I would consider the difference between planter and (non-tenant) farmer 
to be a combination of self perception
and regional differences. We still have this sort of difference today 
here in the U.S.: for instance,
in most of the South, acreage devoted to any sort of agriculture, 
whether hobby or business, is a
"farm," while, in the West, the same sort of acreage would be a "ranch." 
(Defining what is "South" and
what is "West" can be another measure of self perception.)

I have seen the differences between planter and non-tenant farmer in 
several censuses of the state
of South Carolina: even after 1865, a "planter" tended to live east of 
the state's piedmont ("Upstate")
and a non-tenant farmer was more likely to live in the piedmont.

Elizabeth Whitaker
M.A., History (2006)
Independent Scholar
Alexandria, VA

Hannah Powell wrote:
> Would you say then, that many of these terminologies such as Planter, 
> Farmer, et al, may be simply a matter of "self perception" or of how a 
> person was perceived in his local area?
> Hannah Powell
>

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