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Class, Property and Agriculture in Lawrence County, Alabama, 1850-1860

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Class, Property and Agriculture in Lawrence County, Alabama, 1850-1860 University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2013 Plain Folk Recovered: Class, Property And Agriculture In Lawrence County, Alabama, 1850-1860 Joseph Thomas Richardson University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Richardson, Joseph Thomas, "Plain Folk Recovered: Class, Property And Agriculture In Lawrence County, Alabama, 1850-1860" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 633. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/633 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PLAIN FOLK RECOVERED: CLASS, PROPERTY, AND AGRICULTURE OF YEOMEN AND PLANTERS IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, ALABAMA, 1850–1860 A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History The University of Mississippi by JOSEPH THOMAS RICHARDSON December 2013 Copyright © Joseph Thomas Richardson, 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT This thesis examines the population and economy of farmers in Lawrence County, a county in northern Alabama, in the decade between 1850 and 1860. It uses the manuscript schedules of the United States census and statistical analysis aided by a computer database to determine landownership and bring a focus to the class of landowning yeoman farmers on the border between two physiographic regions: the Tennessee Valley, where land and resources were largely dominated by large planters, and the hill country in the south of the county, where yeomen enjoyed access to open land and opportunity for economic advancement. It shows that landownership, as the defining characteristic of yeomen, made a substantial difference in the fortunes of yeoman farmers vis-à-vis tenants who had access to land but did not own it. It reconsiders the arguments of Frank Owsley, the pioneering southern historian who first brought attention to yeoman farmers in the 1940s, in the context of subsequent historiography. Contrary to Owsley’s thesis, it argues yeomen were neither prosperous nor upwardly mobile, but were stagnating economically. They were losing ground in the share of resources they held in the economy to the expansion of planters, as property in both land and slaves became increasingly concentrated among the wealthy elites. Yeomen in particular were becoming decreasingly involved in the institution of slavery as the nation neared the Civil War. ii DEDICATION To my parents, for giving everything they are, so that I could be everything I was meant to be. And in memory of the yeoman farmers of Lawrence County, Alabama, whose lives and labors leave a proud legacy for their descendants; and especially of Edmond Dutton, the image and archetype of a southern yeoman, faithful to his family and country. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to many dear people who have seen me to the end of this road. First I would like to thank my thesis committee, Anne Twitty, Charles Reagan Wilson, and Deirdre Cooper Owens, whose ready direction and timely aid have made this thesis possible. I am grateful to my other graduate professors at the University of Mississippi, Lester Field, Jeffrey Watt, Sheila Skemp, John Neff, and Elizabeth Payne, whose kindness, encouragement, and patience helped me stay the course; to my graduate advisor, Chiarella Esposito, who with longsuffering has rescued me and many other a student from bureaucratic jams and academic crises; and most of all to our department chair Joseph Ward, who believed in me and saw my strengths, and who gave me the opportunity to teach. My appreciation goes to the office staff in the history department, Kelly Houston, Glenna Bachman, and Betty Harness, whose kindness and friendship brightened many a stressful day, and whose labors keep the department running on the rails. To my friends in graduate school I am deeply thankful, especially to Audrey Uffner Lau, whose infectious passion for history relit my flickering torch more times than I can count. I owe much to my undergraduate professors and advisors at the University of Alabama in Huntsville: to John Kvach, whose tireless support is opening many doors for history in Huntsville; to Johanna Shields, whose deep knowledge of southern history and love for students inspired me, who first brought the yeoman farmer to my imagination, and whose timely counsel iv saved the day more than a few times; and for Richard Gerberding, whose love for history first set me on this road. I am grateful to Myra Borden, archivist at the Lawrence County Archives in Moulton, for allowing me free use of resources, and to the many volunteers who have made resources available. My love and gratitude goes to my church family at Resurrection Chapel in Lawrence County, whose support and encouragement have held me up these months. And most of all, I am thankful to my brother John Richardson and my parents Thomas and Rosemary Richardson for their constant and unwavering support, encouragement, and patience. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .................................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... x Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Plain Folk Recovered .................................................................................................................. 6 The Owsley Thesis .................................................................................................................................... 9 Linden’s Critique .................................................................................................................................... 13 Owsley’s Response ................................................................................................................................. 24 After Linden ............................................................................................................................................ 30 The Legacy of Owsley and Linden ......................................................................................................... 43 Chapter 2: Introduction to Lawrence County ............................................................................................. 50 Demographics ......................................................................................................................................... 55 Agriculture .............................................................................................................................................. 60 Northern and Southern Districts ............................................................................................................. 63 Chapter 3: Defining Yeomen ...................................................................................................................... 67 Defining Classes ..................................................................................................................................... 67 Toward a Method of Determining Landownership ................................................................................. 74 Distribution of Land and Slaves in 1850 ................................................................................................ 90 vi Chapter 4: Redistribution .......................................................................................................................... 104 Landownership ...................................................................................................................................... 109 Marginal Value of Slaveholding ........................................................................................................... 115 Decline of the Yeomanry ...................................................................................................................... 121 Concentration of Land and Slaves ........................................................................................................ 127 Epilogue .................................................................................................................................................... 131 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 134 Vita ...........................................................................................................................................................
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