Palo Alto Plantation, Onslow County, NC

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PLANTATION NAME:	PALO ALTO PLANTATION
ASSOCIATED LINK(s):
ORIGINAL OWNER:	William L. Hill, or David W. Sanders (1800-1860)
BUILT:	ca 1838

ASSOCIATED SURNAMES:	Hill, Sanders

HISTORY:	Palo Alto Plantation house is one of the few antebellum plantation houses surviving in Onslow County, and it was once the center of a vast agricultural operation that included 9,500 acres and 288 slaves-one of the largest in the state at the time. The first owner is uncertain, but it was probably William L. Hill (who owned the place from 1827 to 1836) or David W. Sanders, (who owned the plantation from 1836 to his death in 1860). Sanders at Palo Alto became one of the state's wealthiest planters. He is traditionally credited with building the house. Sanders's grandson, Daniel L. Russell, Jr., who was born at Palo Alto, became governor of the state {1897-l90l). The House appears to have been named by David We Sanders, a long time resident of the house Local tradition maintains that he built the structure between 1836 and 1840, but the documentary records are inconclusive. The extensive tract later to be known as the Palo Alto land was put together from three separate tracts by James R. Bryan. In 1822 he transferred the property to George C. Hatch for $8,000. Although no acreage was stated, tax lists of the period suggest a tract of 1,200 to 1,400 acres. Hatch sold the tract to William L. Hill on August 17, 1827, for his purchase price of $8,000 Apparently Hatch had made no additional improvements to the property. David Ward Sanders purchased the tract for $10,000 from Hill on September 16, 1836. David W. Sanders was born in 1800 By the age of twenty-four he had married Alice Mitchell, moved into Hickory Hill, and established a plantation of nearly 2,000 acres. His estate, at the time he purchased the Hill Plantation, consisted of 2,500 acres and twenty-five slaves. Before he moved into Palo Alta, Sanders had served as sheriff of Onslow County and clerk of the county court. Afterwards he settled into the life of a very prosperous planter, one of the wealthiest in North Carolina, and widely respected in the broad community. At his death in 1860, his estate was valued at $275,000.

SLAVE POPULATION:	In 1850 David W. Sanders had 134 Slaves. In 1860, he had 188 Slaves, and 32 Slave houses. Following are the 188 Slaves in the Inventory of the Estate of David W. Sanders, Onslow County, NC. Names of Slaves belonging to the Estate of DAVID W. SANDERS, 1862: (Separated into family groups. Note: some first names were abbreviated, however, I am including full spelling)
	JOHN MINIS CHARITY HOPE FAITH MONROE CAROLL WASHINGTON VIRGIE MARZILLA LIZZIE BRINSON SARAH ELIZA GEORGE SCOTT ALICE LYDA FRANK FRED HARRISON CIVIL CAROLINE ALICE ABNER HANSON ROSE CHRISTOPHER KATHARINE ISAAC HILL JANE BALAAM JUNO EMILY MARY PARMILLA JOHN MITCHELL CLARA PHOEBE WRIGHT HENRIETTA MARGARETT HENRY BEN MORTON HANNAH DANIEL EMANUEL ELIJAH SPINOR ANN LETTICE GEORGE HENRY MARINDA STEPHEN FANNIE LOUIS SARAH DICK ROSE	LUCY JINNETT AMOS MAHALA JULIA ANN BILL FRANKS NED JARRATT LUCINDA HINTON NED KILLIS NANCY BETSY JIM HENRY MAHALA ELIAS GASTON HAGER ROSANNA JIM BRYANT JULIA JUNE JIM JULIA ANN DAVE LIZZIE DAVID LOUIS CLARA JACK DICKSON AMANDA ALEX JOHN BOON LUCY ISAIH NANCY BOSTON CHLOE SILAS ROBERT LYDDA MATILDA WILLIAM SAM JONES MARY WILSON ANNE PLEASANT SAM ALEXANDER MARY ELIZA ISRAEL
	JOE LAURA HARRIETT TOM BRYANT FALIMA ANTONY PETE LUCY SOPHIE VICTORIA MOSES SUSAN JOHN HOLT WILLIAM BEN RUTHY ALICE DAVID KITTY RED CHARLOTTE STEPHEN MARIAH JANE HANNAH JOSEPHINE CAESAR KATE SANDERS NED CAESAR JACK SCOTT JUNIUS SYLLA MANSFIELD LAVINIA WILLIAM HEPSY HARRIETT ELIZA JIM BALANCE VASTA CHARLES AUGUSTUS CELESTE LUKE TOM VICE	KITTY JOE DUDLY CURTIS BRISTER TOM POLLOCK LONDON PETER ELIAS MITCHELL CASSIE GEORGE DUDLY JIM FRAZEL JOHN CHRIS AARON FORD EDMOND DAN SMITH DAN CONAWAY HAMPTON ALFORD JACK FROST PENNY SALLY JIM STEVENSON VENUS ESTHER FRANCIS RACHEL JACK BARBOUR JACK HOLD RACHEL BOB MARY & Child in dispute
	Signed DANL L. RUSSELL Executor of D. W. SANDERS dec'd
RESEARCH NOTES:	Although the info in the National Register of Historic Places indicates that David W. Sanders had 288 Slaves in his Estate, that is incorrect, there were 188 Slaves, the same number included in his 1860 Slave Schedule. Researched & transcribed by Deloris Williams
MISCELLANEOUS:	**National Register of Historic Places; Estate of David W. Sanders, Onslow Co. 1861; David Ward Sanders and Family (Swansboro, North Carolina History)**