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The South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH) has a wealth of information available for those researching Gossetts in South Carolina. Online databases include: Will Transcripts (1782-1855); Plats for State Land Grants (1784-1866) and Criminal Court Records.
The SCDAH has dedicated a page to the development of districts and counties and provides links to several maps illustrating their formation. Understanding the formation of South Carolina's local government is important in locating vital records, wills, land transfers, etc..
The site is a little difficult to navigate, but if you're looking for Gossetts and collateral families, it's well worth the effort.
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The Gossetts of Spartanburg County, South Carolina
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In Part III of The Family of Gossett, Mrs. Newcomer dedicated a few paragraphs to the Gossett family in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. She writes,
"Mr. T. H. Gossett of Spartanburg, South Carolina, also Mrs. Charlotte McLellan of Topeka, Kansas, furnished the names of the children of John Gossett (1766-1844) of Spartanburg County, South Carolina. They were John, Elijah, Gabriel, Major, Abram, Richard, a daughter, and perhaps another son, William."
I was contacted by a lady researching her Gossett family. She had found the entry in The Family of Gossett and wrote to me seeking more information. In the process of helping her I found that the statement above from The Family of Gossett cannot be correct. I looked at the census records for each of the men listed above and was able to determine a reasonable time frame for their births. After comparing the information a conclusion was obvious: John Gossett (1766-1844) was not the father of these men.
The chart below shows the estimated range of dates for their birth and death year, and their age as recorded in each census record. The names are linked to addional information found with census records or at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH).
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Birth Year |
Death Year |
1790 |
1800 |
1810 |
1820 |
1830 |
1840 |
1850 |
| John1 |
1770-1775 |
1840-1850 |
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26-44 |
26-44 |
45+ |
50-60 |
60-70 |
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| Elijah |
About 1785 |
1850-1860 |
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16-25 |
26-45 |
40-50 |
50-60 |
Age 65 |
| Gabriel |
1770-1775 |
1834 |
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16-25 |
26-44 |
45+ |
50-60 |
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| Major |
1770-1775 |
After 1830 |
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16-25 |
26-44 |
45+ |
50-60 |
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| Abram |
1780-1790 |
After 1830 |
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26-45 |
40-50 |
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| Richard |
1775-1780 |
After 1830 |
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26-44 |
26-45 |
50-60 |
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| William |
1756-1774 |
After 1800 |
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26-44 |
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There are a few more Gossett men, not mentioned above, that played a role in establishing the Gossett family in Spartanburg District, South Carolina.
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Birth Year |
Death Year |
1790 |
1800 |
1810 |
1820 |
1830 |
1840 |
1850 |
| James1 |
Before 1755 |
After 1810 |
16+ |
45+ |
45+ |
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| James2 |
1766-1774 |
1820-1830 |
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26-45 |
26-44 |
45+ |
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| Andrew |
1755-1774 |
After 1810 |
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26-45* |
45+ |
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| John2 |
Before 1774 |
After 1820 |
16+ |
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45+ |
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| John3 |
About 1797 |
1850-1860 |
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26-45 |
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40-50 |
Age 53 |
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*Andrew is found in Union District, South Carolina in 1800.
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The Family of Gossett entry for the Spartanburg Gossetts cites a five-year time frame for their move into South Carolina. Mrs. Newcomer wrote,
"The records in the clerk's office of the Court of Spartanburg, South Carolina, show that four brothers, John, Elijah, Gabriel, and Major Gossett, removed from Virginia and settled in South Carolina about 1780-85."
Taking this statement at face value leads one to believe that she is referring to grown men. If this is true, then the men mentioned in this part of The Family of Gossett are not the same men highlighted on this web page. It's more likely that John, Elijah, Gabriel and Major were children or young men when they arrived in South Carolina.
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| Additional information about these men was uncovered during research and is provided below. |
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Abram Gossett
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was born between 1780 and 1790 and is found in Spartanburg District census records for 1820 and 1830. |
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Andrew Gossett
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was born between 1755 and 1774. The SCDAH has a land record dated September 10, 1798, for Andrew. The land was located on Thicketty Creek in Union District, South Carolina.
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Elijah Gossett
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was born about 1785. His birth can be narrowed down to a year because he was living at the time of the 1850 census enumeration. He was 65 and his place of birth was noted as South Carolina. Elijah is with his wife Lucy who was listed as 60 years old and born in South Carolina. Several grown children are also found in this record.
In the 1860 census, Lucy is living with her son Wilson C. Gossett. She is presumed to be widowed because Elijah was not listed with her. There are several Gossett families living nearby.
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Gabriel Gossett
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was born between 1775 and 1780. His death occured within a few months of writing his Last Will & Testament (LW&T) signed on October 28, 1834. You can view a transcription of it at the SCDAH. His LW&T names a wife, Frances, and specifies how things were to be divided among his children. Unfortunately, he doesn't mention any of the children's names. Witnesses are John Gossett, Elizabeth Gossett and Wilson C. Gossett; and his executors are Frances Gossett and William Kirby.
 Frances is found as a head of household in the 1840 census and in the 1850 and 1860 census for Spartanburg District, South Carolina. The 1850 and 1860 census provide her birth year of about 1780 and her place of birth as Virginia. Gabriel is found in Spartanburg District's census records for the years 1800, 1810, 1820 and 1830.
The transcript of Gabriel's LW&T spells the Gossett name as Gofsett. This is due to the handwriting standards of the era. When a double "ss" occurred in a word, the first "s" had a flourish that made it look like our modern-day cursive "f". You can see an example of it by looking at the 1850 entry at right. The flourish appears in the name Gossett (Elijah and W.C.) and again in his daughter's name Malissa.
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James1 Gossett
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was born before 1755. He was found in Spartanburg District, South Carolina in census years for 1790, 1800 and 1810. |
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James2 Gossett
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was born between 1766 and 1774. He married a lady named Catherine but her maiden name is unknown. James2 died between 1820 and 1830 sending Catherine to live with their son, Elijah. She is with his family in 1830, 1840 and 1850. The 1850 census provides and age of 80 years and a birth place as Maryland for her. They were parents to at least four sons: Feilder, Elijah, Sunsberry and Asberry. Elijah, Sunsberry and Asberry were in Cherokee County, Texas, by 1860, confirming Mrs. Newcomer's speculation that the Texas Gossetts traced their family back to South Carolina. (Fielder died about 1850 so he didn't make the move to Texas). |
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John1 Gossett
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was born between 1770 and 1774. You can find him in Spartanburg County, South Carolina census records for 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830 and 1840. This places his death after 1840 but it is likely before 1850. He has not been located in that census. |
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John2 Gossett
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was born before 1774. He was likely part of the generation that included James1 making his birth year much earlier than 1774. John2 is found in the 1790 census for Spartanburg District and again in 1820. He was counted in age categories that were open-ended, meaning he was at least 16 in 1790 and at least 45 in 1820, but an upper age limit was not noted. The 16+ age description in 1790 might suggest he was a younger man when in fact he could have been much older. The census would still be correct if he were 60-years-old in 1790 and 90 years old in 1820. |
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John3 Gossett
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was born about 1797 in South Carolina. He married Catherine Kirby. There is a difference of opinion among researchers as to which man married Catherine Kirby. Their marriage is noted in the LW&T of her mother, Lovicy Kirby. The SCDAH has a transcription of her will dated February 1, 1848.
"...and benefit of my daughter Cathrine Gofsett, wife of John Gossett, to be by them..."
This is pretty clear evidence that Catherine Kirby married John Gossett, not James. John and Catherine are together in the 1850 census but haven't been located in 1860.
John3 is found in Spartanburg District census records for the years 1820, 1840 and 1850. He hasn't been located in the 1830 records. He may have been missed by the enumerator, may be in a household where someone else is named the head or it may just take further research to locate him.
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Major Gossett
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was born between 1770 and 1775. Many researchers have his wife as Annie Tolleson, but do not have a source for this information.
Annie was the daughter of John Tolleson. In Tolleson's LW&T at the SCDAH, Annie is referred to as Annie Gossett -- but her husband's given name is not noted.
"...I will give and devise unto such of the children of my daughter Annie Gossett may have living at my death one hundred dollars..."
Annie is found as head of household in the 1840 census for Spartanburg District. Her age is noted as between 70 and 80 years. This places her birth date between 1760-1770.
Major Gossett is found in the Spartanburg District census records for the years 1800, 1810, 1820 and 1830
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Richard Gossett
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was born between 1775 and 1780. He is found in the Spartanburg District census records for the years 1810, 1820 and 1830. |
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William Gossett
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was born between 1756-1774. The SCDAH has a record for William dated December 1, 1796. It was for a plat of 243 acres located on Portman's Creek in Union District.
William is found in the 1800 census for Spartanburg District but hasn't been located in any other year.
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