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- Died with grandson Robert Marion DeVeaux in an accident. So well liked was he (Richard) that the title of “Colonel” was given him as a courtesty.
Richard is listed in the 1850 SC Sumter District Census as being 72 years old and a Planter with property value at $10,000. Living with him is his granddaughter, Mary McDuffie, age 17. Also, in his household is James Harvin. Richard died with his grandson Robert Marion DeVeaux in an accident. So well liked was he that the title of "Colonel" was given him as a courtesy.
"RICHARD SINGLETON, born Nov 5, 1776; died Nov 26, 1852. It is reported that he took two hours to dress each morning and while he was adjusting his cravat and combing his hair his wife read the Bible and newspaper to him. Being childed by his neighbors for being late to business, it was said he replied "It did not matter when you started, but what you did after starting." He built a handsome home adjoining his father's place (Midway) which he called the "Home Place." After the Civil War, his house passed out of the hands of the family and later the house burned to the ground. Nothing now remains to mark its existence. He was also a great lover of blooded horses and after 50 years membership in the South Carolina Jockey Club, he was elected an Honorary Member. The names and races of his horses are recorded in the History of the Turf of South Carolina. Although there are no records of him serving in the military, he was always known as "Colonel" Singleton, which was probably a title given him as a courtesy. He was also a successful planter and owned several large plantations in Sumter, Richland and Orangeburg Counties. On Nov 26, 1852, he and his grandson DeVeaux were returning from his "True Blue" plantation in Orangeburg Co. They changed railroad cars in Kingsville for his home in Middleton. The passenger car was crowded so he and DeVeaux went into the baggage car. There was a washout in a small creek just beyond Kingsville and the train derailed. The baggage car was wrecked and he and his grandson were killed".
Source: 'GENEALOGY OF THE SINGLETONS AFTER THEIR EMIGRATION TO AMERICA" (the account of RICHARD SINGLETON, son of JOHN SINGLETON the son of COLONEL MATTHEW SINGLETON.)
Date Published: November 12, 2008
Richard Singleton topic at Historical Society
SINGLETON
By IVY MOORE
Item Features Editor
ivym@theitem.com
The Sumter County Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Heritage and Education Center of the Sumter County Museum. The topic for the meeting is “Richard Singleton of Home Place.” Charles Broadwell will present an excerpt from his paper titled “A Sketch of the Great Houses and Families Along the Great Road.” The section deals with Singleton’s home.
The Great Road, also known as the King’s Highway, starts in the sandhills and works northward. Numerous large homes were located along this route. The Society will present more excerpts from Broadwell’s paper at future meetings.
Richard Singleton was the grandson of Matthew Singleton and the son of Capt. John Singleton. The wealthiest of the planters in this most affluent section of South Carolina, Richard Singleton planted 12,000 acres on both sides of the Wateree River, owned a fleet of river pole boats and had sailing ships to transport his goods to England and France.
He was also known for his race horses, which ran in New Orleans, Saratoga and Charleston. Singleton’s family was prosperous, also; his children attended private northern schools and were considered to be among the socially elite, including politicians and other wealthy planters.
Broadwell is a Clemson graduate, a member of the Sumter CountyHistorical and Genealogical societies and the Sumter County Historical Commission, a commissioner of the Sumter Soil and Water Conservation District and is retired from the National Bank of South Carolina. He is married to Elaine Fishburne Broadwell, and they have two grown children and five grandchildren.
The Sumter County Historical Society invites the public to attend Thursday’s meeting at the Sumter County Museum, 122 N. Washington St. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. For more information, call (803) 775-0908.
Reach Features Editor Ivy Moore at ivym@theitem.com or (803) 774-1221. [3]
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1776 - 1852 (76 years)
