BPOG - Kingstree, SC Memorial Project
Honoring the 435 Freedmen & Families of the 1867 Transportation Request
In January 1867, 435 freed men, women, and children from Kingstree, South Carolina, petitioned the Freedmen’s Bureau for transportation to Galveston, Texas. Their journey reflects resilience, faith, and the search for opportunity beyond South Carolina.
The Memorial Reads:
On January 15, 1867, a transportation request was made to Maj. Gen. Oliver Otis Howard, Commissioner of The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands – The Freedmen’s Bureau – to transport 435 Freed men, women and children from Kingstree, South Carolina in Williamsburg County to Charleston, SC then on to Marlin, Falls County, Texas. The journey was made by ship and these Freed people were ultimately transported to Falls County, Texas to work under Freedmen’s Bureau labor contracts.
Through genealogical research and DNA testing, descendants of this group have traced their connections between ancestors who moved to Texas and living relatives in the Williamsburg County area and beyond. These are the names of the freed people who were listed on the transportation request.
The Kingstree Memorial preserves the petition and the memory of the 435 freed people who chose to relocate from South Carolina to Texas. It stands as the beginning of a story that continues with the ➡️ Marlin, TX Memorial Project.
Why the Kingstree to Galveston Memorial Matters
In Reconstruction South Carolina, freed people faced poverty, violence, and a lack of land ownership. The Kingstree petition represents their determination to claim agency over their futures.
This memorial tells the story of departure, the moment when these families made the courageous decision to seek a better life.
The Freedmen’s Bureau Transportation Request of January 15, 1867
On January 15, 1867, the Freedmen’s Bureau office in Kingstree, South Carolina, received a petition on behalf of 435 freed men, women, and children seeking transportation to Galveston, Texas. The request was approved under the supervision of Cornelius M. Summers, a Freedmen’s Bureau agent and recruiter tasked with relocating laborers to Texas.
This petition stands as one of the earliest documented cases of organized Black migration after emancipation. More than just a record, it is a testament to the determination of freed families to shape their own futures in the face of poverty, racial violence, and landlessness in South Carolina.
“The Freed Men, Women, and Children of Kingstree”
At the heart of the Kingstree story are the 435 names included in the petition. These men, women, and children are memorialized here to ensure they are remembered not only as numbers in a record, but as lives filled with dignity and purpose.
➡️ CTA: “If you recognize a name, share your family’s connection with us.”
