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William Ellison

Biography

United States

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Biography

William Ellison Jr. (April 1790 – December 5, 1861), born April Ellison, was an African-American cotton gin maker, blacksmith and slave owner in South Carolina, and former slave who achieved considerable success as a slaveowner before the American Civil War. He eventually became a major planter and one of the wealthiest property owners in the state.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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