Sauls Families in the Colleton County, South Carolina, Census (1880)

This is the final U.S. Census I'm going to research in this particular endeavor.  Some more information is added to the 1880 census.  We are now told how the members of the household are related to the head of the household.  We are told the marital status of the household members.  (Amusingly, this includes the young children.)  The birthplaces of the parents of each individual are also listed now.

All of the following individuals are white, and they all were born in South Carolina.  Their parents are also listed as having been born in South Carolina.  The marital statuses for all children under age 16 are assumed to be single, unless otherwise noted.  The households are listed in order by Enumeration District (ED), then by dwelling number.

Adams Run (ED 098)

• Caleb Sauls, male, age 55 (dwelling 459, family 461)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: stock raiser
• Cannot read or write
• Austin, male, age 18
• Relation to head of household: son
• Marital status : single
• Occupation: at home
• Cannot read or write

Broxson (ED 101)

• Jim Sauls, male, age 25 (dwelling 370, family 370)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: farmer
• Cannot read or write
• Georgie, female, age 15
• Relation to head of household: wife
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: keeping house
• Cannot read or write
• Henry, male, age 1
• Relation to head of household: son

Collins (ED 104)

• Bengamin Saules, male, age 62 (dwelling 206, family 206)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: farming
• Ann J., female, age 65
• Relation to head of household: wife
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: housekeeper
• Mary Moore (their daughter) and her 5 children also live in this household

Kozer (ED 111)

• Isaac P. Sauls, male, age 28 (dwelling 5, family 5)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: farmer
• Eliza J., female, age 30
• Relation to head of household: wife
• Occupation: keeping house
• David P., male, age 6
• Relation to head of household: son
• Occupation: at home
• Lawrence, male, age 4
• Relation to head of household: son
• Occupation: at home
• Philip O., male, age 1
• Relation to head of household: son
• Occupation: at home

Verdier (ED 114)

• Sarah Sauls, female, age 50 (dwelling 256, family 256)
• In the household of W. W. Smith
• Apparently unrelated to the head of the household
• Marital status: widowed
• Occupation: servant
• Cannot read or write
• Henry, male, age 16
• Relation to head of house: son (I think this is actually Sarah's son.)
• Marital status: single
• Occupation: laborer
• Cannot read or write
• Caleb Sauls, male, age 57 (dwelling 385, family 385)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: farmer
• Georgiana, female, age 42
• Relation to head of household: wife
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: keeping house
• Harriet, female, age 18
• Relation to head of household: daughter
• Marital status: single
• Occupation: at school
• Attended school in the past year
• Minnie, female, age 14
• Relation to head of household: daughter
• Occupation: at school
• Attended school in the past year
• Sally, female, age 12
• Relation to head of household: daughter
• Occupation: at school
• Attended school in the past year
• Charles, male, age 10
• Relation to head of household: son
• Attended school in the past year
• Edward, male, age 2
• Relation to head of household: son
• Charles Sauls, white, male, age 61 (dwelling 766, family 766)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: single
• Occupation: stock raiser

Warren (ED 115)

• John Sauls, male, age 55 (dwelling 174, family 175)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: farmer
• Cannot read or write
• Mary, female, age 52
• Relation to head of household: wife
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: keeping house
• Calvin, male, age 26
• Relation to head of household: son
• Marital status: single
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Pinkney, male, age 23
• Relation to head of household: son
• Marital status: single
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Ruphuas, male, age 18
• Relation to head of household: son
• Marital status: single
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Sarah, female, age 14
• Relation to head of household: daughter
• Attended school in the past year
• Wilson, white, male, age 8
• Relation to head of household: son
• Attended school in the past year
• Isaac Sauls, male, age 48 (dwelling 213, family 214)
• Relation to head of household: self
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: grocery & farm
• M.A., white, female, age 37
• Relation to head of household: wife
• Marital status: married
• Occupation: keeping house
• S.V., white, female, age 9
• Relation to head of household: daughter
• Attended school within the year
• C.M., white, male, age 6
• Relation to head of household: son
• Attended school in the past year
• G.A., white, male, age 4
• Relation to head of household: son
• M.E., white, female, age 2
• Relation to head of household: daughter
• H.J., white, female, age 3/12
• Birth month: Mar
• Relation to head of household: daughter

In the next blog post, we will begin to trace the Sauls families as they appear in the censuses.  We'll center our research on the 1850 census, and we may focus on one extended family at a time, for the purposes of clarity.

Analysis comes next, and the excitement builds!  Stay tuned!

Sauls Families in the Colleton County, South Carolina, Census (1870)

Just as we saw in 1860, the 1870 census does not experience radical changes.  However, the place names in Colleton County have changed.  Most of the Sauls families in Colleton County live in Verdier.  This is the first census taken after the Civil War, and they are counting the number of adult males left in each state.

We have 8 households headed by someone with the last name Sauls, and Mary Sauls lives with another family.  Lots of familiar names again, and where did all these Johns come from?  My Grandpa (coincidentally named John Sauls) used to say that every Tom, Dick, and Harry's name is John.

As before, all of the people listed here were born in South Carolina, and they are all white.

Scott

• Mary Sauls, age 65, female (dwelling 89, family 89)
• In the household of Henry Martin
• Cannot read or write

St. Pauls

• Benjamin Sauls, age 51, male (dwelling 1168, family 1170)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of personal estate: $500
• Male citizen over 21
• Anna, age 54, female
• Occupation: keeping house
• Cannot read or write
• Might have a mark for deaf, dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic
• Sarah, age 18, female
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Cannot read or write
• Might have a mark for deaf, dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic
• Margaret, age 16, female
• Occupation: at home
• Sarah A, age 9, female

Verdier

• Charles Sauls, age 48, male (dwelling 124, family 128)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $2000
• Value of personal estate: $1400
• Male citizen over 21
• John S. Sauls, age 50, male (dwelling 147, family 151)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $800
• Value of personal estate: $250
• Cannot read or write
• Male citizen over 21
• Mary, age 42, female
• Occupation: keeping house
• Calvin, age 18, male
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Cannot write
• Pinckney, age 16, male
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Cannot write
• Rosa, age 16, female
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Cannot write
• Ada, age 14, female
• Occupation: farm laborer
• Cannot write
• Rufus, age 9, male
• Sarah, age 4, female
• John, age 9/12, male
• Birth month: Sept
• John Sauls, age 70, male (dwelling 152, family 156)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $300
• Value of personal estate: not listed
• Cannot read or write
• Male citizen over 21
• Anna, age 40, female
• Occupation: keeping house
• Cannot read or write
• Charley, age 7, male
• Thomas, age 5, male
• James Sauls, age 25, male (dwelling 395, family 412)
• Occupation: teamster
• Value of personal estate: $345
• Male citizen over 21
• Benjamin, age 20, male
• Occupation: teamster
• Male citizen over 21
• John Sauls, age 65, male (dwelling 572, family 589)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $400
• Value of personal estate: not listed
• Cannot read or write
• Male citizen over 21
• Ann Sauls, age 35, female
• Occupation: keeping house
• Cannot write
• Henry, age 7, male
• Thomas, age 5, male
• Benjamin, age 4, male

Walterboro

• Caleb Sauls, age 40, male (dwelling 22, family 22)
• Occupation: mail agent
• Value of real estate: $6000
• Value of personal estate: $1320
• Male citizen over 21
• Georgiana, age 28, female
• Occupation: keeping house
• Mary J, age 12, female
• Attended school within the year
• Davis A, age 10, male
• Attended school within the year
• Hattie J, age 8, female
• Attended school within the year
• Morgan L, age 6, male
• Edda G, age 4, female
• Sallie D, age 3, female
• David, age 4/12, male
• Birth month: Feb

Warren

• Isaac Sauls, age 38, male (dwelling 34, family 34)
• Occupation: merchant
• Value real estate: $1200
• Value of personal estate: $2200
• Male citizen over 21
• Mary A, age 26, female
• Occupation: keeping house
• Cannot read or write
• Isaac, Sr., age 82, male
• Cannot read or write
• Male citizen over 21

The number of people who cannot read or write always amazes me.  We live in a world where we read and write almost constantly, thanks to our cell phones.  It's difficult to imagine a world where this is less of a necessity.

Sauls Families in the Colleton County, South Carolina, Census (1860)

Most of the information listed in the 1860 census is the same as what was in the 1850 census.  However, we also get the sex of the family members and the value of the personal estate as separate from the value of the real estate.

We now have 6 Sauls families living in St. Bartholomew's Parish, Colleton County, South Carolina.  Only Mary Sauls (listed below) lives elsewhere in the county.  All of the Sauls family members listed below were born in South Carolina.

• Isaac Sauls, age 69, male  (dwelling 185, family 164)
• Occupation: planter
• Value of real estate: $6000
• Value of personal estate: $18000
• Cannot read or write
• Alice, age 65, female
• Cannot read or write
• Charles, age 35, male
• Occupation: Stockminder
• Value of personal estate: $6000
• Charles Jr., age 22, male
• Occupation: laborer

• Caleb Sauls, age 33, male  (dwelling 186, family 165)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $800
• Value of personal estate: $2000
• Georgianna, age 19, female
• Julia, age 2, female
• David, age 2/12, male

• James Sauls, age 4, male  (dwelling 294, family 267)
• In the household of George J. Robertson

• Shadrach Sauls, age 50, male  (dwelling 468, family 430)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $1500
• Value of personal estate: $880
• Cannot read or write
• Mary, age 45, female
• Cannot read or write
• Solomon, age 21, male
• Occupation: laborer
• Cannot read or write
• Stephen, age 19, male
• Mary, age 17, female

• John Sauls, Jr., age 27, male  (dwelling 873, family 830)
• Occupation: Wagoner
• Value of personal estate: $250
• Cannot read or write
• Elizabeth, age 22, female
• Cannot read or write

• John Sauls, Sr., age 55, male  (dwelling 874, family 831)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $800
• Value of personal estate: $1100
• Cannot read or write
• Sarah, age 50, female
• Cannot read or write
• Jane, age 24, female
• Cannot read or write
• James, age 16, male
• Occupation: laborer on farm
• George, age 12, male
• Benjamin, age 8, male
• Ann, age 22, female
• Sophia, age 1, female

• John A. Sauls, age 34, male  (dwelling 876, family 833)
• Occupation: farmer
• Value of real estate: $800
• Value of personal estate: $550
• Mary, age 32, female
• Cannot read or write
• Calvin, age 7, male
• Pinckney, age 5, male
• Rosanna, age 5, female
• Eady, age 3, female
• Breta, age 1, female

A number of these names are familiar from the 1850 census.  I think when I am done enumerating the Colleton County Saulses, I may backtrack and analyze these findings.

Only Mary Sauls is found in St. George's Parish, Colleton County.  She is living with a family with another of my surnames...

• Mary Sauls, age 30, female  (dwelling 101, family 91)
• In the household of F.R.M. Sineath
• Cannot read or write

In the 1860 Census Slave Schedule, three people named Sauls are listed as owning slaves in Colleton County.

• Isaac Sauls (in St. Paul's Parish)
• ages 3-27
• 1 adult, 3 children
• 0 males, 4 females
• 2 black, 2 mulatto
• 1 slave house
• 1 slave was manumitted
• 27-year-old black female

• Benjamin Sauls (in St. Paul's Parish)
• ages 14-60
• 2 adults, 2 children
• 1 males, 3 females
• 4 black, 0 mulatto
• no slave house listed
• 1 slave listed as deaf & dumb, blind, insane, or idiotic
• 22-year-old black male

• Caleb Sauls (in St. Bartholomew's Parish)
• ages 13-14
• 0 adults, 2 children
• 0 males, 2 females
• 2 black, 0 mulatto
• 1 slave house
• It looks like the 13-year-old black female was manumitted, but it is unclear

I'm not sure why the slaves are sometimes listed as being in a different parish than their owners.  I'm also not sure who this Benjamin Sauls is, although it is likely to be the same Benjamin Sauls who lived in Colleton County in 1850.  Where did he go, I wonder?

Sauls Families in the Colleton County, South Carolina, Census (1850)

Moving forward to the 1850 census, we experience a number of changes.  First, all of the free members of a household are listed.  Second, we get some information about them: age, race, birthplace, real estate value, and information about literacy and school attendance.

Some of this information is the same for all 3 of the Sauls families that were in Colleton County during the 1850 census.  All members of each family were white.  (Indicated by the blank box for race.  White was assumed to be the default race.)  All members of each family is listed as having been born in South Carolina.

We find two Sauls families in St. Bartholomew's Parish in Colleton County.  They are listed here:

• John Sauls, age 45
• Census taken: 2 Oct 1850
• Occupation: farmer
• No property value listed
• Cannot read & write
• Sarah, age 36
• Cannot read & write
• Ann, age 18
• Jane, age 7
• John, age 15
• William, age 15
• Charles, age 10
• James, age 6
• George, age 4
• Benjamin, age 2

• Isaac Sauls, age 57
• Census taken: 22 Aug 1850
• Occupation: farmer
• Real Estate Value: $20,000
• Mary, age 54
• Cannot read & write
• Charles, age 25
• Occupation: farmer
• Cannot read & write
• Caleb, age 24
• Occupation: overseer
• David, age 23
• Occupation: clerk
• Rebecca, age 22
• Isaac, age 21
• Attended school within the year
• William, age 18
• Attended school within the year
• Mary Ann, age 13
• Attended school within the year
• Nancy, age 13
• Attended school within the year

It seems likely to me that John and Isaac would be related.  However, there is no indication in the 1850 census of what that relationship might be.  We would likely need other types of documentation to prove that connection.  Also, while both John and Isaac are landowning farmers, Isaac seems to be quite wealthy, where John is probably not.  However, John is not listed as a pauper, either.  It would be noted on the census if it were the case.

I would like to point out, again, that John is the Sauls that brought me to this project.  I suspect his wife is my ancestor.  More on that another time.

A little girl named Eliza Sauls (age 10) also lives in St. Bartholomew's Parish in the household of Sarah Savage.  I have no idea whether or how she might be related to the Sauls families in Colleton County.

The family of Benjamin Sauls lives in St. Paul's Parish in Colleton County.  They are listed here:

• Benjamin Sauls, age 31
• Census taken: 21 Oct 1850
• Occupation: drover
• Real Estate Value: $1339
• Ann J, age 31
• Ellen J, age 1
• Benjamin,Jr., age 4
• Eliza, age 3/12

Benjamin's family is quite young, and it seems like they are growing steadily.

A young man named John Sauls (age 19) lives in St. George's Parish in Colleton County.  He is a laborer in the household of William Fox.

The 1850 Slave Schedule mentions that both Isaac Sauls and Benjamin Sauls owned slaves.  Unfortunately, slaves were considered property, so only their age, gender, and race are recorded.

• Isaac Sauls owned 18 slaves
• Age range: 1-30
• 4 male, 14 female
• 3 mulatto (all children), the rest black
• 12 under the age of 20
• Benjamin Sauls owned 5 slaves
• Age range: 1-35
• 2 male, 3 female
• 1 mulatto, 4 black
• 3 under the age of 20

Sauls Families in the Colleton County, South Carolina, Census (1820-1840)

Tonight I continue with my general search for the Sauls surname in the U.S. census records for Colleton County.

It seems that there were no Sauls families living in Colleton County in 1820 or 1830.  Several familiar names once again appear in the records for neighboring Beaufort County.  I think I know what my next project will be...

The 1840 census is a different story.  Here are the Sauls families I found:

• Jno Sauls
• Free white persons - males under 5: 3
• Free white persons - males 20-29: 1
• Free white persons - females 5-9: 2
• Free white persons - females 30-39: 1
• No slaves are listed for this family
• Isaac Sauls
• Free white persons - males 5-9: 1
• Free white persons - males 10-14: 3
• Free white persons - males 15-19: 1
• Free white persons - males 20-29: 2
• Free white persons - males 40-49: 1
• Free white persons - females under 5: 2
• Free white persons - females 5-9: 1
• Free white persons - females 40-49: 1
• Free white persons - females 80-89: 1
• Slaves - females 10-23: 2
• James Sauls
• Free white persons - males under 5: 2
• Free white persons - males 20-29: 1
• Free white persons - females under 5: 1
• Free white persons - females 15-19: 1
• No slaves are listed for this family
• Shadrach Sauls
• Free white persons - males 40-49: 1
• Free white persons - females 40-49: 1
• No slaves are listed for this family

Note that only the heads of household are named.  We have to analyze the numbers and figure out which number represents which member of the household, an imprecise science at best.  We can figure out some things, but other things will require additional documentation to put everything together.

John Sauls, listed here as Jno Sauls, is the person who originally sparked my interest in this effort.  We'll look at his family as an example of what I mean.  In his household, only 2 of the 7 people are adults.  The oldest child is 9 at most, so there is a significant age gap between the adults and the children.  Since there is only one adult male, we can assume that this is John.  John was between the ages of 20-29 at the time of this census.  Most likely, since this is a house full of children, the adult female is his wife.

We can do something similar for the other families listed here.  James Sauls and his wife (we assume) are the only two adults in their household.  Shadrach Sauls and his wife (we assume) are the only two people in their household, making this exercise particularly easy.  Isaac Sauls's household is more complicated, containing 6 white adults.  My assumption in this case is that Isaac is the oldest male adults, and that his wife is most likely to be the younger of the two female adults.  However, these are assumptions and require further verification.  The identities of the slaves in the household present further complications.

Some of these names are the same as ones that were in Beaufort County in previous censuses, so it may be worth returning to investigate the Sauls surname in Beaufort County, South Carolina, at a future date.

I will return to John Sauls and the other Sauls families in Colleton County when I look at the 1850 census.

Sauls Families in the Colleton County, South Carolina, Census (1790-1810)

I still struggle with my Sauls line.  *sigh*

They were in and around Colleton County, South Carolina, during most of the 19th century, it seems.  So, I got a wild hair and decided to look up anyone with the last name Sauls in Colleton County in the U.S. Census.  I'm not sure what I thought I would find, but it is interesting.

First of all, there was no Colleton County when the 1790 census was taken.  Colleton had one of the three original counties in South Carolina, but it was disbanded in 1769, reformed as within the Charleston District in 1785, disbanded again in 1791, and reformed for the final time in 1800. (1) Whew!  Consequently, no Colleton County in the 1790 census.  There was one John Saults listed as living in St. Phillips and St. Michaels in Charleston County, and several Saulses, of varying spellings, lived in nearby Beaufort County.

The 1800 census contains no one with the last name Sauls in Colleton County.  Some familiar names from the 1790 census show up in the 1800 census in Beaufort County, though.

The 1810 census also contains no one with the last name Sauls in Colleton County.  Only two people with the last name Sauls remain in Beaufort County: Benjamin Sauls (spelled Saul) and D Sauls (spelled Saul).

(1) I got this information from https://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/SC_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm.

Surname Saturday: Sauls

My maiden name, the surname Sauls has given me difficulty in my research. This is because there are two distinct possibilities with regard to its origin and meaning. One meaning of the name is English in origin. In this case, Sauls is a possessive form of the Hebrew first name Saul, meaning that the bearer of the surname Sauls is a descendant of someone named Saul. However, I have evidence that the surname Sauls is an anglicization of the German/Dutch name Salz. This form is found in most German- or Dutch-speaking countries in Europe. It means that the bearer of the surname is a dealer in salt, either its production or its sales.

My Sauls family seem to have come from Holland, although this has yet to be confirmed. They settled in South Carolina at some point prior to 1850. This is the earliest certain record I have of the family, but I have a record that indicates the family may have been in South Carolina as early as 1805.