1. The 1870 Census was the first census taken where former slaves were listed by name and by family units. All previous censuses listed slaves in the census records only by age, gender, and color, or merely as a head count.

2. George A. Devlin. South Carolina and Black Migration, 1865-1940: In Search of the Promised Land. (New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1989). p. 379-382.

3. U.S., Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900: Population, Volume 1, Part 1:cxiv. NOTE: The black percentage of the population in South Carolina in 1900 (58.4%) is second only to the that of the state of Mississippi (58.5%).

4. U.S., Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940: Population, Volume IV, Part 4:345. Note: Race classification was grouped as 'White' and 'Nonwhite'. The percentage used in this article is based on the Nonwhite representation of the total population, which include 'Other Races.'

5. Ibid., Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940: Volume II, Part 1:956.

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid., Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900.

8. Ibid., Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, Volume II, Part 5:17.

9. Deposition of Bonus Clark (Sumter, Sumter, SC), 17 Feb 1909, Civil War Pension File of Lewis McDonald aka Bonus Clark, Private, Widow’s Certificate 0850.038 (Elsie Clark), Company A, 104th United States Colored Troops, Records of the Veterans Administration, Record Group 15; National Archives Records Administration, Washington, District of Columbia.

10. Deposition of Thomas Trowell now known as Frank Gadison (La Grange, Fayette, TX), 12 Mar 1912, Pension File of Frank Gadison aka Thomas Trowell, Pvt, SC C-2.476.756; Co. G, 128th USCT; VA Records, RG-15; NARA, WDC.

11. Claimant’s Affidavit of Robert Butler (Eadytown, Berkeley, SC), 16 Jul 1906, Pension File of Robert Sinclair known as Robert Butler, Pvt, WC 0696.481; Co. D, 103rd USCT; VA Records, RG-15; NARA, WDC.

12. Deposition of Nero Gourdine or Dingle (St. Stephens, Berkeley, SC), 20 Oct 1901, Pension File of Nero Gourdine aka Nero Dingle, Pvt, WA XC-2648.969; Co. D, 104th USCT; VA Records, RG-15; NARA, WDC.

13. T288 - General Index to Pension Files, NARA, WDC. An alphabetical card index (microfilmed) to pension files for the period of 1861 to 1934. Each card in the general index gives a veteran's name, rank, unit, an term of service; names of dependent(s); his filing date; the application number; the certificate number; and the state from which the claim was filed.

14. T289 - Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans who Served Between 1861 and 1900, NARA, WDC. A card index (microfilmed) similar to that found in the General Index, T288. Unlike the alphabetical General Index, however, this index groups applicants according to the units in which they served. The cards are arranged alphabetically by State; alphabetically by ranch of service; numerically by regiment; then alphabetically by veteran's name.

15. Major Martin R. Delany and Captain O.S.B. Wall were colored officers who served with the 104th U.S. Colored Infantry regiment.

16. J. Raymond Gourdin. 104th Infantry Regiment - USCT, Colored Civil War Soldiers from South Carolina. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1997. p. xv. Based on a detailed review of each pension application filed for service rendered in the 104th Regiments.

17. Out of the 45.3 percent of the application rejected by the Bureau of Pension about half were rejected due to no listing in the War Departments of service by the applicant.

18. Each files consisted, typically, of 200 or more pages of documents so nearly 16,000 pages of pension documents were reviewed to complete the analysis.