An Example to His Race: Jesse Fulmore of Indiantown

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An Example to His Race: Jesse Fulmore

Archival ID: 1903_11_26_The_County_Record_P5_JF

Date: November 26, 1903 | Location: Indiantown, S.C. | Subject: Black Land Ownership & Education

(Full Page Context)

The County Record November 26 1903 Full Page

(Article Focus: Jesse Fulmore’s Land Purchase)

Jesse Fulmore Article Zoom

Archival Transcription

An Example to His Race.

Jesse Fulmore, one of our colored subscribers at Indiantown, came in to see us recently and renewed his subscription. Jesse is a farmer and school teacher and is withal one of the most intelligent men of his race in the county. He has recently purchased from Capt W H Kennedy the plantation near Indiantown postoffice known as the Cunningham place for $5000. This tract contains 688 acres of fine farming land, and situated as it is, is a fine piece of property. Possibly no negro in Williamsburg county owns a more valuable farm. Fulmore says that the door of hope and the door of opportunity are wide open for the colored race right here at home and the deserving ones have no trouble in entering therein.

Historical Significance

  • Significant Wealth Accumulation: The $5,000 purchase price (equivalent to roughly $180,000 today) for 688 acres marks Jesse Fulmore as an elite landowner in Williamsburg County, far exceeding the typical smallholdings of the era.
  • The Teacher-Farmer Archetype: Fulmore’s dual role as an educator and a commercial farmer exemplifies the leadership model of the “Black Professional” in the rural South, using literacy and agricultural success to uplift the community.
  • Rhetoric of Progress: Fulmore’s quote regarding the “door of hope” reflects the “Atlanta Compromise” era philosophy, emphasizing that economic success and moral “desert” were the keys to navigating the limitations of 1903 South Carolina.
Archival Note: Genealogy & Community
Jesse Fulmore’s purchase of the “Cunningham place” near the Indiantown post office provides a specific geographic marker for Fulmore descendants. His connection to Capt. W.H. Kennedy highlights the complex real estate transactions occurring between established white families and the rising Black middle class in Indiantown.

Archival Citation

“An Example to His Race (Jesse Fulmore).” The County Record (Kingstree, S.C.), November 26, 1903, Page 5. Digitized by Library of Congress via Chronicling America.
View Original Source at Library of Congress.
ID: 1903_11_26_The_County_Record_P5_JF
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