Black Pearls of Genealogy
Genealogy Labels
Planter Elite
- A planter was a wealthy agricultural landowner who managed a large-scale plantation that relied on enslaved labor. While similar to a plantation owner, the term "planter" often carried a social distinction in the Southern hierarchy.
- Not just any farmer – A planter typically had 20 or more enslaved people and cultivated cash crops like cotton, sugar, tobacco, or rice.
- Higher social class – Planters were usually wealthy elites with political and economic influence.
- Often inherited wealth – Many planters came from multi-generational slaveholding families.
