USA > South Carolina > Williamsburg County > History of Williamsburg; something about the people of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, from the first settlement by Europeans about 1705 until 1923. > Part 5
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HISTORY OF WILLIAMSBURG
Contra, the first clause in the will of Nathaniel Snow, Church of England : "First and principally recommending my immortal soul into the hand of Almighty God, my Heav- enly Father, trusting in the merits of my Blessed Saviour for pardon and remission of all my sins and an happy ad- mission into the regions of Bliss and Immortality." Also, the will of Isaac Chandler, Baptist : "Principally, I com- mend my soul into the hands of Almighty God and my body to the earth to be decently buried in the hopes of a joyful resurrection at the last day unto Life Eternal by the Mighty Power and through the merit of Jesus Christ, our Mighty God and Saviour."
The original Presbyterians who came to Williamsburg scorned the celebration of Easter or Christmas, declaring that they were of heathen origin and unworthy of the Church. Until this day, some men and women in Williams- burg seriously object to special Easter and Christmas dec- orations and music, even in other churches than their own.
While the Church of England exercised over lordship of the colony of South Carolina until the War of the Rev- olution, and built its churches and supported its minis- ters out of public funds, it allowed a large measure of freedom to dissenting congregations. The young men who grew up in Williamsburg gradually assimilated the Ameri- can Presbyterian idea and accepted Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity. The Black Mingo Church from 1726, when it was founded, until 1811, when it became extinct, was, for all practical purposes, a Unitarian Church. The Wil- liamsburg Presbyterian Church did not worship Jesus Christ nor say much of His Divinity until its union with the Bethel congregation in 1828, ninety-two years after it was organized. The Indiantown Church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity at its foundation and many of these younger Presbyterians from Black Mingo and Williams- burg united with the Indiantown Church for the reason
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that it was Trinitarian in conception and American in its organization.
An act of the Colonial Assembly of 1706, generally known as the Church Act, divided South Carolina into ten parishes. Craven County was one of these Parishes. In 1721, the Parish of Prince George Winyaw was established -bounded on the Southwest by the Santee River, on the northeast by the Cape Fear River, on the east by the ocean, and on the west by the Indian country.
In 1734, Prince Frederick's Parish was divided from that of Prince George Winyaw. In 1713, on a beautiful bluff on Black River, probably the most striking river scene in South Carolina, Prince Frederick's Church was built. When Prince Frederick's Parish was separated from Prince George's Parish, it was intended that this Prince Frederick's Church should be included in Prince Frederick's Parish; however, the eastern line of Prince Frederick's Parish as established by law was afterwards found to be west of the church. This church remained, however, for nearly half a century the place of worship for the few adherents of the Church of England in Prince Frederick's Parish, which later became Williamsburg.
The pew holders in Prince Frederick's Church in 1734 were as follows: John Brown, John Lane, Reverend Thomas Morritt, John Thompson, Daniel Shaw, Francis Avant, John Wallace, Esq., Captain Anthony White, An- thony Atkinson, John White, Paul Laroche, William Swin- ton, John Borrell, Josias Dupre, and Caleb Avant. All of these men lived along Black River, some of them as far westward into the present Williamsburg County as Indian- town and Cedar Swamp. This Prince Frederick's Church was wealthy. The Reverend Mr. Morritt, who conducted services one Sunday in each month of 1735 in Georgetown and three Sundays at Prince Frederick's, admitted that his income was more than $7,500.00 a year.
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In 1736, the Reverend John Fordyce became the minis- ter of Prince Frederick's Parish "in the room of"' Reverend Mr. Morritt. Mr. Fordyce resigned in 1741. In 1743, Rev- erend Mr. Fordyce held communion services at the King's Tree on April 3rd and July 1st. His collection taken on these two occasions amounted to about $55.00.
Prince Frederick's Church had an eventful history. Its records were kept and throw much light on the beginnings of Williamsburg. In 1756, the Church wardens and ves- trymen wrote a letter to the Lord Bishop of London com- plaining of spiritual conditions in Prince Frederick's Parish. The letter was signed by John White, George Atkinson, William Green, Anthony White, James McPher- son, William Walker, James Crockett, and Charles Wood- mason, and begged for a Minister to succeed the Reverend Michael Smith, who, they said, had done more injury to the cause of virtue, religion, and the Church in three years time than "his successors could repair in many." They wrote that this Parish was the largest and most populous in the province, yet, "though numerous in inhabitants, the members of the Church are widely scattered and but few in number."
They state that the people of this section were for the most part of the communion of the Church of Scotland, being settlers from Scotland from the North of Ireland. The Church of Scotland then had two Meeting Houses in the Parish, one at Black Mingo and one at Williams- burg and large congregations at each of these places. They say that "Our back country", meaning Williamsburg, "is filled with numbers who never saw a minister of the Church of England."
The letter also states that the Reverend Mr. Smith did make "a Tour into these remote Parts of the Parish, But He had better stay'd at home, for the Consequence has been, that thro' his indiscreet Carriage, (We shd rather say immoral Conduct), among them, instead of bringing
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them over, and joining them to the Communion of our Church, he has unhappily driven them to send for Ana- baptist Teachers from Philadelphia, who dip many, and form them into Congregations; so that the regaining of them, and making them Members of the Established Chh will (we judge) be attended with great Pains, if not an im- possibility."
In the following year, Charles Woodmason, Register of Prince Frederick's Parish, wrote the Lord Bishop of Lon- don the following: "Our Parish Church, Parsonage & Glebe is daily falling to Ruin by being unoccupied. That there are now 4 Meeting Houses in this Parish, and two more talked of being built, (wch Increase would not have been except thro' Weakness, Supineness, & Immor- ality of our Incumbents) Whereas, had we Godly Minis- ters, Chapels of Ease would probably be raised in their places, and less Room for the Sectaries to spread them- selves. That the People of the Lower Part of our Parish, are a sober, sensible & literate People, those of the upper part, far otherwise; whose Numbers daily increase by Refugees from ye other Provinces. That if a Minister be not settled here soon, the defection from the Church will be so great, as hardly to leave enough Church Members to form a Congregation.
"That Itinerant Teachers from the Noard, are Yearly making of Converts that illiterate Persons set up for Pastors; That the Presbyterian Missionaries from the Northern Colleges, use unwearied pains & Diligence to extend their Influence & Interest, to the hazard of this whole Parish being soon entirely in their Hands; That this Prospect grieves every true Son & Well-wisher to the Church of England, while our Establish'd Clergy calmly look on, But that our Assembly, Alarm'd at our Situation, has lately divided into this extensive Parish, taking a New one out of it, to be called by the Name of St. Mark alloting also 100 L stg. pr. ann. for an Itinerant Minister to offici-
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ate the Waterees, & ye Catawba Settlemt So that we want 3 Ministers Sir at present, in this one Parish only."
On August 10, 1756, thirty-two Acadians were sent to Prince Frederick's Church and distributed among the good people of that Parish for sustenance and support. Among these Acadians were Joseph Durong (Durant) and his wife, Ann Lambert ; and their children, Mary, Josette, Ann, Margaret, Mary Ann, and Rosalie; John Daigle and his wife, Rosalie Richard, and their child, John Baptist; Peter Lambert and his sons, Peter and John; Francois LaBlanc and his wife, Magdalene Comie, and their chil- dren, Josetta, Ozick, Magdalene, Tesslie, and Margaret; Paul Oliver and his wife, Magdalene Bourk; Margaret Daigle Forrait and her three children, Paul, Larion, and John Baptist; John Baptist Porrier; Michell Porrier, Peirre Caisee; Michell Lapierre; and Renaie Drowhanny.
On the 3rd of November, 1770, Mary Bonnell died under suspicious circumstances. The matter of her sudden pass- ing created great interest in all this community. After she had been buried thirty-six days, her body was raised from its grave and examined by Samuel Nesmith, Esq., Coroner, "For our said Lord the King," and his Coroner's jury composed of James Lane, Foreman, Bartley Clark, Elias McPherson, Richard Green, Francis Green, William Green, William Green, Sr., Francis Futhy, John Glenn, Sr., Daniel Williams, James McPherson, and John McCrea. The first sessions of this Jury were held in the Prince Frederick's Church but later meetings were had at Black Mingo.
The last record in "the Register Book" of this old Prince Frederick's Church on Black River is a petition to the Church wardens for the assistance of an old woman who had been of good behavior and of good reputation in Wil- liamsburg for more than thirty years. It was dated the 21st day of January, 1778, and signed by the following : James McCollough, Andrew Patterson, John Jones, Wil-
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liam Scott, William Cooper, James Daniel, George Mc- Cutchen, John Scott, Thomas McConnell, Alex. H. Crase- ner, William Miller, William Dobien, William Hamilton. This petition was filed, but never was heard, for the last meeting of the officers of this old Church had been held and its doors had been closed forever, but for nearly a hundred years thereafter people of the community used this old Churchyard as a burying ground. It is situated on a high bluff on the convex side of the river where its deep dark waters form a crescent, the horns of which seem to pass into infinite distance, fading away in fringes of live oak and cypress.
Prior to this time, many, even of its officers, had with- drawn from the Church and united with the Black Mingo and the Indiantown Presbyterian Churches. Among these may be mentioned William Wilson, Thomas G. Scott, John Ervin, Thomas Goddard, Francis Britton, Jr., Daniel Mc- Ginney, John McDowell, Moses Britton, John James, Hugh Ervin, James Lane, William McCottry, Adam Mc- Donald, James McPherson, George Burrows, Edward Plowden, William Gamble, William McGee, Moses Brown, John Futhy, Alexander McCrea, Benjamin Duke, Thomas Potts, William Hamilton, and Thomas McCrea. The com- municants of this Church who retained their connection with the Church of England transferred their membership to the Church at Georgetown.
The Santee French Huguenots built a Chapel of Ease a few miles North of Lenud's Ferry on the Britton's Ferry road about 1730, and another Chapel of Ease on Murray's old field near Murray's Ferry, where they worshipped in their native tongue but according to the ritual of the Church of England. The use of the French language in these Chapels of Ease along the Santee for more than half a century had a great influence in determining the language used in Williamsburg. Until the present day, one finds many French idioms in the speech of the Wil-
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HISTORY OF WILLIAMSBURG
liamsburg people and their pronunciation shows a strong Romance language influence.
At the beginning of the War of the Revolution, there were large congregations supporting the Williamsburg Church at Kingstree, and the Black Mingo Church on the Kingstree-Georgetown road, which two churches were con- nected with the Presbytery of Scotland; about one hun- dred families supporting the Indiantown Presbyterian Church, which belonged to the Presbytery of Orange, an American organization; a few members of the Church of England living along what is now the Williamsburg- Georgetown County line, some of whom worshipped in Georgetown and others at the Chapel of Ease near Lenud's Ferry; and a few other communicants of the Church of England, who worshipped at the Chapel of Ease at Mur- ray's old field near Murray's Ferry. There were prob- ably a dozen Baptists in the Black Mingo community and nearly every one of these was a lineal descendant of the Reverend William Screven. At the outbreak of the Revo- lution, at least ninety-five per centum of the people of Williamsburg were Presbyterians.
CHAPTER VII.
GROWING PAINS AND PETITIONS.
Ancient inland communities all grew up on the banks of rivers. With few exceptions, the world depended upon water transportation until recent modern times. King George decreed that Williamsburg Township should be laid out on the banks of Black River, and that every grantee of land in the Township should have free access to the River. He also decreed that no grant of land should border the River for a distance more than one-fourth the distance it extended backward into the forest. This rule was established to give as many settlers as possible actual as well as constructive access to the river. The river was planned as a highway over which transportation to and from this back country was to be effected.
In 1730, for a great part of the year, Black River seemed almost a large inland sea as far westward as the King's Tree. Generally it was then very deep and the King's mariners reported that it would be navigable as far westward as the King's Tree for all the King's vessels. But, during the long summer seasons, Black River some- times decreased until it became at the King's Tree a very small stream. The River from Georgetown westward to Kingstree is one continuous series of elbows, and, at some points, frequently shows dangerous sandy shallows. The very large trees that grow along its banks have frequently fallen into the current and have always been serious men- aces to the navigation of the river.
On Friday, December 10, 1736, Robert Finley, Crafton Kerwin, and Richard Middleton, residents of Williams- burg, petitioned the Colonial Council to clear Black River and make it navigable. This petition brought the first act of the Colonial Government applying specially to Wil- liamsburg Township, which was passed in 1738, "An act
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HISTORY OF WILLIAMSBURG
for clearing, cleaning and making navigable Black River from the 'Narrows' to the western boundary of Williams- burg Township, inclusive." This act created a district for taxation for raising necessary funds to clear the river. This district was all North of a line half way between Santee River and Black River and all South of the line half way between Black River and Pee Dee River, from ten miles above Phineas Spry's plantation to the "Narrows" on Black River. Every man under sixty years old, white and black, free or slave, should be a unit for taxation, and every two hundred and fifty acres of land should be counted as a man for taxation. The commissioners ap- pointed were so to clear Black River that it would be navi- gable for "boats, barges, pettiaguas, lighters, and other vessels."
In 1732, the Roger Gordon colony came up Black River, disembarked at Brown's Ferry and blazed its way through the country to the King's Tree. This blazed trail, which is now a part of the Kingstree-Georgetown highway, was the first trail the white men made to the King's Tree. It has been continuously used as a road since 1732.
In 1734, John Witherspoon came from Belfast, Ireland, by way of Charleston, Georgetown, and thence up Black River to Potato Ferry, where he and his people disem- barked and blazed a trail westward to the King's Tree. This blazed trail became the Kingstree-Potato Ferry road and has been open to wayfarers since 1734. Many years before this time, a trail had been made from the Black Mingo community southward to Lenud's Ferry on the San- tee. The Williamsburg-Georgetown County line road fol- lows this ancient trail. The Wee Tee Indians had a trail from Lenud's Ferry westward along the north bank of the Santee River to where the abandoned Lower Saint Mark's Church now stands, and to the West. This Indian trail grew into the Santee River road.
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The first public road established by law in Williams- burg was that from Murray's Ferry to the King's Tree. This road was laid out by Act of the Colonial Council on the 8th day of March, 1741. All of the inhabitants and owners of slaves on the North side of the Santee River, within so many miles of Murray's Ferry as the commis- sioners of the public roads judged proper, were obliged, made liable, and directed to make and keep in repair the Murray's Ferry road to the King's Tree in the same manner as was described by the Highway Act of the General As- sembly of the province.
By the same Act, Murray's Ferry over the Santee River, connecting this road with the road to Charleston, was vested in Joseph Murray. By the terms of this Act, Joseph Murray, his executors, administrators, or assigns, were required to provide and keep at the said ferry for a term of seven years "one good and sufficient boat with at least two able men (one of which shall be a white man) fit for transporting passengers, horses, and cattle." He was allowed to charge ferriage for each passenger on foot two shillings and sixpence; for each horse, three shillings and nine pence; for a man and a horse, five shillings; for neat cattle, per head, ferried or swam, one shilling; for calves, sheep, or hogs, per head, six pence. "When the 'freshes' are so high that they are obliged to go from highland to highland, then all persons passing the ferry shall be obliged to pay double the rates above mentioned." This ferry was to be free at all times to all persons sent on His Majesty's service.
About 1750, somebody blazed a trail from Kingstree to Camden over Broad, Clapp's and Pudding Swamps, and about the same time, a trail from Kingstree northward by Effingham toward Cheraw. The Witherspoons made a trail from Kingstree over Black River at what is now known as the Lower Bridge about 1740.
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On the 25th day of May, 1745, Thomas McKeithen, John McIver, David Allen, Nathaniel Drew, and John McCants were appointed commissioners for cutting and clearing the lakes and water courses in the swamp at the head of Black Mingo Creek from the plantation of Colonel An- thony White to the mouth of Heathley's run and to make the stream navigable for flats and canoes. These persons were allowed to charge toll rates on everything passing through the canal and required to render an account yearly of the money collected by them.
The highway commissioners for the township of Wil- liamsburg, or said part of Prince Frederick's Parish as lies on Black River, in 1747, were as follows: Robert Gib- son, William Young, William Frierson, Isaac Brunson, John Leviston, Roger Gordon, Robert Wilson, John Jones, and John Allen. This board of commissioners was ordered to meet on Easter Monday and on the first Monday of August of every year. They were authorized to exercise general supervision over the roads and ferries in the district.
In 1748, the following commissioners were instructed to build a bridge over Black River at the King's Tree: Nathaniel Drew, John Allen, William Young, John Levis- ton, William Frierson, William Nelson, and William James. In 1756, the inhabitants of Williamsburg Town- ship petitioned the Council that "a ferry be established from the plantation of Theodore Gaillard on the South side of Santee River to Murray's Landing on the North side of the River; and have a more convenient passing when the freshes are up; that the Creek called Ferry Creek on the South side of the River and the Creek leading to the North side of the river to Murray's house be cleared and cleansed." This ferry was vested in Theodore Gaillard. The Council ordered that the Creek on the North side of Santee River leading from Murray's house to the River be cleared and thereafter kept clean and clear so that
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there might be free passage for the ferry boat or boats in the said Creek when the river was high, by the male in- habitants from sixteen to sixty years of age living and residing in the township of Williamsburg, or within five miles of Murray's Ferry. John Leviston, William Young, and William Nelson were appointed commissioners for clearing this Creek.
The Williamsburg section was thought to offer great opportunities and all of the land in the Township was taken up by grants within a very short time after the lines of the township had been established. In 1737, John Hamilton petitioned the King for a grant of two hundred thousand acres of land as near as possible to Williams- burg Township. In his petition, he stated that he could bring over immediately about one hundred forty Protes- tant families, skilled in the production of wine, currants, raisins, oil, coffee, cocoa, hemp, flax, wax, honey, saffron, and all kinds of grain and cattle, and that this section was well adapted to the production of all of these things.
John Hamilton's grandfather, John, and Robert Mont- gomery, were the two leading spirits in the migration of the Scotch into Northern Ireland during the seventeenth century, and the John Hamilton of 1737 hoped to found a colony in this section. His petition, however, for the grant of two hundred thousand acres of land for his colony was not given action by the King, and John Hamilton became an ordinary citizen of Williamsburg.
Another petition of interest, dated 1742, and signed by Thomas McCrea, Alexander McCrea, Crafton Kerwin, and William McNeedy, represents to the Colonial Council that these four petitioners had been granted lands in the North- eastern corner of the Township as originally surveyed; that they had settled thereon and had gone through much labor and expense in making their plantations suitable for habitation and for the production of salable articles ; that some time later the Colonial Council had sent a man
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purporting to be a surveyor to this section and that this man had gone to the hospitable home of John Peter Somer- hoeff, about fifteen miles from any point of Williamsburg Township, and, without approaching any nearer the Town- ship than Mr. Somerhoeff's piazza, had made another plat of the township which so changed the lines that the grants of these petitioners therefore made in good faith, accepted, and acted upon, had been left outside of the Township and had thereafter been included in grants to other per- sons. These four petitioners further said that they had been caused great annoyance and expense in defending their claims to original grants and submitted bills for the damages they had sustained. This matter was finally ad- justed to the satisfaction of these petitioners.
Many grants of land were made in Williamsburg Town- ship in violation of the order of the King establishing the Township. By decree, land in Williamsburg Township should have been granted only to bona fide settlers, but there were a great many influential people in Charleston, suspecting the value the lands in Williamsburg would probably have, secured grants within the territory without having any intention of actually settling thereon. These grants greatly damaged the Township and were a source of much ill feeling among the bona fide settlers. The two petitions following represent something of public opinion in Williamsburg in 1742 in regard to these illegal grants.
"Representation of the inhabitants of Williamsburg, complaining to His Majesty's Forty-third instruction be- ing broke thro' by the Governor and Council.
"To Henry McCulloh, Esq., the Humble Representation of the inhabitants of the town of Williamsburg showeth that, being informed, His Majesty has been graciously pleased to constitute and appoint you as His Commissary with full power to inquire into the abuses with respect to the grants of land and the quitrent payable thereupon
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and towards preventing and determining all matters in relation to the premises :
"We beg leave to represent that by His Majesty's Forty- third instruction to his Governor of this province, there were eleven townships set apart for the reception of such Protestants as might come and settle in this province ; that in consideration of the encouragement given us by the Government and Council and from the certainty we appre- hended with it, under His Majesty's Royal Instructions to His Governor, had secured our properties and the re- mainder of the township lands would remain only for the uses, direct by his Majesty's instructions, which would have enabled us to have brought over our friends and rela- tives to settle in our neighborhood. We, under these en- couragements, transported ourselves and families to this province and settled in Williamsburg Township.
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