I think branding of cattle and hogs (occasionally) was practiced in South
Carolina, esp. the Piedmont, from the 18th century on forward--it worked
with those communal cow pens they used, such as those involved in the noted
Revolutionary War Battle of Cowpens.  But this is ringing only a faint
bell--can any one down in SC help out?



At 07:06 AM 7/31/99 -0400, you wrote:
>     Yesterday, the excavation crew at the Hermitage plantation in Tennessee
>recovered what appears to be a branding iron.  Can anyone help me with
>references to the history of livestock branding, or perhaps some
>top-of-your-head info on region and time periods for the practice?  We do
>have some good documentation on the specifics of ear nicking to mark
>ownership on this plantation, but no mention of brands and branding has ever
>turned up.  I've always associated it with western U.S. cattle ranching, but
>perhaps it was used in the South as well?
>                 Doing my best to keep cool,
>                        Larry
>