Charles Cathcart
1805-1873
Charles Cathcart was born in 1805 in County Antrim, Ireland. He was the fifth of six children (six sons and two daughters) born to James and Nancy Cathcart while they lived in County Antrim (probably in the townland of Cloughmills).1
One of Charles' uncles, John Cathcart, Sr.—a "Big 4" Cathcart brother—and his family sailed to the United States from County Antrim during the summer of 1790. John and his family initially settled in what was then the Camden District of South Carolina (probably in current day Chester County). At least one member of this family—Mary, Charles' first cousin—would marry and remain in South Carolina for several generations. Others—including John Cathcart, Sr. and his sons Samuel and David—moved south to Cahaba (near present-day Selma), Dallas County, Alabama.
Two of Charles' older brothers (Robert and James, Jr., born about 1790 and 1794, respectively) left County Antrim for the United States before the rest of the family. Given that his brother James would have been 15-16 years old, presumably the two were traveling to meet family who had already settled in this area of South Carolina. His brother Robert arrived in time to render service to his country during the War of 1812. His brother James, on the other hand, was captured by the British, taken prisoner in a British Man-of-War, and impressed into naval service for at least several years.
Charles arrived in South Carolina from County Antrim with the balance of his family in 1816, when he was 10 years old. We first find him enumerated as a head of household in the 1850 census.
1850 census: Fairfield district, South Carolina
Charles is not yet married, is listed as the 40-year-old head of household, occupation planter, and born in Ireland. along with Charles are the following family members:
- James Cathcart, Sr. Charles' 86-year-old
father
- Charles' mother Nancy died in 1845
- Nancy Cathcart his 52-year-old single sister (who never married),
- His 48-year-old sister Jane Cathcart Madden
- Jane married the Rev. Campbell Madden
(1795-1828) in about 1822, and he had three children, who were all
living with Charles and her mother:
- Mary Ann Madden (~1824-1854)
- Thomas Barkley Madden (1826-1897)
- Nancy Madden (1827-after 1910)
- Although this census listing lists Mary Ann Madden's place of birth as Ireland, this is almost certainly in error by the enumerator as the record seems to indicate that Jane traveled with her parents from County Antrim to South Carolina, and that she married Campbell Madden there in about 1822—at least six years after her arrival.
- Jane married the Rev. Campbell Madden
(1795-1828) in about 1822, and he had three children, who were all
living with Charles and her mother:
On the 28th of September 1859, Charles marries Sarah Lucinda Blain (1832-1905), the daughter of Andrew and Jane Sterling Blain.
At the time of the 1860 census, 28-year-old Sarah is pregnant with their first child, James Erving Cathcart—who would be born in September of that same year.
1860 census: Winnsboro, Fairfield, South Carolina
Charles' sister Nancy, is still living with her brother at age 56.
John Walker is probably the same one who married Nancy Huey (a family
related through marriage to the aforementioned Cathcart cousins).
Perhaps John and Walter were lodgers and/or perhaps they worked and Charles'
business. Whatever the reason the two gentlemen are staying with
Charles, he can certainly afford to pay them well! Charles listed the
value of his real estate at $7200 and his personal estate at
$25,000—princely sums of money for 1860. The 1860 slave schedule
indicates that Charles owned 17 slaves (10 females/7 males, ages 55 to 2),
living in five slave houses.
digital image of schedule
1870 census: Winnsboro, Fairfield, South Carolina
The two marks on Charles' row—to the right of his birthplace, Ireland—indicate that both his parents were foreign-born, which is certainly true. The marks in the columns to the right of James and Andrew's listing indicate that they attended school within the year. Although the 1870 census did not list value of real estate or other holdings, it's pretty obvious that things are not going as well as they were for Charlie and his family before the Civil War. Rather than Planter or merchant, Charles is now a Miller.
That's how Katherine Obear remembered him in her book Through the Years in Old Winnsboro. On page 50 of her book, Obear recalls going "inside the mill with Father, and to hear him shout with the jolly miller, Mr. Charlie Cathcart, above the grinding of the machinery, as the wheat and corn poured from the hoppers into the mills and came out yellow meal and graham flour--I can smell it still."
From Fairfield Sketchbook:
The house on the corner of
College and Vanderhorst Streets may well be one of the oldest in Winnsboro.
Tradition places it in the pre-Revolutionary period, having been occupied by
British soldiers during Cornwallis' stay in the town., Actual records go
back to 1793.......In 1859, Richard Cathcart sold his interest to James
Cathcart, who during the next year,1860, sold the property to Charles
Cathcart for $1800.
Charles Cathcart and his wife, Sarah Blain Cathcart,
reared their family in this old house. Charles was not a young man when he
married but he left a rather large family -- James R., Andrew B., John S.,
Thomas M., and Charles Erving. Charles Cathcart came with his parents from
County Antrim, Ireland. There were seven children in this family. During the
Union occupation of Winnsboro several homes that were in the block with this
old house were burned.....the cotton stored in the rear of the Charles
Cathcart house was fired "and by great exertions his house and that of Mrs.
McCants was spared."
The Cathcart family lived here until after the death of
Mr. and Mrs. Cathcart.....Until 1918 it remained in the Cathcart family;
then it was sold.....Mr. Willingham ...had the building removed to its
present location on the corner of College and Vanderhorst Streets. The new
location was about two blocks from the original site on Congress Street
where Ruff Motor Company is now located.
Children
- James Erving Cathcart
- Andrew Blain Cathcart
- Charles Erving Cathcart, Sr.
- John Sterling Cathcart
- Thomas Barkley Madden Cathcart
