PICKEL, William

PICKEL, William

Male 1776 - 1867  (90 years)

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  • Name PICKEL, William 
    Birth 30 Oct 1776  Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    • "The correct spelling of his last name is not clear. On his tomb it is spelled Pickel; on a powder horn in the possession of the writer is carved "W. Pickle 1824." The name is spelled both ways on several documents as well as Pikle and Pickell. The same variations are found in his sons' names. Most of the descendants remaining in South Carolina spell the name Pickel or Pickell while those that came to Texas generally spell it Pickle, although this is not always true.

      His parentage is unknown, but family traditions indicate two possible countries of origin. One states that there were three brothers that came to Colonial America from Ireland. One went south; this would be William's father. The other two went north, possibly to Kentucky, Tennessee, or Illinois. Two of the brothers spelled the last name one way; the other brother, the other way. At first it seems unlikely that a family would come from Ireland and have a last name of either Pickle or Pickel. Upon further research, it was found that several families from the Palatine and surrounding areas went to Ireland and later they or their descendants came to America.

      The other origin was outlined in a biography of one of his grandsons, William E. M. Pickle, which was published in History of Texas. Lone Star State - Centennial Texas( page 669, published by Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, in 1896.
      "William Pickle, the father of C. W. Pickle, was reared and passed his life there [Williamston, S. C.], being a slaveholder and a prominent farmer and dying in that state at the extreme old age of ninety-one years. His father had emigrated to this country from Holland and made settlement in South Carolina at a very early date."

      Again this points to the probability that they were of Palatine or similar origin in what is now southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Other family traditions indicate that William Pickle's ancestors left Holland because of religious persecution and one went to Canada. Other traditions state that three brothers came to America; two stayed in South Carolina and one went to Tennessee.

      His parents probably emigrated to America to one of three areas. Many landed at Philadelphia, later moving to western Pennsylvania, the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia, North Carolina and finally to South Carolina. 'This was the path of many who settled the areas east of the Appalachian Mountains. Immigration to the eastern part of North Carolina around New Bern on the Neuse is another possibility. Many Swiss and German families first settled in that area. The third possibility is immigration directly to Charles Town, South Carolina or by way of Georgia and settlement in Orangeburg, Congaree, Wateree, and Newberry. All of this is speculation but based on the history of many similar families who settled in South Carolina. Family tradition according to Hampton Pickle, son of Albert W. Pickle, is that William Pickle's dad was killed in the Revolutionary War and his mother died shortly afterwards. "Bill" was raised an orphan by relatives and friends."
      ------------------
      Source: Pickle, Jack R. History of the William Pickle Family. Victoria, Texas. Self-Published. 1990. pp. II-2, II-3
    Gender Male 
    Misc 3 Mar 1815  Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [2
    Purchased land 
    • " Book32, p.212 George Sawyer of Orangeburgh District to William Pickle, Deed, 3 March 1815, Four Hundred Dollars, 125 acres being part of 250 acres granted to Jane McCartey 25 February [year lost in binding] on the road to Columbia, head of Chinquepin, adj Herod Thompson's line on Columbia Road. Wit Lewis Sawyer, Nathan Jones /s/ George Sawyer. Proven Orangeburgh District, 3 March 1815 by Lewis Sawyer, Elkanah Sawyer JQ. Rec 27 March 1815."
    Misc Jan 1824  Anderson County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    Served as Deacon in the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church 
    Death 26 Feb 1867  Williamston, Anderson, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Burial Big Creek Baptist Cemetery, Williamston, Anderson Country, South Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 4
    Person ID I15  Pickel_Bartlett
    Last Modified 4 May 2022 

    Father PICKEL, Jacob,   b. 1756, Germany Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Abt 1783, Orangeburg District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 27 years) 
    Mother WALKER, Elizabeth,   b. 1756   d. 1800 (Age 44 years) 
    Family ID F2276  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family WILSON, Elizabeth,   b. 2 May 1782, Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Mar 1869, Williamston, Anderson, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 86 years) 
    Marriage Bef 4 Aug 1800  Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Residence Abt 4 Aug 1800  Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    • The official date for the 1800 Census is 4 August, 1800. On this census his name was spelled 'William Pickle.'

      There is one male between 16 and 25; William would have been 24. There are three females: one under 10, one between 10 and 15 and one 16-25 (this was probably Elizabeth Wilson Pickle who would have been 18).

      Three lines down there appears to be a James Wilson. If so, could this have been Elizabeth's father?

      Click here to read 1800 Census.
    Residence Abt 7 Aug 1820  Pendleton District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    • Name listed as William Pickle
    Residence 1830  Anderson County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [7
    • Listed as William Pickle
    Residence 1840  Anderson County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [8
    • Listed as William Pickle
    Residence 19 Sep 1850  Eastern Division, Anderson County, South Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location  [9
    Farmer 
    • William's birthplace was listed as So. Carolina, and Elizabeth's as No. Carolina. Their surname was spelled Pickell.
    Residence 5 Jul 1860  Pendleton, Anderson, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [10
    Farmer 
    • William's birthplace is listed as South Carolina and Elizabeth's, as Virginia
    Children 
     1. PICKEL, Lei,   b. 3 Nov 1797, Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 31 Oct 1894, Hall County, Georgia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 96 years)
     2. PICKEL, Jacob Elbert,   b. 6 Apr 1808, Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 6 Dec 1882, Pickens County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 74 years)
     3. PICKEL, Esther,   b. 17 Jan 1810, Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Apr 1868, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 58 years)
     4. PICKEL, Jane,   b. 25 Sep 1811, Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 15 Jul 1887, Greenville County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 75 years)
     5. PICKEL, Theresa,   b. 7 Apr 1813, Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 13 Jan 1897, Anderson County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 83 years)
     6. PICKELL, James Elbert,   b. 20 Oct 1815, Edgefield District, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 18 Apr 1896, Williamston, Anderson, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 80 years)
     7. PICKLE, Crawford Wilson,   b. 20 Nov 1817, Anderson County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 21 Sep 1881, Anderson County, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 63 years)
     8. PICKLE, William Chesley,   b. 20 Oct 1820, Anderson County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Nov 1884, Brushy Creek, Anderson, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 64 years)
     9. PICKLE, Obadiah Ayers,   b. 28 Jan 1823, Anderson County, South Carolina, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 28 Jul 1894, Tyler, Smith, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 71 years)
    Family ID F8  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 16 May 2022 

  • Photos
    Pickel Home, Williamston, Anderson County, South Carolina
    Pickel Home, Williamston, Anderson County, South Carolina
    "William built a large two story house in Williamston. It became a hotel according to a Mr. Wilson [who later owned the land] on which it stood. The house was one the street from town to the tannery and mill that the Pickel family owned... It was across the street from the Presbyterian Church and a new post office is built on the lot." This…

    Headstones
    William Pickle and Elizabeth Wilson Pickle
    William Pickle and Elizabeth Wilson Pickle
    A large, inscribed stone lies across the top, but its inscription is badly worn. According to the book "History of the William Pickle Family" the inscription reads as follows.

    "Here lies the remains of William Pickel [sic], born Oct. 30, 1776, died Feb. 26, 1866, aged 89 years, 3 months, and 26 days. He was a citizen of this district for 50…

    Histories
    PICKLE/PICKEL - William and Elizabeth Pickle of Williamston, South Carolina
    PICKLE/PICKEL - William and Elizabeth Pickle of Williamston, South Carolina
    PICKLE - 1860 Agricultural Census - Anderson County, South Carolina
    PICKLE - 1860 Agricultural Census - Anderson County, South Carolina
    Pickle Families Listed in the 1810 Federal Census in the Carolinas
    Pickle Families Listed in the 1810 Federal Census in the Carolinas
    PICKEL - Origin of Anderson County, South Carolina
    PICKEL - Origin of Anderson County, South Carolina
    Anderson County, South Carolina was the home of William Pickel and many of his descendants. However, it was only in the latter two-thirds of his life that the area in which he lived had the designation of Anderson County. This page shows how the territory developed from 1769 until 1826 when Anderson and Pickens Counties were established.
    PICKEL - The Pickel Family of South Carolina
    PICKEL - The Pickel Family of South Carolina
    This page will introduce the subject then take you to a pdf file which contains the information.

  • Notes 
    • Willam and Elizabeth Wilson Pickel (spelling of his surname taken from his gravestone in the Big Creek Cemetery, Williamston, S.C.)

      William Pickel was born in 1776, probably in Edgefield District of South Carolina. He married Elizabeth Wilson in that same district in 1800. William's ancestry is unknown, but may have been Low German, Dutch or Irish. Elizabeth's father is said to have came from Ireland, and served as a doctor during the American Revolution. William and Elizabeth had eight children, at least three of whom were born in Anderson County, where sometime after 1815 the family settled in Williamston.

      William built a large two story house in Williamston, which later became a hotel. The house was on the street from town to the tannery and mill that the Pickel family owned. The house stood until sometime in the mid-20th Century. It was across the street from the Presbyterian Church. A new post office is built on the lot.

      The Pickel families in Williamston were William and sons: Jacob, James Elbert, Crawford Wilson, William Chesley and Obadiah Ayres. Their daughters were Esther, Theresa, and Jane. Between the children, they owned most of the southern part of the town. Ownership of the tannery and mill is not clear. Eventually, the second son, James Elbert, owned the business, based on records found of real estate transactions.

      The mill was powered by water from a canal that had been built alongside Big Creek which had been dammed. The tannery was downstream of the mill. Shoes were made for the Confederate Army during the War Between the States. According to the 1860 Census, two of William Pickel's neighbors were shoemakers.

      William and his family were active in the Big Creek Baptist Church near Williamston, where both he and his wife are buried in an above-ground red brick vault in the cemetery. They lived to be ninety-one and eight-eight years of age respectively.

      The family name has taken on spelling variations over the generations, with some lines going by "Pickell" or "Pickle." William and Elizabeth's name on their own tombstone in Big Creek Cemetery is spelled "Pickel."

      In the late 1850's, three of William and Elizabeth's youngest sons and their families moved to East Texas, where they, along with several other Anderson County families, settled near Palestine, Anderson County, Texas, where many of their descendants live today.

      William's two eldest sons, Jacob and James Elbert, remained in South Carolina, with their parents and continued the family tannery business. Jacob's descendents are mostly in Pickens County today, while James Elbert's descendents, with a spelling change to "Pickell," are in Greenville and Charleston. William and Elizabeth's daughters Esther and Theresa married William M. and James Anderson Cason respectively and Jane married Franklin Cobb. They all remained in the Anderson County (South Carolina) area.
      ------------------
      Sources: "History of the William Pickle FamiLy," Pickel, Jack (deceased), Victoria, Texas, 1990.

      M.E. Keathley, Greenville, South Carolina, 2007.

  • Sources 
    1. [S68] History of the William Pickle Family, Page III-1.

    2. [S114] Miscellaneous.
      Source:
      Wells, Carol (abstractor). "Edgefield County, South Carolina Deed Books 32 and 33." Heritage Books, Westminster, MD. p. 36

    3. [S114] Miscellaneous, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Minutes 1831-1859Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church Minutes, Anderson District SCAbstracted by Kim Wilson, 5 May 2002.
      "In January 1824, Benjamin Neighbors began conducting the services. In February of that year, the church called a Presbytery consisting of Rev. Moses Holland of Big Creek Baptist Church, Matthew Berry of Standing Springs and John Morgan and Deacon Pickle of Mount Pisgah. These brethren proceeded to ordain Mr. Neighbors. He was then called to the pastoral care of the church. Since the church had but one deacon, Deacon Pickle, the congregation decided to elect another. Ambers Bradley was selected. At the May 1824 business meeting, a Presbytery was formed consisting of Brothers Neighbors, Davis, and Pickle. The new deacon was thus ordained.:

    4. [S109] Find-a-Grave website, MEMORIAL ID 9696060.

    5. [S304] 1800 Federal Census, Edgefield District, South Carolina Ancestry pg 80 of 115.

    6. [S305] 1820 Federal Census, Pendleton District, South Carolina (Ancestry pg 21 of 98).
      3 Males under 10: James, Crawford and William
      1 Male 10 to 16: Jacob
      1 Male 26 to 45: William
      2 Females under 10: Jane
      2 Females 16-26: Esther and Theresa
      1 Female: 26-45: Elizabeth

    7. [S301] 1830 Federal Census, Anderson County, South Carolina (Ancestry page 95 of 166).
      Male of five and under ten: Obediah (7)
      Male of ten and under fifteen: William (10), Crawford (13), and ?
      Male of fifteen and under twenty: James (15)
      Male of twenty and under thirty: Jacob (22)
      Male of fifty and under sixty: William (54)
      Female of ten and under fifteen: Jane (15), Theresa (17) (Wrong age grouping?)
      Female of forty and under fifty: Elizabeth (48)

    8. [S98] 1840 Federal Census, Anderson County, South Carolina (Ancestry page 258 of 642).
      Two males fifteen and under twenty: Obadiah (17) and William (19)
      One male sixty and under seventy: William (64)
      Two females twenty and under thirty: Jane (25) and Theresa (27)
      One female fifty and under sixty: Elizabeth

    9. [S76] 1850 Federal Census, Eastern Division, Anderson County, South Carolina Dwelling 868.

    10. [S316] 1860 Federal Census, Regiment 42, Anderson County, South Carolina Page 92 Dwelling 669.