In April of 1870, King S. Pringle opened a Freedman’s Bank account in Charleston, SC.
Freedman’s Savings and Trust (Freedman’s Bank) records can be an especially rich source of biographical information for African American ancestors because applicants were asked where they were born and raised, where they lived, their occupation and employer, and the names of their family members. Freedman’s Bank records for the Charleston branch sometimes list the name of the plantation where an enslaved ancestor was born, and offer the rare opportunity to connect Freedmen with surnames to Antebellum plantation records.
King S. Pringle’s Freedman’s Bank record offers one of those rare glimpses into a family’s history before Emancipation. This remarkable record reveals the names of King Pringle’s family members, and his place of nativity: King S. Pringle was born at Drayton Hall Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina.
Below is the information in King S. Pringle’s Freedman’s Bank application:
No. 4557 Record for: King S. Pringle
Date of Application: April 13 1870
Where Born: Ashley River Drayton Hall
Where Brought Up: do [ditto]
Residence: North Santee
Age: 40 yr.
Complexion: Black
Occupation: Farming
Works for: Col. Manigault
Wife: Bella
Children: Cuffy & Georgiana (dead)
Father: Renty Pringle (dead)
Mother: Susan Pringle (dead)
Brothers: Frank Pringle (dead)
Sisters: Georgiana Steward & Nancy (dead)
Delia (dead)
Remarks: Cuffy Remiden came with him
Signature: King S. Pringle X His Mark
What can we learn about King S. Pringle and his family from this record? Can we locate him in the census? Let’s go see.
Kingsale Pringle and Family, 1880 Census
In his 1870 Freedman’s Bank application, King Pringle stated that his wife’s name was Bella and his son’s name was Cuffy. He was living in North Santee (Georgetown District), SC. In the 1880 census, we do see him and his family in District 54, North Santee, Georgetown District, SC [2]. In his household were:
| Name | Color | Gender | Age | Relationship to Head of Household |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pringle, Kingsale | B | M | 46 | Head |
| Pringle, Bella | B | F | 35 | Wife |
| Pringle, Cuffy | B | M | 14 | Son |
Kingsale Pringle and Family, 1900 Census
In the 1900 census for North Santee, the following household may be Kingsale and Bella [3]:
| Name | Color | Gender | Age | Relationship to Head of Household | # of Years Married |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pringle, Kilsane | B | M | 65 | Head | 40 |
| Pringle, Bella | B | F | 58 | Wife | 40 |
Kingsale Pringle and Family, 1910 Census
In the 1910 census, Kingsale is listed as widowed. In his household is granddaughter Mary, age 15 [4]:
| Name | Relationship to Head of Household | Gender | Color | Age | Marital Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pringle, Kingsale | Head | M | B | 70 | Wd |
| Pringle, Mary | G. Daughter | F | B | 15 | S |
Though he was born and raised at Drayton Hall, Kingsale appears to have remained in North Santee until his death. In 1915, we find a death certificate for Kingsale Pringle in Georgetown County:
File No. 23613 County: Georgetown
Full Name: King Sales Pringle
Sex: M
Color or Race:Black
Marital Status: Widowed
Date of Death: Dec 10, 1915
Age: 80
Cause of Death: Old Age
Birthplace: Georgetown SC
Informant: J.J. Lawarence, Georgetown SC
Date of Burial: 12/9/1915
Place of Burial: Santee
Drayton Family Plantation Records: Kingsale Pringle
Can we find Kingsale and his family in Drayton family plantation records?
The Drayton Family Papers include a list of enslaved households dated ca. 1858. Let’s compare a family from that list to the family members Kingsale listed in his Freedman’s Bank record:
Family Group, Freedman’s Bank Record, 1870:
Father: Renty
Mother: Susan
Brother: Frank
Sister: Georgiana
Account Holder: King S. Pringle
Could this be Kingsale and his family in the list of enslaved families from Drayton family papers, ca. 1858? It certainly seems possible.
Freedmen’s Labor Contract, White Oak Plantation, North Santee, 1867
A Freedmen’s labor contract written in 1867 bridges the time span between the ca. 1858 household list and King Pringle’s Freedman’s Bank record. We recall that the King S. Pringle who listed his birthplace as Drayton Hall in the Freedman’s Bank record above, was living on North Santee and farming for employer Col. Manigault.
On January 18, 1867, Kinsale Pringle, Bella Pringle and 60 Freedmen entered into a labor contract with Edward and Arthur M. Manigault at White Oak Plantation on the North Santee River in Georgetown County:
Manigault/Drayton Family Connections
Edward and Arthur M. Manigault, planters at White Oak Plantation on North Santee River in Georgetown, were grandsons of Charles Drayton, Sr. (1743-1820) of Drayton Hall, sons of Charlotte Drayton (1781-1855, daughter of Charles, Sr.) and Joseph Manigault (1763-1843). How did Kingsale and his family come to be at White Oak Plantation, North Santee? The answer awaits further research in Drayton family papers and public documents. We will continue to post updates as new details emerge.
Is This Your Family? Please Contact Us
This update is part of Lowcountry Africana’s ongoing research on enslaved communities on Drayton family plantations in SC, GA, FL and TX. If this is your family, we would love to hear from you and invite you to join in the ongoing research project. Please write to us via our Contact Page!
References Cited
[1] Ancestry.com. Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1871 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Registers of Signatures of Depositors in Branches of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company, 1865-1874. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. Micropublication M816, 27 rolls. Charleston, South Carolina, 13 Apr 1867, Account No. 4557, King S. Pringle.
[2] Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C., Year: 1880; Census Place: Santee, Georgetown, South Carolina; Roll: 1230; Family History Film: 1255230; Page: 406A; Enumeration District: 054.
[3] Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls., Year: 1900; Census Place: Santee, Georgetown, South Carolina; Roll: T623_1528; Page: 2B; Enumeration District: 45.
[4] Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. , Year: 1910; Census Place: Santee, Georgetown, South Carolina; Roll: T624_1458; Page: 9B; Enumeration District: 0034; Image: 570; FHL Number: 1375471.
[5] Ancestry.com. South Carolina Death Records, 1821-1955 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: South Carolina. South Carolina death records, Columbia, SC, USA: South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Georgetown, South Carolina, 10 Dec 1915, Death Certificate No. 023613, Kingsale Pringle.
[6] Drayton Family Papers, Drayton Hall Plantation, Charleston, South Carolina, United States, List of Enslaved Families, ca. 1858.
[7] Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of South Carolina Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, 1865-1870, (NARA microfilm publication M1910, 106 rolls). Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2005, Roll 77, Georgetown, South Carolina, 18 Jan 1867, Labor Contract, Edward and Arthur M. Manigault with Freedmen, White Oak Plantation, Georgetown, SC.