This Is Our Family History

AIKEN FAMILY HISTORY

This is our second collaborative attempt to record a brief history of the Aiken family. We have relied upon vital records, state and federal census returns, city directories, a few military records, a deed, but most heavily upon the memories of family members. Not all the records and memories are in agreement. We hope that over time more information will be found to add to our history and to help rectify the ambiguities. But for now, what we share here is a seedling, our beginnings. The hope is that with your help it will grow into a family tree filled with stories, photos, mementos, and artifacts that can be shared with future generations.

Although an Ancestry DNA record suggests that our family may have started in Nigeria, in the west region of Africa, our storyof the Aiken family begins in Charleston, South Carolina, most probably on the rice plantation of a white planter and slave holder by the name of William Aiken Jr. His 1833 purchase of the 3500 acre plantation called Jehossee, made him the owner of the largest rice plantation in the state. By 1860 he had extended his ownership to include the entire island where the plantation was located. Over 800 slaves worked the land producing mainly rice, but also sweet potatoes and corn. The slave holder and one-time governor of the state of South Carolina also purchased and lived in a large mansion in the central part of Charleston. That building, the Aiken-Rhett House, and its accompanying slave quarters is a museum open to the public. The plantation, or the land on which the plantation once existed, is located several miles from the museum, and is administered by US Fish and Wildlife Service and can be visited on a limited schedule.

It is believed that our American story began on the Jehossee Plantation for two reasons, our family surname and the slave holder’s surname are the same, Aiken; and family stories and census records indicate that the Charleston, SC area is where our family originated. William Aiken owned the largest plantation and the largest number of slaves, so it is believed that our story began with one of those slaves. Her name was Patsy.

This history attempts to provide a brief narrative on the lives of our family members, beginning with Patsy. Source materials are provided when available. Some family stories are perpetuated, some are eliminated. The ultimate goal is to document our family. Who we were. Who we are.

We began having our family reunions in response to our reactions to the book and later television series, ROOTS. Our first reunion was held in Tampa, FL in 1972. Subsequent reunions have been held in Atlanta, GA, and Sacramento, CA. Our most recent family reunion was in Tampa, FL in 2019.

J