USA > South Carolina > A Contribution to the History of the Huguenots of South Carolina: Consisting of Pamphlets > Part 3
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About twenty years before the revolutionary war, the belt of land bordering on the Santee River, through the whole extent of the parish of St. Stephen's, was the garden spot of South Carolina. The lands were not liable to the high and sudden freshets to which they have since been subject. The upper country being then but par- tially cleared and cultivated, the greater part of its surface was covered with leaves, the limbs and trunks of decaying trees, and various other impedi- ments to the quick discharge of the rains which
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fall upon it, into the creeks and ravines leading into the river ; consequently much of the water was absorbed by the earth or evaporated before it could be received into its channels, and even when there so many obstacles yet awaited its progress, that heavy contributions were still levied upon it. The river, too, had time to extend along its course the first influx of water before that from more remote tributary sources would reach it. Owing to these and other causes, the Santee was compara- tively exempt from those freshets which have since blighted the prosperity of what was once a second Egypt. A breadth of three or four miles of swamp as fertile as the slime of the Nile could have made it, was safe for cultivation ; and its margins were thickly lined with the residences of as prosperous a people as ever enjoyed the blessings of God. Some there were who lived in the swamp, and even on the very bank of the river. The exceeding fertility of the soil rendered labor scarcely necessary to make it a wilderness of vegetable luxuriance. The great quantity of decomposing matter, and the myriads of insects incident thereto, and the abun- dant yield of seeds, furnished by the rank weeds and grass, caused the poultry-yard to teem with a well-fed population, and the pastures of crab grass and cane, which are yet proverbial, poured into the dairies streams of the richest milk, and en- livened the scene at morn and evening with the
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lowing of herds of fat cattle. Nor were swine in abundance, and countless fish of the finest quality from the exhaustless river, wanting to fill up the measure of the people's comforts.
Before the eye was spread nature in all her majesty and beauty : here the noblest of American forest-trees in all the perfection which prosperity can develop ; there a noble placid river flowing in its slow majestic course, its opposite low and beachy shore fringed with the delicate willow whose branches drooped into the gliding current. On each side were seen nature and art co-operating to produce as rich a prospect as ever caused the eye of the agriculturist to dance with hope. I have never listened to representations of comfort more perfect and exuberant than those often given me of the scenes which I am attempting to describe, by those who had known and loved them. It was my delight, when a boy, to hear told how at evening the family would sit in the humble porch, and enjoy the rich delights of a spring twilight, listening to the songs of the feathered multitude, the stirring buzz of the bees as they carried their last load to their hives, the cackling of the poultry as they sought their proper resting-place, the sad wail of the whip- poorwill, the lowing of the richly freighted cows; and the bleating of their eager young, and admir- ing the rich and gorgeous colors of the trees, shrubs, and plants, varied according to their natures
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and the mellowing influence of the fading light. But the thoughts of that land of Goshen have caused me to linger by the way and to lose sight of the narrative I have promised.
Such was the country ' that attracted the atten- tion of so many of our Huguenot ancestors and in- duced them to abandon their first homes in St. James', Santee, and seek one so much more con- genial to the indigo plant, at that time the staple product of the State, and made more profitable by the bounty granted by the mother country. One after another of the planters moved up as oppor- tunity offered for the purchase of land, and in a very few years the population exceeded that of any other portion of the State out of Charleston. At the commencement of the revolution the militia company of St. Stephen's numbered one hundred and twenty-six men, rank and file, and the tax re- turns showed that there were five thousand slaves owned within the parish ; and this, too, when the settlements were, with very few exceptions, north of the river road, and about half a dozen planta- tions on Fair Forest swamp.
I. The plantation known as " Mexico," at the western extremity of the parish, was the residence of the late Major Samuel Porcher. This planta- tion is made up of several small tracts of land, many of which had been the homesteads of their
1 See Note A at the end.
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owners. Major Porcher was the fourth child of Peter Porcher of Peru. In 1789 he married Har- riet, daughter of Philip Porcher, by whom he had a daughter, Harriet, who married James Gaillard, second son of Peter Gaillard of the Rocks ; and three sons, Philip, who married Selina Shackelford, Thomas William, who married the daughter of Peter Gaillard, Jr., and W. Mazyck Porcher, the present proprietor.
2. The next plantation was Burnt Savanna, now a part of Belle Isle. For some time before the revolution this place was the residence of General Marion, and in its retirement he probably prepared himself for the part he was to act in that stormy period. He married late in life Mary Videau, and died childless in 1795.
3. The third plantation, " Belle Isle," was the residence of Robert Marion, Esq. He was the third son of Gabriel Marion and Catharine Taylor. His brothers, Gabriel and Benjamin, never mar- ried. Of his sisters, Catharine died unmarried ; his younger sister, Charlotte, married Anthony Ashby, by whom she had a daughter, who married Richard Singleton, and after Mr. Ashby's death she married Theodore S. Marion, by whom she had a daughter, who, in 1808, became the wife of the writer. Mr. Robert Marion married Mrs. Esther Deveaux (née Gignilliat), mother of the late Stephen G. Deveaux. This marriage produced no children.
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4. Northwest of Mexico, and directly on the river bank, was the residence of Thomas Walter, Esq., the botanist, an Englishman by birth. He embellished his seat with a botanical garden, which long commanded the admiration of his neighbors. His first wife was Sarah Peyre, by whom he had two daughters ; his second wife was Dolly Cooper, whose daughter, Emily, their only child, married Judge Charlton of Savannah.
5. Between Belle Isle and the river road on the south was the residence of Peter Couturier. He married Rebecca Couturier, by whom he had a son, Elias, father of the late Peter Couturier. After his death his widow married Gideon Kirk, and became the mother of the late Mrs. Harriet Marion, of Robert Kirk, and of Louisa Kirk.
6. South of the road was the residence of Dr. James Lynah, a native of Ireland ; from this place he attended to a large medical practice. Both this place and that of Mr. Couturier now constitute a portion of Belle Isle.
7. Blueford was formerly the residence of Philip Williams, who, removing to York, sold it to Peter Sinkler. By him it was left to his son Peter, who, dying childless, bequeathed it to the children of his sister Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Dubose. It was the residence of the late Col. William Dubose, her second son, and is now that of Julius Dubose, his nephew and her grandson.
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8. North of Blueford was Milford, the residence of Isaac Dubose, who left it to his eldest son, Isaac, by whom it was sold to Samuel Cordes. The elder Isaac Dubose married Miss Boisseau, by whom he had three sons and two daughters, viz. : Isaac, who married Mary Dutart ; David, who married Eliza- beth Moncrieff; and Samuel, who married Eliza- beth Sinkler. His daughter Joanna married David Gaillard of White Plains; his other daughter, Catharine, died unmarried.
9. The Lane plantation was owned by Samuel Cordes, Esq.
10. Tower Hill was settled by John Couturier .. He married Elizabeth Couturier, and had three sons and a daughter. His son John married first a Miss Cook, and after her death Miss Ann Cahusac; they were the parents of the late Dr. John Couturier of Pineville. Thomas married Miss Buford of Williamsburg, who, after his death, married Judge Richardson. Joseph married Miss Ellinor Couturier, and after her death Miss Louisa Kirk. The daughter married Major William Macdonald.
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II. The Island was formerly a homestead, and when I first knew it, was the property of John Couturier. It is now a part of Tower Hill.
12. I do not know who first settled and occupied Johnsrun. It was once owned by the Williamses, who lived there ; it was held by various persons on
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hire until 1793, when it was bought by a French- man, who soon abandoned it, and it was purchased by Capt. John Palmer. It is now the residence of his grandson, S. Warren Palmer.
13. Between this place and the river is Ray's, so called from the former owner and resident. He died about 1793.
14. On the east of Ray's was Claybank, the property and residence of Peter Palmer, and now a part of Richmond. In 1790 Mr. Palmer left this place for Pole Bridge, three miles to the south.
15. West of Pole Bridge is Murrell's, called by the name of the original owner ; it passed into the hands of John Frierson, and was afterwards owned and settled by Samuel Dubose, son of Isaac, of Milford. Mr. Dubose married first Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Sinkler, and had four children, viz .: Samuel, who married Eliza Marion, and after her death Ann P. Stevens ; William, who married Laura Stevens ; Elizabeth, who married Colonel Thomas Porcher ; and Anna Maria, wife of William Cain. After the death of Elizabeth Sinkler, Mr. Dubose married Mrs. Martha White, and had Isaac, who married Marianne Porcher ; Martha, the wife of Peter Porcher of Tibbekudlaw ; and Louisa, wife of David Gaillard, late of Fairfield.
16. Richmond was settled in 1769 by John Palmer, and was his residence until his death in 1817. He married Ann, the daughter of Robert
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Cahusac, by whom he had three sons-John, who married Mary Jerman, Joseph, who married Eliza Porcher, and Maham, who died unmarried-and two daughters : Anne, the wife of O'Neal Gough Stevens, and after his death of Peter Gaillard, of the Rocks; and Marianne Gendron, wife of Gabriel Gignilliat, and afterwards of George Porcher.
17. South of Richmond was Maham's, the resi- dence of Col. Hezekiah Maham. His wife was Miss Guerin ; and they had two daughters, one of whom married Mr. Waties, and the other Dr. Haig. Both of these ladies became widows and married again-the first, Robert Smith ; and the second, Dr. Samuel Wilson of Charleston.
18: Next to Richmond and east of it was the residence of Charles Richbourgh. He left no children, and the place was purchased by Theodore Gaillard of Charleston. It now forms a part of the Richmond tract.
19. Chinners was settled by a person of that name, and abandoned before the revolution. It is now part of Lifeland.
20. Next is Lifeland, the residence of Peter Sinkler. This place was purchased by his mother from Mrs. Jamison, who married Gen. Sumter. Peter Sinkler had a brother, and a sister, Dolly, who married General Richardson of Clarendon. Mr. Sinkler's first wife was Elizabeth Mouzon, sister of Henry Mouzon, the surveyor and engineer.
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Their children were Jane, who married Joseph Glover, of Colleton ; Peter, who married Mary, daughter of Richard Walter ; James, who never married ; and Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Dubose of Murrell's. His second wife was Miss Boisseau, who died childless. His third wife was Catharine, daughter of Joseph Palmer of Webdo. She had a daughter, Catharine, who married Francis Peyre. His fourth wife was the widow of René Peyre; her daughter by her first husband, Florida Peyre, mar- ried John P. Richardson.
Few patriots of the revolution suffered more than Peter Sinkler, and as woe even if long continued is soon told, we shall dwell briefly upon his sufferings. His age, position, and strongly marked character gave him considerable influence with his fellow citi- zens; and the British, who were aware of it, deter- mined to get him in their power. After many ineffect- ual attempts to take him, they succeeded by bribing his brother-in-law James Boisseau, an ingrate who betrayed the man that gave him a home. Like most of the Whigs, Mr. Sinkler was accustomed oc- casionally to enjoy in the bosom of his family a res- pite from the fatigues and privations of Marion's camp. Aware of the danger to which he was ex- posed, but totally unsuspicious of the person who was to betray him, he had a hiding-place in the swamp that lay not fifty yards north of his house, where he could be secure from everything but
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treachery. When he was known to be at Lifeland, Boisseau covertly introduced a party to his lurking place, and at the same time a party of the British approached the house by the avenue. As soon as this party was seen, Mr. Sinkler retired to his place of concealment and there found himself a captive. He was not allowed to take leave of his wife and daughters, but was carried to Charleston, a prisoner, without even a change of clothes, and thrust in the southeast cellar of the provost, now the post-office, where were others as unfortunate as himself, with- out bedding or even straw to lie upon. Typhus fever soon put an end to his sufferings.
He was detained at Lifeland long enough to wit- ness the brutality of his captors and the savage recklessness with which they wantonly destroyed his property. The beds were taken from the house, ripped open, and their contents scattered to the winds ; his provision houses were opened and sacked, his poultry and stock shot down, and several crops of indigo destoyed or carried off. After his death a commission was appointed by the State to ascer- tain the amount and value of property so destroyed, and the following schedule was furnished by Capt. John Palmer : fifty-five negroes; twenty thousand pounds of indigo ; sixteen blooded horses ; twenty- eight blooded mares and fillies; one hundred and thirty head of stock cattle ; one hundred and fifty- four head of sheep ; two hundred hogs; three thou-
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sand bushels of grain; twenty thousand rails ; household furniture, liquors, plantation tools, poul- try, etc., to the value of {2,500 currency. The re- ward of Boisseau's treachery was a commission in the British army and a civil station in Nova Scotia, which he enjoyed during his life.
21. On the east of Lifeland was the residence of a Mr. Seymour, who died or removed before my recollection. This place forms a part of Lifeland.
22. Windsor, the next plantation, was the resi- dence of John Gaillard, Esq., who married Judith, daughter of Rene Peyre. They had three sons and four daughters. John, so long U. S. Senator, married Mary Lord, and had one son, the late Dr. Theodore Gaillard. Theodore, the late judge, mar- ried Cornelia Marshall ; Peyre married Miss Hall; Elizabeth married Major Randall of the British army ; Mary married Dr. Samuel Thomas; Lydia married Mr. Edward Croft ; and Louisa married Thomas Hunt, and had a numerous family now set- tled in Louisiana.
23. East of Windsor is White Plains, formerly the residence of David Gaillard, who married Joanna Dubose, and after his death, of Peter Gaillard of the Rocks, his younger brother. Peter Gaillard married Elizabeth, daughter of Peter Porcher of Peru. Their children were : first, Peter who married Eliza Gour- din ; second, Elizabeth, wife of John Stoney ; third, Lydia, wife of William Snowden ; fourth, James,
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who married Harriet Porcher, and after her death Henrietta Ravenel (née Gourdin), widow of Dr. James Ravenel of Wantoot ; fifth, Thomas, now of Alabama, who married Marianne Palmer; sixth, Catharine, wife of Thomas Porcher of Whitehall ; seventh, David, who married Elizabeth Palmer, and after her death Louisa Dubose ; eighth, Samuel, who married Henrietta Palmer.
24. Ancrum's, the next place, was the residence of Isaac Porcher. After his death his daughter married George Ancrum, and they lived there till death. Their son, William Ancrum, removed to Camden, and sold the place to Theodore Gaillard, who bequeathed it to his daughter Mrs. Theodore Gourdin. It now belongs to her son, Capt. T. Louis Gourdin.
25. Between Ancrum's and Peru reserve, a place was inhabited by a Mr. Ray. I know no more of him than his name.
26. Peru, the next place, was the residence of Peter Porcher. He married Elizabeth Cordes, and left four children : first, Elizabeth, wife of Peter Gaillard of the Rocks; second, Peter, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Marion; third, Thomas of Ophir, who married Charlotte Mazyck, and after her death Elizabeth Dubose; fourth, Samuel Porcher of Mexico, who married Harriet Porcher.
27. The Oldfield plantation was the residence of
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Philip Porcher, brother of Peter of Peru. His wife was Mary Mazyck. They had eight children : first, Mary, who died unmarried in 1834; second, Mari- anne, wife of Thomas Broughton of Mulberry ; third, Philip, who married Catharine Cordes ; fourth, Peter, who married Charlotte Ravenel, and after her death Marion Johnston of Oakfield ; fifth, Eliza- beth, wife of William Mazyck, late of Charleston ; sixth, Harriet, wife of Major Samuel Porcher; seventh, George, who married Marianne Gignilliat (née Palmer) ; and eighth, Isaac, who married Mary, daughter of Plowden Weston, and after her death Mary, daughter of O'Neal Gough Stevens, and after her death Charlotte, daughter of René Rav- enel of Pooshee. Mrs. Mazyck and Mrs. Porcher both died in 1843 ; they had lived with their hus- bands upwards of fifty-four years.
28. Dover, the next place, was formerly the resi- dence of Robert Cahusac. It then became the property of Charles or Samuel Peyre, and after his death, of John Peyre, by whom it was sold to Philip Porcher. It was for several years the home of Isaac Porcher, and by him sold to Mrs. Charlotte Cordes.
29. East of Dover was Harleston's, so called from the name of the owner.
30. Yaughan, the next plantation, became, under the English law of primogeniture, the property of John Cordes. He generously surrendered it to his younger brother, Thomas Cordes, who lived and
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died on it. His wife was Charlotte Evance, and their children were : first, the late Dr. Samuel Cordes ; second, Catharine ; third, Evance ; fourth, Lavidia, wife of C. B. Cochran, Esq .; fifth, Camilla. Mr. Cordes was an ardent patriot, and contrived to annoy the British in a variety of ways while they held possession of the parish. He would liberate their prisoners, delude them with false informations, break his parole, and made himself so obnoxious that it was determined to destroy him. A rope was put around his neck, and he was led to a large oak, on the very spot where the new road turns off, south of the Tavern bridge, when he begged as a last favor, to be allowed time to indulge in the luxury of smoking a pipe. It was granted, and before the pipe was finished a pardon opportunely arrived from Lord Cornwallis, who yielded to the entreaties of Theodore Gaillard, Mr. Cordes' brother-in-law, whose plantation was at the time the General's head- quarters.
31. Curriboo was the residence of Thomas Cordes, son of Samuel. He married Rebecca Jamieson, and left two children : James, who married the daugh- ter of Jonathan Lucas, and went to live in England ; and Elizabeth, wife of the late Col. John Harleston.
32. Upton was the residence of John Cordes, who married Miss Banberry and left two children : Catharine, wife of the late Dr. Philip Prioleau ; and William, who died unmarried. After the death
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of his wife, Mr. Cordes married Catharine Mazyck of Woodboo. He became the owner of Peru, and resided there until his death.
33. Sandyhill was formerly the residence of René Richbourgh. He had two daughters : Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Palmer of Grave Hill, who left two children-Thomas, who died single ; and Marianne, wife of Thomas Gaillard of Alabama. Catharine, Mr. Richbourgh's second daughter, married O'Neal Gough Stevens. Their children were : Charles, who married Susan, daughter of René Ravenel of Poo- shee ; Catharine, wife of Dr. Henry Ravenel; and Mary, wife of Isaac Porcher. Mr. O. G. Stevens, after his wife's death, married Anne Palmer, by whom he had two daughters : Anne Palmer, second wife of Samuel Dubose ; and Laura, wife of William Dubose.
34. Next is the Parsonage, owned by the Epis- copal church of the parish, and formerly the resi- dence of the rector. It has long been without a house.
35. East of the Parsonage was the residence of Zachariah Villepontoux. His wife was a Miss Baird. They left no family.
36. The next place was the residence of Charles Cantey, Jr., who married Margaret Evance, by whom he had two daughters : Margaret, wife of Press M. Smith ; and Susan, wife of John Dubose. Mr. Cantey died in 1789, and his widow survived
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until 1848. She was for several years the " oldest inhabitant," and her age, her cordial manners, her attachment to her home and her friends, the kindly interest she took in the welfare of all within her reach, the unaffected simplicity of her manners, her exhaustless fund of anecdotes of old times, and the sterling worth of her character endeared her to all who knew her, and caused her to be loved and respected in life, and unaffectedly lamented in death.
She retained to the last the primitive habits of her youth. Breakfast at or before sunrise, dinner by half-past twelve, tea before sunset, and supper to crown the labors of the day. She celebrated her birthday, which was in July, by an old-fashioned tea- party, to which everybody in her village was invited ; and on those occasions no business short of absolute urgency would ever prevent any planter from making it a point to return home early, to be in time for Mrs. Cantey's tea. It was a pleasure to pay her such attentions, for she knew with what spirit they were offered, and the warmth of her heart caused her to magnify their importance.
37. The next plantation was the homestead of Harriet, widow of Richard Walter, merchant of Charleston. She was the daughter of Charles Cantey of Mattesee, and her children were : Mary, wife of Peter Sinkler, Jr .; Harriet, wife of Sims Lequeux ; Martha, wife of O. G. White, and after his death, of Samuel Dubose ; Sarah, wife of Ben-
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jamin Joor ; Richard, who married Ellen Ford ; and John, who married Magdalen Taylor.
38. East of Mattesee Creek is Mattesee, the res- idence of Charles Cantey. His wife was a daughter !! of John Drake, and his son, Charles Cantey, married Margaret Evance. His daughter Sarah married James Sinkler, brother of Peter Sinkler of Lifeland, and after her death her sister Margaret became his second wife. Mary married John Peyre ; Harriet married Richard Walter ; Anne married René Peyre, and after his death, Peter Sinkler of Life- land ; Charlotte married Benjamin Walker. Mat- tesee was afterwards the residence of Charles, only son of John Drake. He married Louisa Lequeux, and was the father of Mrs. Maria Snowden of Townhill.
39. Next to Mattesee was Lequeux's, so called from the owner's name. I remember nothing about his family.
40. Old Santee, the next plantation, was the res- idence of Captain James Sinkler. He married Miss Cahusac, and after her death Sarah, daughter of Charles Cantey, of Mattesee ; their daughter mar- ried J. B. Richardson. His third wife was Mar- garet Cantey, sister of his second. The issue of this marriage were : Charles, who married Eliza- beth Peyre, and died childless ; William, who mar- ried Eliza, daughter of Archibald Brown ; and Anna, wife of John Thomson, of Belleville.
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41. Betaw was the residence of Thomas Hasell Thomas. His wife was Anne, daughter of Thomas Walter, the botanist, and their children were : Dr. John Thomas, now of Fairfield, who married Harriet, daughter of Elias Couturier ; T. Walter Thomas, late of Abbeville, who married Elizabeth Kirk ; Edward, a minister of the Episcopal Church, whose wife was Jane, daughter of Judge Gaillard ; Hasell Thomas, who died unmarried; Samuel Peyre Thomas, late of Fairfield, who married Jane Rose- borough; Anna, the only daughter, died unmarried.
42. Laurel Hill was the residence of John Peyre, who married Mary, daughter of Charles Cantey of Mattesee. No child survived their union. The place was sold to Captain Peter Gaillard of the Rocks.
Mr. Peyre, like many of his neighbors and friends, was a neutral in the contest with the mother country until after the fall of Charleston, when the proclama- tion was issued, in violation of the capitulation, call- ing on the people to bear arms in support of the king. Mr. Peyre obeyed the call, and was one of a strong party of Tories who had assembled at Black Mingo in Williamsburg District. Marion deter- mined, with his usual activity, to break up this camp, and accordingly having left his post on the Peedee, he travelled forty miles in one day, attacked, defeated, and dispersed the party. Mr. Peyre and his brother Charles were taken prisoners. They were sent on foot to Philadelphia, and there kept
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