Oscar J. Thompson, Sr. c. 1890s. Salley, Aiken County, South Carolina

Title: Oscar J. Thompson, Sr. c. 1890s. Salley, Aiken County, South Carolina
Name: Oscar J. Thompson, Sr
Birthday: 5 March 1881
Birthplace: Salley, Aiken County, South Carolina
Parents: Rev. Logan L. and Lavinia (Corley) Thompson on 5 March 1881 in the Skillet community outside of Salley, Aiken County, South Carolina
Spouse: Lessie Felder
Death Date & Place: 11 August 1945
Description: Oscar J. Thompson, Sr. was one of five children born to the Rev. Logan L. and Lavinia Corley-Thompson on 5 March 1881 in the Skillet community outside of Salley, Aiken County, South Carolina. At a young age, he joined Smyrna Baptist Church where he was ordained as a deacon. Like his parents, Oscar was a sharecropper. Briefly, he lived with his brother Robert Thompson and his family until he was able to support himself. Later, he married Lessie Felder.

Oscar and his family continued to sharecrop for several years. While working, he saved his money with the goal of becoming a landowner. On December 9, 1915, Oscar purchased 92 acres from David Link of Deland, Florida.

Oscar was full-fledged entrepreneur. In agriculture, he cultivated his farm into a full-scale operation that garnered local acclaim. The local newspaper lauded his three-year crop rotation system. To further his knowledge in agriculture, Oscar joined a group of local African-American farmers on a field trip to Coker Pedigreed Farm in Hartsville, South Carolina “to study and observe seed breeding and other farm practices”.

Oscar died on August 11, 1945 at the age of 64.99 Four years later, his wife Lessie died on September 21, 1949 at the age of 56.
Donated By: Dr. Walter B. Curry

Item sets: Pre-20th Century African American Photographs