Eliza Lucas
Encyclopedia
Eliza Lucas Pinckney changed agriculture in colonial South Carolina
, where she developed indigo
as one of its most important cash crops. Its cultivation and processing as dye produced one-third the total value of the colony's exports before the Revolutionary War
. Manager of three plantations at age 16, Pinckney had a major impact on the economy. She was the first woman to be inducted into South Carolina's Business Hall of Fame.
, British West Indies
on December 27, 1722 . She was the eldest child of Lieut.-Colonel George Lucas of Dalzell's Regiment of Foot in British Army
, and his wife, Ann (probably Mildrum) Lucas. She had two brothers, Thomas and George, and a younger sister Mary (known to her family as Polly). Col. and Mrs. Lucas sent all their children to London
for schooling. It was customary for elite colonists to send boys to England
for their education when they might be as young as 8 or 9. Girls would not be sent until their mid teens when nearing marriageable age. During this period, many parents believed that girls' futures of being wives and mothers made education in more than "the three "R"s" and social accomplishments less necessary. However, Eliza's ability was recognized. She treasured her education at finishing school, where studies included French
and music, but she said her favorite subject was botany
. She wrote to her father that she felt her “education, which [she] esteems a more valuable fortune than any [he] could have given [her], … Will make me happy through my future life.”
In 1739, Col. Lucas had to return to his post in Antigua to deal with the political conflict between England and Spain. Col. Lucas was appointed lieutenant governor of the island. England’s involvement in the War of the Austrian Succession
thwarted his attempts to move back to South Carolina with his family. Eliza’s letters to him show that she regarded her father with great respect and deep affection. Her mother lived until 1742 or later, but Eliza's letters demonstrated that she was head of the family in terms of managing the plantations.
Eliza was just 16 years old when she became responsible for managing Wappoo Plantation and its 20 slaves, plus supervising overseers at two other Lucas plantations, one inland producing tar and timber, and a 3000 acres (12.1 km²) rice plantation on the Waccamaw River
. In addition she oversaw her two younger siblings, as one brother was still in school in London
. As was customary, she recorded her decisions and experiments by copying letters in a letter book. This letter book is one of the most impressive collections of personal writings of an eighteenth-century American woman, and gives insight into her mind and society.
From Antigua, Col. Lucas sent Eliza various types of seeds for trial on the plantations. They and other planters were eager to find crops for the uplands that could supplement their cultivation of rice. First, she experimented with ginger
, cotton, and alfalfa
. Starting in 1739, she began experimenting with cultivating and improving strains of the indigo plant, for which the growing market in textiles created demand. When Col. Lucas sent Eliza indigo seeds in 1740, she expressed her “greater hopes” for them, as she intended to plant them earlier in the season.
In experimenting with growing indigo in new climate and soil, Lucas also depended on the knowledge and skills of enslaved Africans who had grown indigo in the West Indies and West Africa
.
After four years of persistence and many failed attempts, Eliza Lucas proved that indigo could be successfully grown and processed in South Carolina. While she had first worked with an indigo processing expert from Montserrat
, she was most successful in processing dye with the expertise of a black indigo-maker of African descent whom her father hired from the French West Indies
.
Lucas used her 1744 crop to make seed and shared it with other planters, leading to an expansion in indigo production. She proved that colonial planters could make a profit in an extremely competitive market. Due to her successes, the volume of indigo dye exported increased dramatically from 5,000 pounds in 1745-46, to 130,000 pounds by 1748. Indigo became second only to rice as the South Carolina colony's cash crop, and contributed greatly to the wealth of its planters. Before the Revolutionary War, indigo accounted for more than one-third of the total value of exports from the colony.
, a planter on a neighboring plantation, became attached after the death of his first wife. They were married on May 27, 1744. She was 20 and took her family responsibilities seriously, vowing “to make a good wife to my dear Husband in all its several branches; to make all my actions Correspond with that sincere love and Duty I bear him… I am resolved to be a good mother to my children, to pray for them, to set them good examples, to give them good advice, to be careful both of their souls and bodies, to watch over their tender minds.”
Mr. Pinckney had studied law in England, and had become a politically active leader in the colony. He was South Carolina’s first native-born attorney, and served as advocate general of the Court of Vice-Admiralty, justice of the peace for Berkeley County
, and attorney general. He was elected a member of the Commons House of Assembly and Speaker of that body intermittently from 1736–1740, and he was a member of the Royal Provincial Council. Eliza was unlike many women of her time, as she was educated, independent, and accomplished. When the Pinckneys lived in Charleston
, Eliza was soon planting oaks and magnolias at their mansion Belmont, and corresponding regularly with major British botanists.
Eliza soon had three sons and a daughter: Charles Cotesworth, George Lucas, Thomas, and Harriott Pinckney (born third). George Lucas Pinckney died soon after birth in June 1747. In 1753 the family moved to London for five years. Shortly after their return in 1758 to South Carolina, Charles Pinckney contracted malaria and died. Lucas Pinckney continued to manage their plantations, as well as the extensive Lucas holdings. Most of her agricultural experiments took place before this time.
The surviving Pinckney sons became influential leaders. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
was a signer of the U.S. Constitution and was the Federalist Vice-Presidential candidate in 1800. In 1804 and 1808, he was the Federalist candidate for President. Thomas
was appointed Minister to Spain, where he negotiated Pinckney's Treaty
in 1795 to guarantee US navigation rights on the Mississippi River
. He was the Federalist Vice-Presidential candidate in 1796.
Eliza Lucas Pinckney died in 1793
At the end of the 17th century Antiguan political opponents of Eliza's grandfather, John Lucas, believed that the Lucas family had powerful influence in London through Henry Grey (1664–1740)
, later Duke of Kent, a senior member of Queen Anne's government and Robert Lucas, 3rd Lord Lucas (1649–1705), then governor of the Tower of London. There is documentary evidence of it being called upon. Similarly there were, later, the West India merchant Thomas Lucas (c.1720–1784)
and his business partner William Coleman. No researcher has been able to show the blood relationship between any of them and the Antigua and South Carolina family.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, where she developed indigo
Indigo dye
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...
as one of its most important cash crops. Its cultivation and processing as dye produced one-third the total value of the colony's exports before the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Manager of three plantations at age 16, Pinckney had a major impact on the economy. She was the first woman to be inducted into South Carolina's Business Hall of Fame.
Early life and education
Elizabeth (known as Eliza) Lucas was born in AntiguaAntigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
, British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
on December 27, 1722 . She was the eldest child of Lieut.-Colonel George Lucas of Dalzell's Regiment of Foot in British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, and his wife, Ann (probably Mildrum) Lucas. She had two brothers, Thomas and George, and a younger sister Mary (known to her family as Polly). Col. and Mrs. Lucas sent all their children to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for schooling. It was customary for elite colonists to send boys to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for their education when they might be as young as 8 or 9. Girls would not be sent until their mid teens when nearing marriageable age. During this period, many parents believed that girls' futures of being wives and mothers made education in more than "the three "R"s" and social accomplishments less necessary. However, Eliza's ability was recognized. She treasured her education at finishing school, where studies included French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and music, but she said her favorite subject was botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
. She wrote to her father that she felt her “education, which [she] esteems a more valuable fortune than any [he] could have given [her], … Will make me happy through my future life.”
Move to South Carolina and career
In about 1738 when Eliza was 14 years old Col. Lucas decided to move his family from Antigua to South Carolina, where he had inherited 3 plantations from his father. The chief one overlooked Wappoo Creek outside of Charleston.In 1739, Col. Lucas had to return to his post in Antigua to deal with the political conflict between England and Spain. Col. Lucas was appointed lieutenant governor of the island. England’s involvement in the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
thwarted his attempts to move back to South Carolina with his family. Eliza’s letters to him show that she regarded her father with great respect and deep affection. Her mother lived until 1742 or later, but Eliza's letters demonstrated that she was head of the family in terms of managing the plantations.
Eliza was just 16 years old when she became responsible for managing Wappoo Plantation and its 20 slaves, plus supervising overseers at two other Lucas plantations, one inland producing tar and timber, and a 3000 acres (12.1 km²) rice plantation on the Waccamaw River
Waccamaw River
The Waccamaw River is a river, approximately 140 miles long, in southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina in the United States. It drains an area of approximately 1110 square miles in the coastal plain along the eastern border between the two states into the Atlantic Ocean...
. In addition she oversaw her two younger siblings, as one brother was still in school in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. As was customary, she recorded her decisions and experiments by copying letters in a letter book. This letter book is one of the most impressive collections of personal writings of an eighteenth-century American woman, and gives insight into her mind and society.
From Antigua, Col. Lucas sent Eliza various types of seeds for trial on the plantations. They and other planters were eager to find crops for the uplands that could supplement their cultivation of rice. First, she experimented with ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, cotton, and alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
. Starting in 1739, she began experimenting with cultivating and improving strains of the indigo plant, for which the growing market in textiles created demand. When Col. Lucas sent Eliza indigo seeds in 1740, she expressed her “greater hopes” for them, as she intended to plant them earlier in the season.
In experimenting with growing indigo in new climate and soil, Lucas also depended on the knowledge and skills of enslaved Africans who had grown indigo in the West Indies and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
.
After four years of persistence and many failed attempts, Eliza Lucas proved that indigo could be successfully grown and processed in South Carolina. While she had first worked with an indigo processing expert from Montserrat
Montserrat
Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...
, she was most successful in processing dye with the expertise of a black indigo-maker of African descent whom her father hired from the French West Indies
French West Indies
The term French West Indies or French Antilles refers to the seven territories currently under French sovereignty in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: the two overseas departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the two overseas collectivities of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, plus...
.
Lucas used her 1744 crop to make seed and shared it with other planters, leading to an expansion in indigo production. She proved that colonial planters could make a profit in an extremely competitive market. Due to her successes, the volume of indigo dye exported increased dramatically from 5,000 pounds in 1745-46, to 130,000 pounds by 1748. Indigo became second only to rice as the South Carolina colony's cash crop, and contributed greatly to the wealth of its planters. Before the Revolutionary War, indigo accounted for more than one-third of the total value of exports from the colony.
Marriage and family
Eliza and Charles PinckneyCharles Pinckney (South Carolina chief justice)
Charles Pinckney was a noted South Carolina politician and colonial agent.Pinckney was long prominent in colonial affairs, serving as attorney general of the Province of South Carolina in 1733, speaker of the assembly in 1736, 1738 and 1740, chief justice of the province in 1752–1753, and...
, a planter on a neighboring plantation, became attached after the death of his first wife. They were married on May 27, 1744. She was 20 and took her family responsibilities seriously, vowing “to make a good wife to my dear Husband in all its several branches; to make all my actions Correspond with that sincere love and Duty I bear him… I am resolved to be a good mother to my children, to pray for them, to set them good examples, to give them good advice, to be careful both of their souls and bodies, to watch over their tender minds.”
Mr. Pinckney had studied law in England, and had become a politically active leader in the colony. He was South Carolina’s first native-born attorney, and served as advocate general of the Court of Vice-Admiralty, justice of the peace for Berkeley County
Berkeley County, South Carolina
Berkeley County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 142,651. The 2005 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 151,673. Its county seat is Moncks Corner....
, and attorney general. He was elected a member of the Commons House of Assembly and Speaker of that body intermittently from 1736–1740, and he was a member of the Royal Provincial Council. Eliza was unlike many women of her time, as she was educated, independent, and accomplished. When the Pinckneys lived in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, Eliza was soon planting oaks and magnolias at their mansion Belmont, and corresponding regularly with major British botanists.
Eliza soon had three sons and a daughter: Charles Cotesworth, George Lucas, Thomas, and Harriott Pinckney (born third). George Lucas Pinckney died soon after birth in June 1747. In 1753 the family moved to London for five years. Shortly after their return in 1758 to South Carolina, Charles Pinckney contracted malaria and died. Lucas Pinckney continued to manage their plantations, as well as the extensive Lucas holdings. Most of her agricultural experiments took place before this time.
The surviving Pinckney sons became influential leaders. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Charles Cotesworth “C. C.” Pinckney , was an early American statesman of South Carolina, Revolutionary War veteran, and delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was twice nominated by the Federalist Party as their presidential candidate, but he did not win either election.-Early life and...
was a signer of the U.S. Constitution and was the Federalist Vice-Presidential candidate in 1800. In 1804 and 1808, he was the Federalist candidate for President. Thomas
Thomas Pinckney
Thomas Pinckney was an early American statesman, diplomat and veteran of both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.-Early life in the military:...
was appointed Minister to Spain, where he negotiated Pinckney's Treaty
Pinckney's Treaty
Pinckney's Treaty, also known as the Treaty of San Lorenzo or the Treaty of Madrid, was signed in San Lorenzo de El Escorial on October 27, 1795 and established intentions of friendship between the United States and Spain. It also defined the boundaries of the United States with the Spanish...
in 1795 to guarantee US navigation rights on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. He was the Federalist Vice-Presidential candidate in 1796.
Eliza Lucas Pinckney died in 1793
At the end of the 17th century Antiguan political opponents of Eliza's grandfather, John Lucas, believed that the Lucas family had powerful influence in London through Henry Grey (1664–1740)
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent
Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent KG PC was a British politician and courtier.-Family:He was a son of Anthony Grey, 11th Earl of Kent and Mary Grey, 1st Baroness Lucas of Crudwell...
, later Duke of Kent, a senior member of Queen Anne's government and Robert Lucas, 3rd Lord Lucas (1649–1705), then governor of the Tower of London. There is documentary evidence of it being called upon. Similarly there were, later, the West India merchant Thomas Lucas (c.1720–1784)
Thomas Lucas
Thomas Lucas MP, West India merchant, was treasurer of Guy's Hospital 1764-1774 then president of its board of governors until his death.-Business interests:...
and his business partner William Coleman. No researcher has been able to show the blood relationship between any of them and the Antigua and South Carolina family.
Honors and legacy
- 1989 - For her contributions to South Carolina's agriculture, Eliza Lucas Pinckney was the first woman to be inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.
- 1793 - President George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
served as a pallbearerPallbearerA pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
at her funeral at St. Peter's ChurchSt. Peter's Church, PhiladelphiaSt. Peter's Church is a historic church located on the corner of Third and Pine Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It opened for worship on September 4, 1761 and served as a place of worship for many of the United States Founding Fathers during the period of the Continental Congresses. The...
in Philadelphia. - 1753 - At an audience with the Dowager Princess of Wales in London, in Eliza's presence, little Lucas Pinckney presented the princess with a dress made of silk produced from Lucas plantations.
Additional reading
- South Carolina Historical Magazine, Vol. 99:3 (July 1998). Special issue on Eliza Lucas Pinckney, featuring three academic articles and three previously unpublished letters.
- “Eliza Lucas Pinckney”, in G. J. Barker Benfield and Catherine Clinton, eds., Portraits of American Women: From Settlement to the Present, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
- Ravenel, Harriott Horry. Eliza Pinckney, New York: Scribnerís, 1896.