1900 Land Grant Certification
Archival ID: omhi-tal-1900-sc-land-grant-cert-01
Location: Williamsburg County, SC | Subject: James Cooper (1803 Original Grant)
Why This Document Matters
This official 1900 certification validates an original 1803 land grant for James Cooper. Such documents are crucial for tracing lineage and land tenure back to the early 19th century. For researchers, this represents a formal legal bridge across a century of history, proving that land ownership was maintained within the family through the post-Civil War era and into the new century. It serves as primary evidence of long-term Black land ownership in Williamsburg County.
Archival Note: Tenure Verification
Certifications like this were often requested decades after the original grant to settle estate disputes or to secure modern loans, confirming the family’s continuous legal right to the soil.
Certifications like this were often requested decades after the original grant to settle estate disputes or to secure modern loans, confirming the family’s continuous legal right to the soil.
Archival Citation
“Certification of 1803 Land Grant for James Cooper, dated 1900.” Williamsburg County Land Records. Digitized by Our Mahogany Heritage Institute (OMHI), ID: omhi-tal-1900-sc-land-grant-cert-01.
