When you study Black history, you begin to understand a narrative filled with pain. Our story is one of survival, but it is also one of tremendous sorrow. What we’ve experienced and gone through cannot really be fully put into words. The English language is not expansive enough to truly express just how much injustice Black people have faced. That’s why I believe it’s important that the stories of those who suffered are told. This story I’m going to tell you today is filled with brutality. It’s filled with pain and has no happy parts. But this story happened to a real Black family during a time when all we knew was brutality and injustice. I encourage you to watch this video to the end. Don’t do it because I’m asking you to, but do it so that the memory of this family won’t be lost to the halls of injustice.
Sim Padgett’s Early Life and Struggles
Sim Padgett was born around 1864 in Warren, South Carolina. It’s possible that he might have experienced some form of slavery before emancipation came with the end of the Civil War and the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865. He grew up in the first days of freedom that Black people faced. He saw the dawn of the Reconstruction Era that promised enfranchisement, citizenship, and a new beginning for Black people. And he also saw the federal government abandon newly freed Black people. In exchange for winning the presidency, Republican Rutherford Hayes agreed to withdraw federal troops from the South and let Southern states control their own affairs. This ushered in the era of Jim Crow. Sim saw the rise of the Klan, racial terror, Black codes, segregation, and the introduction of convict leasing to re-enslave Black people.
Despite all of this, Sim did what he could to survive in a country that was doing everything it could to keep him in bondage. In 1886, Sim married a woman named Sula. Together they had seven children: Arthur, Sim Jr., Sula, Dosia, Ben, Mary, and Dell Padgett. Sim and Sula also had something else that few Black people had back then… and that was land. Despite their station in life, they owned a family farm that they all worked on. This sign of wealth was an affront to the racial order of the day. But still, they continued to build their wealth and raise their family. It’s not confirmed, but some believe this wealth played a role in their ultimate tragic demise.
The Tragic Night of May 1910
In May of 1910, the Padgetts lived in Tattnall County, Georgia, near Reidsville. They worked their land, and some of the children worked for white families in the area to earn extra money. Sim Jr., who was around 15 or 16 years old, worked for Laura Moore, the widow of a Georgia legislator. Allegedly, Sim Jr. committed some act or exhibited some behavior that was seen as violating Ms. Moore. It’s not exactly clear if this is true or if it was made up as a reason to justify what was to come. As with most of these allegations, it spread quickly, and the white community wanted revenge. That night, 75 men came to the Padgetts’ home and surrounded it. Sim Sr. tried to calm everyone down and told them that Sim Jr. was not inside the home and that they could come inside to search to confirm this. This is where things take a fatal turn. As the mob approached, they claimed someone fired at them from inside the Padgett home. They said it was Sim Jr. who fired at them. Several white men were alleged to have been struck and fatally wounded. This account should be taken with a grain of salt because it doesn’t make much sense for a Black family to fire at a mob of armed white men that they just allowed to come inside.
The mob began firing at the home while others went to get reinforcements. Soon, close to 500 white men arrived and began to fire into the home for over 30 minutes until they ran out of ammunition. Sim Sr. lost his life along with his 10-year-old daughter, Mary. His other children were also injured. Sim Jr. was hit in the lung, Wilford was struck in the hip, and daughters 13-year-old Dosia and 6-year-old Dell were found holding one another as they lay wounded.
The Aftermath: A Family Torn Apart
Law enforcement found and arrested Sula, her 11-year-old son Ben, and a family friend, Hamp Strickland. Before taking them to the jail, Sheriff’s deputies took them to Laura Moore so that she could identify her attacker. She was unable to make an identification. On the way to the jail, the deputies claimed that they were overtaken by a mob and forced to hand over Sula and Ben. The mob claimed that Sula confessed to firing at one of the white men who lost his life. They then made her turn around and run. They fired at her as she ran away, taking her life. They then fired at 12-year-old Ben, taking his life.
The mob was not done yet. They were determined to get every Padgett they could. They searched the area looking for 18-year-old Arthur and 19-year-old Wilford Padgett. Arthur turned himself in the next day. The Sheriff hid Arthur in the woods to keep him from being lynched. Wilford was also eventually taken into custody shortly after that. The mob still wanted both of them. The Sheriff took them 70 miles away to the jail in Savannah just to keep them from the mob. The state of Georgia put Arthur on Trial for attacking Ms. Moore. Arthur denied having anything to do with Ms. Moore’s attack. In October of 1907, Arthur was found not guilty of attacking Laura Moore.
It’s unclear what happened to the remaining Padgetts after this incident. There is a record that suggests that Wilford Padgett died just a few days after Arthur was found not guilty of attacking Laura Moore. And it’s believed that Arthur might have lived because there is a World War I Draft Registration card that bears his name. Another record shows that Dosia Padgett died at age 33 in 1926 from tuberculosis. As for their Padgett land, it’s unlikely that they kept it. There is no record of them owning the land. But there is evidence that the State of Georgia and other interested parties took steps to ensure that Sim’s property was brought before a court to administer his estate.
The Enduring Legacy of Injustice
What the Padgetts endured is just one story out of countless. It’s one story of injustice that occurred to Black people simply because they were Black. And sadly, Black people are still suffering that same old misery of injustice happening to us and no one caring to do anything about it.
This tragic history is a stark reminder of the brutal realities faced by Black families in America. It underscores the importance of telling these stories to honor the memories of those who suffered and to ensure that such injustices are never forgotten. The pain and suffering endured by the Padgett family reflect a broader historical narrative of systemic racism and violence that continues to affect Black communities today.
By remembering and sharing these stories, we can foster a deeper understanding of the past and work towards a more just and equitable future. The Padgett family’s story is a testament to the resilience and strength of Black people in the face of unimaginable adversity.
