SC People - Other Historical Figures

Joseph Louis Bernardin

(1928-1996) Born in Columbia, SC, Joseph Louis Bernardin was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as archbishop of Chicago from 1982 until 1996.

Anne Bonny

(1702–1782) Anne Bonny was a female pirate who lived in Charleston, SC.

Laura Bragg

(1881-1978) Laura Bragg was the first woman director of a major American museum when she became the head of the Charleston Museum in 1920.

Ann Pamela Cunningham

(1816-1875) Born in Laurens County, SC, Ann Pamela Cunningham was the founder of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association that purchased and preserved Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.

Richard Furman

(1755-1825) Richard Furman was a pastor who influenced the development of the Baptist denomination in the South.

Emily Geiger

(1765-1825) Emily Geiger risked her life by serving as a messenger for the Colonial Army during the Revolutionary War.

(1738-1805) Rebecca Motte was a widower and landowner along the Congaree River who graciously allowed Francis Marion and other Patriot soldiers to set fire to her plantation home when the British took command of t

Josiah Smith

(1704-1781) Born in Charleston, Josiah Smith was a clergyman who championed the causes of the Great Awakening and later the American independence.

Angelica Singleton Van Buren

(1818-1877) Born in Wedgefield, SC, Angelica Singleton Van Buren married Abraham Van Buren while his father, Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States.

Denmark Vesey

(ca. 1767-1822) Denmark Vesey was a freed slave living in Charleston, SC who planned a large slave rebellion. The rebellion plot failed and Vesey and other plot leaders were arrested and executed.

Henry Woodward

(1646-1690) Henry Woodward was an early colonist of South Carolina who was instrumental in establishing contact with Native Americans and setting up a trading system.