South Carolina. Commissioners of the Poor.

The Commissioners of the Poor were empowered to have the oversight, ordering, and relieving of the poor, and to demand and receive legacies, fines and forfeitures, and other monies for the poor. In case of anyone's refusal to pay over such funds, the commissioners could prosecute for recovery.

Provision for the poor entered the statue law of South Carolina early in the history of the province. No copy of the earliest statute, passed in 1694, is known to have survived. S.C. Statute 1696(2)78 authorized commissioners to receive gifts for the poor, and with the assistance of the church wardens, employ the poor in work and bind out poor children as apprentices, males up to 21 years of age and females up to 18 or until marriage. The commissioners were accountable to the General Assembly. S.C. Statute 1698(2)135 allowed the commissioners to levy a tax on the residents of Charleston for support of the poor if the gifts, fines and forfeitures assigned for poor relief were insufficient. Through S.C. Statute 1712(2)594, vestries of the parishes were authorized to nominate two or more persons as overseers of the poor to act with the church wardens.

The powers and authorities of the parish vestries and church wardens for the relief of the poor were vested in the county and intermediate courts by S.C. Statute 1789(5)122. S.C. Statute 1791(5)175 authorized the election of commissioners of the poor in those districts without county and intermediate courts. After the demise of these courts, this law became applicable in all districts. S.C. Statute 1807(5)557 required the commissioners to make an annual report to the commissioners of the roads. The commissioners of the poor were then authorized by S.C. Statute 1818(6)109 to elect a treasurer who was to account annually to the clerk of court within his district.

S.C. Statute 1820(6)284 granted the commissioners the powers exercised by the vestries through the overseers and church wardens. In 1824, the commissioners of each district were authorized to erect a poorhouse and appoint a superintendent. S.C. Statute 1831(6)437 required the commissioners to send pauper idiots, lunatics, and epileptics to the State Lunatic Asylum, there to be maintained at the expense of the city, town, parish, or district of domicile. The commissioners of the poor were abolished by the State Constitution of 1868 and their duties transferred to the county commissioners, the administrative body of the county.