William Ellison
Encyclopedia
William Ellison Jr, born April Ellison, (C. April, 1790 - 5 December 1861) was a free negro
(former slave) who achieved great success in business eventually becoming one of the largest property owners, including slaves, and certainly the wealthiest Negro property owner in South Carolina
. His success is more remarkable as it occurred in the antebellum
period of US history when slavery in the United States of America was still legal. During the American civil war
he was also a supporter of the Confederate States of America
. April was the name given to him at birth as a slave indicating the month he was born, a common practice at the time. On manumission
, June 8, 1816, he changed his name to William Ellison Jr. William Ellison was April's owner who agreed to free him.
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
(former slave) who achieved great success in business eventually becoming one of the largest property owners, including slaves, and certainly the wealthiest Negro property owner in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. His success is more remarkable as it occurred in the antebellum
History of the United States (1789–1849)
With the election of George Washington as the first president in 1789, the new government acted quickly to rebuild the nation's financial structure. Enacting the program of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, the government assumed the Revolutionary war debts of the state and the national...
period of US history when slavery in the United States of America was still legal. During the American civil war
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
he was also a supporter of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. April was the name given to him at birth as a slave indicating the month he was born, a common practice at the time. On manumission
Manumission
Manumission is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves. In the United States before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished most slavery, this often happened upon the death of the owner, under conditions in his will.-Motivations:The...
, June 8, 1816, he changed his name to William Ellison Jr. William Ellison was April's owner who agreed to free him.