, with imported goods, a great part of the inhabitants of North Carolina and Georgia, as well as those of South Carolina. The harbor thereof is open all the winter, and its contiguity to the West Indian islands, gives the merchants superior advantages for carrying on a peculiarly lucrative commerce. A waggon [sic] road of only fifteen miles is all that is wanted, to open a communication with the inhabitants of the south western territory of the United States. Knoxville, the capital of that territory, is one hundred miles nearer to Charleston, than to any other considerable seaport town on the Atlantic ocean.
Secondly. A monied [sic] capital may be profitably employed, in erecting mills, for making paper, for sawing lumber, and especially for manufacturing wheat flour. There are hundreds of valuable mill seats unimproved, and the woods abound with pine trees. A bushel of wheat may be purchased in South Carolina for half a dollar, which will make as good flour, as that which, in the vicinity of proper mills, sells for double that price. Such is the cheapness and fertility of the soil, that half a dollar a bushel for wheat would afford a great profit to the cultivators thereof.
Thirdly. In tanning and manufacturing leather—cattle are raised with so much ease, in a country where the winters are both mild and short, that hides are remarkably cheap. The profits of tanners and shoe-makers must be considerable, when it is a well-known fact, that the hides of full grown cattle and a single pair of shoes sell for nearly the same price.
Fourthly. In making bricks. These now sell for nine dollars a thousand, and the call for them, is so great, that the bricklayers are not fully supplied.
Fifthly. In making pot-ash. The ashes that might be collected in Charleston, and from the woods burnt in clearing new lands in the country, would furnish the means of carrying on the manufacture of pot-ash to great advantage.
Sixthly. Those who do not choose to engage in active business, may put their money on interest, at the rate of 7 per cent. per anum [sic], and under circumstances that would afford unquestionable security for the payment of both principal and interest. The existing laws impose no tax, whatever, on money at interest.
Mechanics in every branch of business, though aliens, may, immediately on their arrival, set up their respective trades, under the same legal protection as the oldest inhabitants. Bricklayers, carpenters, mill-wrights, shoemakers, taylors [sic], blacksmiths, and labourers [sic] of all kinds, cannot fail of meeting with ready employment, and good wages, varying from half a dollar to two dollars a day. But the cultivators of the earth, above all others, will find in South Carolina, an opportunity of turning their money and industry to the greatest advantage.
The constitution of South Carolina, makes the most ample provision for the full enjoyment of civil and religious liberty; every congregation associated for the worship of the deity, has equal protection, and can easily obtain incorporation, which gives it the rights of holding real and personal estates; of prosecuting its claims in the courts of justice, and every other right attached to a body known and recognized by the laws; but no one can lord it over another. In the constitution it is declared, ‘that the free exercise of religious profession and worship without discrimination, or preference, shall forever hereafter be allowed within the state to all mankind,’ and that ‘all power is originally vested in the people, and that all free governments are founded on their authority, and are instituted for their peace, safety and happiness.’
In conformity to these principles, the only laws which govern, are those which are enacted by the representatives of the people, freely and fairly chosen. To favor the cause of republicanism and natural justice, laws made since the revolution have abolished the rights of primogeniture, and have ordained an equal distribution of the estate of intestate persons, without any preference of males, or of the first born. There is also something peculiar in the manner of constituting juries in South Carolina; the names of the individuals that compose them, are drawn by a child indiscriminately out of a box, containing numerous lists of the taxable citizens. This precaution puts it out of the power of the sheriff, or of any other person, whatever, to make a selection of any men favorable to one party, or one side of the cause in controversy.
To all who intend to migrate to South Carolina, it is recommended to order matters so, that they may arrive in the month of November, or soon after, if they intend to live near the sea coast; they will then be accustomed to the climate before the heat of summer commences; if they intend to reside in the upper country they may, for some months after their arrival, pass without danger through the maritime settlements to the hilly country westward, where they may enjoy as great a degree of health, as usually falls to the lot of man, in any part of the world.
Published by order of the South Carolina Society, for the information and assistance of persons emigrating from other countries.
John Rutledge, President.
David Ramsay, John Bee Holmes, Vice Presidents.
John Splat Cripps, Treasurer.
John Mitchell, Secretary.
Committee of Correspondence: Henry William Desaussure, Charles G. Corre, David Ramsay, Adam Tunno, William Crafts, Casper C. Schutt, Richard Furman, Charles C. Pinckney, Thomas Morris, John F. Kern, John Rutledge, jun. James Delaire, Nathaniel Russell, Daniel O’Hara.
Charleston, South Carolina, March 16, 1795.”
Was the Emigrant Society’s 1795 “letter” successful in bringing waves of immigrants streaming into the ports of South Carolina? A lack of extant records from this organization prevents us from learning any specifics, but I suspect that global circumstances conspired to limit their success. The last reference to the South Carolina “Emigrant Society” that I’ve been able to find is a notice printed in early July 1796, which summoned members to an “extra meeting” held at City Hall on July 13th, “to consider of particular business, which will then be laid before them” (see [Charleston] City Gazette, 11 July 1796). Beyond that meeting announcement, I haven’t been able to find any further information about this organization.
In fact, it appears that the various Emigrant Societies formed in New York, Philadelphia, and other northern cities also disappeared by the end of 1797. I’m not certain about the root of this coincidence, but I suspect that it might have had something to do with the Jay Treaty, a 1794 agreement between the United States and Great Britain that went into effect in the spring of 1796. The purpose of the Jay Treaty was to repair Anglo-American diplomatic relations, but its ratification soured relations between the U.S. and France. This situation led to the infamous XYZ Affair of 1797–98 (involving Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a member of the local Emigrant Society), and created a state of “Quasi-War” between the U.S. and France in the late 1790s.
Whatever the cause or causes behind this retrenchment, the global climate for mass movement was poor at the turn of the nineteenth century, and it would be another generation before the United States would again witness European immigration on a mass scale. By the 1820s, however, South Carolina’s international reputation was sinking quickly. Our stubborn commitment to plantation agriculture and to the practice of slavery made the progressive cities of the northern states far more attractive to immigrants. As a result, South Carolina’s economy continued to decline, and its political culture became more isolationist. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, many South Carolinians resented the success of the northern states. By recruiting immigrants and transforming them into productive tax-paying citizens, the northern states had harnessed an economic engine that South Carolina could only envy.
Imagine for a moment, however, that the Emigrant Society formed in Charleston in the spring of 1795 had actually flourished and fulfilled its mission. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of European emigrants might have steered their course to South Carolina instead of Massachusetts or New York or wherever. Their skills, their votes, and their collective will, might have propelled this state along a very different path than the one it took. In an alternate universe, we might imagine that the arrival of large numbers of immigrants in South Carolina at the dawn of the nineteenth century might have led to a calmer, less polarized society here that valued the preservation of our federal union and respected the inalienable rights of all humanity. That’s only a thought exercise, of course, but it’s free to dream.
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