I just did a quick search in the Oxford English Dictionary, and the earliest
example it uses is from 1867:

"1867 in J. H. Easterby S. Carolina Rice Plantation (1945) 231 This will be
cheaper in the end than the contract or share of the crop system."

The earliest example of the word "sharecrop" they use is:

"1907 Springfield (Mass.) Weekly Republ. 25 Apr. 1 The `share crops' system
is what its name implies, the immigrant being housed and fitted with all the
necessaries and then sharing the proceeds of the harvest with the
landowner."

--Eric

> -----Original Message-----
> From: H. B. Gill [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 2:46 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: SHARECROPPER?
>
>
> The term "share cropper" did come into use until 1923.  THe fact that
> someone paid personal property tax does not mean he did not
> own land.  If
> he owned land he would pay land tax and personal property tax.
> H. B. Gill
>
> At 11:53 AM 6/19/2001 -0400, you wrote:
> >Dear VA Hist:
> >
> >In 1792 in Berkeley County my ancestor is listed as paying Personal
> >Property tax. He is listed as a S cropper, there are 2 whites and 4
> >horses.
> >
> >1. Is an S cropper a sharecropper? Can a sharecropper own land?
> >2. If he paid personal property tax, does that mean that he
> did NOT own
> >land?
> >
> >Thanks for any help you can give me.
> >
> >Diana Kercheval Bennett
> >
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