Summary Of Darden's Rebellion In Jefferson County

Before the war of the rebellion, in Jefferson County, Mrs. Susan Sillers Darden, a prominent citizen of the county, documented in her personal diary the events of everyday life. The primary focus of the diary is the family members of the Darden and Sillers family. Contained in this diary were the details of their day-to-day life, reports detailing doctor visits, the children and their activities, comments about neighbors as well as gossip of the community. Additionally, the diary reports the stories of primarily the white citizens of Jefferson County their social, religious, and political activities. Why is this diary of significant importance? The Darden diary is relevant to the slaveholder, Samuel Scott and his family who owned the slaves of Poplar Hill Plantation (ie. Jackson/Riley family), stories of the Jefferson County community did impact the residents of Poplar Hill. Particularly, the story of the purported insurrection in Adams and Jefferson County …show more content…
He hired a ditcher (one who digs ditches) name of Dowdy to put strychnine in some blue-lick water that Mr. Sam Scott keeps in his room. Mr. Scott is Hartwell’s father-in-law. He wanted the old man to be out the way so he could get his wife’s share of the property. Mr. Darden went to see him (Scott). He said, (Scott) “he must have some enemies.” Three years after the death of Samuel Scott’s first wife Ann, at the age of 55 he marries again, Miss Madora Dubbs of Natchez, Mississippi. The diary of Mrs. Darden dated Feb 12, 1860 reports: “it is said that old Sam Scott has gone to Natchez to marry Miss Madora Dubbs. She is a young lady and he has more than a dozen grandchildren. He is rich. It created a good deal of talk at church.” Though gossip seems to have ensued around the impending marriage Madora married Samuel Scott on 15 Feb 1860 in Natchez. Samuel and Madora had only one child, Charles Dubbs