USA > South Carolina > Historic houses of South Carolina > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27
At the expiration of the first term of President Monroe and Vice-President Tompkins in 1821 John Gailliard of South Carolina was president pro-tempore of the sixteenth Congress and was duly qualified to have been acting President of the United States from noon on March 4th (the expiration of President Mouroe's first term) until I o'clock the next day when Mr. Monroe commenced his second term. Gailliard's term did not expire with the end of the sixteenth Congress, and at that time the office of President pro-tempore was not con- strued as extending within "the pleasure of the Senate." The records of Congress show that Gailliard's formal reelection as President pro-tempore did not take place until February 20, 1822, thus giving proof of his legal ability to serve as Presi- dent for a day.
Thomas H. Benton. distinguished Senator from Missouri, says of John Gailliard, in a book published in 1856, that this gentleman from St. Stephen's Parish in South Carolina (born in 1769) had from the year 1804 been continually elected to the Senate, the first time for an unexpired term, followed by four- teen reëlections, in the course of the last of which he died. The years for which he had been elected numbered nearly thirty ; and during this period of service he was elected Presi- dent (pro-tempore) of the Senate nine times, and presided for fourteen years over the deliberations of that body, the death of two Vice-Presidents, and frequent absence of a third making long, continued vacancies of the presidential chair which Gail- liard was called upon to fill.
148
ST. JOHN'S AND ST. STEPHEN'S
He is described as being "urbane in manner, amiable in temper, and serupulously impartial ; delicate in manner when setting young senators right, facilitating transaction of busi- ness while preserving decorum of that body. There was not an instance of disorder or a disagreeable scene in the chamber during his long-continued presidency. He classed democrati- cally in politics, but was as much a favorite of one side of the house as the other, and that in the high party times of the war with Great Britain, which so much exasperated party spirit."
Mr. Theodore G. Fitzsimons has in his possession at Wil- town a rapier worn with full dress by Mr. Gailliard; it was given by John Gailliard to his nephew, Samuel Gailliard Bar- ker, who in turn gave it to his nephew, the present owner. The name of John Gailliard's plantation was Hayden Hill, on which the dwelling has been burnt. This plantation comprised sev- eral tracts, one of which was conveyed by the King to Thomas Farr. A list of all the Gailliard places. and there were many of them, includes Brush Pond, still used : the Wilson tract ; the St. Julien tract: Nowman and Godfrey tracts; the Rhett or Thompson tract, and the Oaks, near Eutaw Springs, Wind- sor was another Gaillard place, having been the residence of John Gailliard's father.
Perhaps the best known house in this family was that which belonged to Peter Gailliard, which goes by the name of " The Rocks." The register of St. James Santee carries this entry. probably in reference to the owner of the first plantation, and to The Rocks :
"David Gailliard of the Parish of St. Stephens, Bachelor, Pud Joana Dubose of the Parish of St. Stephens, Spinster. were married at the plantation of Theodore Gailliard Sen of this Parish, by License, this Twenty-Third Day of September in the Year of our Lord 1773.
This marriage was Solemnized between us In the Presence of
David Gailliard Joanna Dubose James Rivers Isaac Dubose."
HISTORIC HOUSES OF SOUTH CAROLINA
The timber for The Rocks was selected during a freshet by Mr. Peter Gailliard, who took a canoe and went as far as Santee River, marking which trees he wanted; these were cut by slaves after the freshet, and the cypress allowed to season. The house was put up by his own carpenters, near Eutawville. It is likely that bricks for the foundation and chimneys, each of which give warmth to four rooms, being placed opposite the doors, were made on his own plantation. In some of the houses in this vicinity there was a queer little closet-like room at the rear, entered from the back steps. At The Rocks it was used as a store-room for cut glass and such things, and at Walnut Grove was used aud furnished as a library.
Ruins of the Château Gaillard are in Normandy, placed on the summit of a projecting cliff, the castle rises up grandly, commanding a view of the River Seine for miles. According to tradition it was once the home of Richard Coeur-de-Lion, who is supposed to have been his own architect, and the skill shown in the construction of this fortress is considered masterly. The central donjon tower is of immense strength. It is the most perfect remaining part of the castle; the walls are from fourteen to fifteen feet thick. It may be that in some occult manner this spirit of engineering passed to Gailliard, the engineer who worked so faithfully for the benefit of America in making Culebra Cut in the Panama Canal, but whose name has been withdrawn and that of Culebra substituted.
There are several other houses in the vicinity of The Rocks, not yet mentioned, which are still standing, and which all con- form to the same general plan of construction. Among them are Walworth, Belmont, Walnut Grove, and Springfield.
One of the Gailliards who served in the Revolutionary War had under his command a man by the name of Francis Salva- dor, who resided at Ninety-Six, and whose remains are interred in the old DeCosta burying ground in Hanover Street. Charles- ton. Mr. Salvador was a young Englishman who had come to Carolina about 1773; the Mesne Conveyance records show that he bought lands in this Province in 1774. His home was at Corn-acre Creek twenty-eight miles from Major Andrew Williamson's home. He was a member of the Provincial Con-
150
ST. JOHN'S AND ST. STEPHEN'S
-
grosses of 1775-1776, being one of the few Up Country repre- sontatives who had taken an active part in its proceedings. It was Francis Salvador who first brought word of the Indian uprisings at the time of the Revolution to Major Williamson. He was shot down by Williamson's side while attacking the savages, who unfortunately discovered him immediately and scalped him alive before he could be found by his friends in the dark.
To return to St. Stephen's and the settlement at Pine- ville, Mr. F. A. Porcher gives the following delightful account of a Pineville ball.
"Nothing can be imagined more simple or more fascinat- ing than those Pineville balls. No love of display, no vain attempt to outshine a competitor in the world of fashion, gov- erned the preparations. Refreshments of the simplest char- acter were provided : such only as the unusual exercise would fairly warrant, nothing to tempt a pampered appetite. Cards wore furnished to keep the old men quiet. and the music was such only as the gentlemen's servants could give.
"The company assembled early-no one ever thought of waiting until bedtime to go to the ball-and the dancing al- ways began with a country-dance. The lady who stood at the head of the column called for the figures, and the old airs of Ca ira, Money-Musk. Haste to Wedding, and La Belle Catherine were popular and familiar in Pineville, even long after they had been forgotten in the city.
"The evening's entertainment was always concluded with the Boulanger, a dance whose quiet movement came in appro- Į riately to cool off the rovellers before exposure to the chilly air. It was a matter of no small importance to secure a proper partner for this dance, for, by old custom, whoever danced last with a lady had the prescriptive right to see her home. No car- riages ever rolled in the village streets after night; a servant with a lantern marshalled the way, and the lady, escorted by her last partner, was conducted to her home. And as the Season drew towards a close, how interesting became those walks ! how many words of love were spoken !"
ST. STEPHEN'S
Concerning St. Stephen's Parish, formerly known as Craven County, Dalcho's Church History gives the follow- ing information :
151
HISTORIC HOUSES OF SOUTH CAROLINA
---
" This Parish was taken from St. James, Santee, and was usually called English Santee, It was established by Act of the Assembly May 11. 1754. The Chapel of Ease of St. James' Church fell within the limits of the new Parish, and was de- clared to be the Parish Church by St. Stephen's.
'' The Rovd Alex" Keith, A. M., Assistant Minister of St. Philip's, Charleston, was the first Rector of this Parish. The Church had been the Chapel of Ease to St. James', was old and unfit for use from its ruinous condition, and became too small. The inhabitants petitioned for a new Parish Church. An Act was passed 19 May, 1762, appointing James Pamor, Charles Cantey, Philip Porcher, Joseph Pamor, Peter Sinkler, Peter Porcher, Thomas Cooper, Rene Peyre, and Samuel Cordes Commissioners to receive subscriptions, and to build the church on any part of the land of St. Stephen's then used for a church-yard. The Church is one of the handsomest Country Churches in South Carolina, and would be no mean ornament to Charleston. It is of brick and neatly finished. It is on the main river road and about twelve miles from the Santee Canal. Upon a brick on the south side is inscribed .A. Howard, Ser. 1767,' and on another 'F. Villeponteux, Ser. 7, 1767,' the names of the architects.
"The Church was incorporated February 29, 1788. The family of the Gailliards lie here interred, as do the other old families of the neighborhood."
Connecting the settlers of English and French Santee was the fact that the Echaw, a branch of the Santee River, was settled by families of both, Louis Gourdin established himself there after his flight from his native place in the Province of Artois in France. He was a Huguenot, and like many others refugeed to the Province of Carolina in 1685. He died in 1716 and a mural tablet is found in the Hugue- not church dedicated to him in 1860 by the fourth and fifth generations of his descendants.
Some of the Gourdin family moved over to what was afterwards Williamsburg district, among them Peter Gourdin, who married a Miss Singleton. Their daughter, Martha Gourdin, before her marriage to Wilmot G. DeSaussure, was
152
CHIAPELOON ST STEPHEN'S
-
ST. JOHN'S AND ST. STEPHEN'S
known as " Martha, the Gazelle of the Santees." She inher- ited one-fifth of her father's estate under Act of the General Assembly passed 1791 for the distribution of Intestate Estates ; and many interesting deeds bearing on this section of the country are now in possession of the family of the writer, a granddaughter of Martha Gourdin DeSaussure.
In investigating Pen Branch plantation, Williamsburg County, owned by Robert E. Fraser, of Georgetown; J. W. Hinson and J. D. Cummings, of New York, about to be pur- chased by N. T. Pittman, it is interesting to note, in further connecting Santee and Williamsburg, that this was an original grant to a John Gailliard, in three tracts, in 1768, and he trans- ferred it to Philip Porcher in 1778. In the examination of titles it is stated that this was commonly called Porcher's Old Field lying on Pen Branch. Philip Porcher's father was Peter Porcher, of St. Peter's Parish, and the Porchers were described as owning land in St. Stephen's Parish in 1808. Peter Porcher had two plantations in St. John's Berkeley, Oakfield and Laban, and a tract of land in Prince Frederick Parish (Craven County), containing 1000 acres, bounded by lands of Theodore Gourdin on the northwest and east, and by the Santee River on the south. Peter Porcher's daughter Mary married John Corbett.
Samuel Dubose, Esq., in his Reminiscences of St. Stephen's Parish, written in 1858, says:
"A feature characteristic of this country, and one that deserves notice, is the family burying grounds. After the erec- tion of St. Stephen's Church, the ground about it was the common cemetery, but many persons to this day continue to bury their dead in the old homestead, and chose to lie in death within the precinets of their ancestor's domain; even though perhaps they may have been strangers to it in life. The grave yard was near the house, usually behind the garden. As a precaution against the depredation of wolves, a large hole was dug to the depth of about five feet: a grave was then dug at the bottom of this hole. large enough to hold the coffin-after the coffin was deposited in this receptacle, it was covered with boards, and the whole then filled up. This practice continues to this day. I can hardly enumerate the several grave yards : those which have been latest used are that at Belle Isle for the
153
HISTORIC HOUSES OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Marion's and their descendants: at Maham's for the descen- dants of Col. Maham ; at the Old Field for the family of Philip Porcher; at Gravel Hill for the Palmers; at Hanover in St. John's for the descendants of the St. Julien's; and those at Pooshee and Somerton for the families of the Ravenels and Mazycks. It is not unlikely that there are graves on almost every old homestead in the country.
Some distance beyond the St. Stephen's line, and just below the Eutaw Springs, was another settlement, chiefly of Huguenot families, viz: the Couturier's, Marion's, Gignil- lat's, Chouvenau's, Gourdin's, &c., besides others of English descent, the MeKelvey's, Ervine's. Oliver's, Kirk's, &c. All of these in the course of time were connected by intermarriage. The land was well adapted to the growth of provisions and Indigo, and in consequence of the fertility of the high lands, they escaped the full measure of the calamities with which their neighbors of Stephen's were visited, when the river became unsafe. The same picture of a prosperous and happy condi- tion with which I have introduced this sketch, may be applied to this neighborhood also, and the happiness which is there described, continued to be the portion of the people, until in the course of the Revolutionary War, the British got possession of the State, and established their military posts over every portion of the country."
According to letters of John Rutledge, published in Russell's Magazine for June, 1858, Murray's Ferry was in St. Stephen's Parish.
*
-
CHAPTER VIII ST. MARK'S PARISH
C T. MARK'S Parish originally in- cluded all the northwestern portion of the State of South Carolina. A list of delegates to Provincial Con- gress, 1775, "For District East- ward of the Wateree River" named Col. Richard Richardson, Joseph and Ely Kershaw, Matthew Single- ton, Thomas Sumter, Robert Pat- ton, William Richardson, Robert Carter and William Wilson. St. Mark's Parish was taken off from the western portion of Prince Fredericks by Act of Assembly 1757. Richard Rich- ardson gave the lands for the church and glebe lands for a parsonage. This church was destroyed by the British soldiers. It was situated about ten miles from the place now known as Wrights Bluff, on the north side of the Santee River.
Camden, Statesburg and Columbia were in the original Parish of St. Mark. The Parish was again divided into Upper and Lower St. Mark's. Lower St. Mark's comprises much of the land in Clarendon County. One of the oldest homes in the Parish is the Col. Warren Nelson house, of which the chimneys have the date 1762 cut in them. The house is situated near Doughty Lake, a few miles below Nelson's Ferry and was the residence of William Doughty, lay reader in Lower St. Mark's. The grounds are set with many beautiful trees and the attitude of this old home is one of culture and hospitality. An extract from a letter of Brig. Gen. Sumter makes a mention of action of the armies in St. Mark's Parish.
6 before I Return to the Congaree I think to move towards Santee-and endeavor to alarm Lord Rawdon to prevent his Crossing the River, or Removing the post from Nelson's ferry."
155
HISTORIC HOUSES OF SOUTH CAROLINA
THE SAND HILLS OF SAINT MARK'S
MILFORD
The country house of John L. Manning, Governor of South Carolina from 1852 to 1853, was Milford, situated in Clarendon County, near Fulton, S. C., in what is called the Sand Hill region of old St. Mark's Parish. The place is sometimes called Manning's Folly, because of such magnificence being placed in such an out-of-the-way spot. To any one familiar with the history of this old settlement, however, the name is not at all applicable.
Laurence Manning, an Irish lad, came to this country with his widowed mother before the Revolution and settled in Vir- ginia, He came to South Carolina as a lieutenant in Lee's Legion, and was distinguished in many battles and by many aets of personal bravery. His exploit of using a British officer as a shield for himself at the battle of Eutaw is the subject of a painting in the State House at Columbia. The South Caro- lina history of the Mannings starts when Susannah Richard- son, daughter of General Richard Richardson and Mary Cantey, married this gallant young officer. After the Revolu- tion, on the organization of the State militia, Laurence Man- ning was appointed Adjutant General, and held the office until his death in 1804. He also served the State in its legislature. The gallant Irishman and his aristocratic bride founded a family which has given many public-spirited men and women to South Carolina.
John Laurence Manning, the grandson of the founder of the family, and builder of Milford, was twice married, first to Susannah Hampton, and then to Sarah Bland Clark, of Vir- ginia. The handsome home stands on a commanding slope and bluff overlooking a dense swamp, the tops of the trees in the swamp below are on a level with the lower sweep of the hill which Milford erowns with its massive structure of classic proportions and conception.
Inside, the beautiful woodwork of solid mahogany, and the very high ceilings, carry out the idea of elegance and space
156
"MILFORD." WEST OF PINEWOOD
Built by The Second Governor Manuing, son of the First Governo: Manning and uncle to Richard I. Manning, the Third Governor Manning From a print
ST. MARK'S PARISH
evidenced in the exterior, and an additional architectural fea- ture is the handsome circular staircase ascending from the front hall. The house is built with two long wings at the rear projecting on each side, so that the house torms a semi-circle, in the center of which, behind the main building, is a bell tower.
A most interesting entrance to the grounds is furnished by the porter's lodge from which a broad carriage road sweeps in a curve to the door of the mansion. Each outbuilding, in- cluding the lodge and spring house, is a miniature, minus the wings, of the large establishment, and the whole effect of Milford and its grounds is one of rare unity.
In his day Governor Manning was said to be the handsom- est man in South Carolina, and he was a man of genial nature. His home reflected his taste, several massive statures retain- ing their proportion and beauty by reason of the excellent arrangement of the house. Entrance is gained directly from the portico with its broad columns into a beautifully propor- tioned hall, from which the circular stairway ascends, while folding doors lead to rooms on either side, giving an air of sumptuous spaciousness. On the left is the library, on the right the drawing-room, and in the rear the dining-room. In Gov- ernor Manning's time great alabaster vases of dazzling white stood in the front hall : indeed, the whole house enshrined many art objects of rarity and beauty.
Until after the Civil War the settlement around Milford comprised the families of Richardson, Brailsford, Manning, Nelson, and Cantey, all connected by marriage. Where there was once a flourishing community, and a great deal of politi- cal and social activity, there is now nothing but a few shut-up houses in the charge of caretakers. This condition has come about through the decay of the old slave-holding system, and the fact that the farms had to be abandoned for lack of labor, and although some of the men have retained their ancestral homes and acres, they make their residences in the adjacent towns and cities.
No better illustration can be found of the political sig- nificance of this now abandoned section than the history of Elizabeth Pierre Richardson. She married one of the Man-
157
₹
HISTORIC HOUSES OF SOUTH CAROLINA
nings, was a piece of Gov. James B. Richardson, an aunt of John Peter Richardson, Jr., wife of Governor Richard Irving Manning, Sr., mother of Governor John Laurence Manning, of Milford, and grandmother of Richard Irving Manning, the Governor of South Carolina during the world war.
Leslie's Weekly, March 16, 1918, in "Our Roll of Honor," says :
"Has any State in the Union more of a War Governor' than Governor Richard I. Manning, of South Carolina? Not only has he contributed in every way possible, officially and personally, to the winning of the war, but also every male member of his family wears the country's uniform (with the exception of his youngest son, a boy of fifteen) " (six sons being in service) "Capt. William Sinkler Manning
is regimental adjutant of the 316 Infantry; Capt. Bernard Manning is in the 316 Regimental Field Artillery; Major Wyndham Manning is Major of Field Artillery, 156 Brigade; Burrel Deas Manning and John Adger Manning are in the Field Artillery, as is Vivian Manning."
Major William Sinkler Manning was one of the sons of Carolina who "paid the price" that Freedom's flag should remain unfurled. Mrs. William Sinkler Manning, who was a Miss Brodie, a granddaughter of Alexander Shepherd (former Governor of the District of Columbia), who now resides in the National Capital, received an official communication from the adjutant general of the American Expeditionary Forces say- ing that a distinguished service cross had been awarded posthumously to her husband, Major Manning, for "extraor- dinary heroism in action" near Verdun, France, November 6, 1918. Thus died gloriously, and for God, a noble son of a noble race.
ON THE CAMDEN ROAD IN ST. MARK'S PARISH THE SINGLETONS AND THEIR HOMES IN ST. MARK'S PARISH
The Singletons were an old and honorable family in the low-country and were first found in the Scotch-Irish settle- ment in the Williamsburg District. They intermarried with
158
2
"MELROSE," BUILT BY MATTHEW SINGLETON, IST From a drawing by Alfred Hutty
٠
ST. MARK'S PARISH
the old families, including the Richardsons, Canteys and Gourdin's, and have been written up many times. "The State" for September 24th, 1916, carries a full and de- tailed history of them, and one of the most interesting things published in connection with the article is an account of the possessions of the family. These include Matthew Singleton's Commission issued under the crown, dated May 5th, 1770, his commission from the Council of Safety, dated October, 1775, his oath of allegiance, June 7th, 1778, and tax receipts reading -"1773 rec'd The sum of Four Pounds three shillings and 10d, Proclamation money ; being for one years Quitrent due to the crown for two thousand and 94 acres of land held by him and situated in Craven County."
Mrs. Leroy Halsey, who was Decca Singleton, daughter of Richard Singleton of "Home Place, " has in her possession a photograph of a part of a grant of land given to Matthew Singleton in 1756. This picture and other family relics are among Mrs. Halsey's most treasured possessions in her Charleston home.
MELROSE
"Melrose" is the oldest of the Singleton homesteads still standing. It is situated just off the public road, known in colonial days as the "Great Road from Charleston to Cam- den." This road led past the present town of Wedgefield through Manchester to settlements beyond. Mr. Thos. E. Richardson, Judge of Probate for Sumter County, says : "Man- chester was a thriving little town, before the Revolution and was the head of navigation on Beech Creek for boats that plied between that place and Charleston after 1800. There were no places on the northeast side of the Santee and Wateree Rivers south of Camden where the river approached the high land except at Sumter's Landing near Hagood, and Wrights Bluff. Beech Creek unites with Shank's Creek near Manchester and this enlarged stream used to be navigable for canal boats; so Manchester was a sea port for this section of the country until the Rail Roads broke it up." The Singletons ac- quired their vast wealth by shipping indigo and later cotton by boat from Manchester.
159
-
HISTORIC HOUSES OF SOUTH CAROLINA
"Melrose" is a small house but exceedingly quaint. A small one-story piazza extending across the entire front of the house shields two large rooms from the sun. At both gable ends are large chimneys, which are flanked on either side by long narrow windows. Through one of these windows James Sin- gleton was fed by a faithful slave when the British were in this vicinity, he being ill with small-pox. Behind the large front rooms are found two smaller apartments with a hall dividing them and furnishing access to the rear. The hall contains a stairway leading to the rooms above. At the rear end of this hall a large arched doorway leads, by way of a "stoop," directly to the yard,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.