Married at 15, Dead by 30: The Fate of the Average Female Settler

On February 21, 1937, The News & Courier carried a lengthy article by Nell Flinn Gilland about the conditions the early women settlers in Williamsburg District faced. The headline called it a brief, hard life, and the sub-head noted: "Marrying at Fifteen, Bearing Numbers of Children, Dying Wearily at 30 was Average." Here is the article:

Thorntree was the home of Elizabeth McQuoid Witherspoon.

Her son, James Witherspoon, holds the record for most marriages in

colonial Williamsburg District. He was married five times.

"The part played by pioneer women in American settlements must be gleaned largely from tradition; from euglogistic epitaphs on gravestones, when such exist; from family records and letters; and from fragmentary comments of historians.

"When Williamsburg County was settled more than two centuries ago, women's names were not even recorded on church rolls. They lived solely for their husbands and families, spending their lives in devoted service in their circumscribed sphere. But their contribution was incalculably important. Most Williamsburg County women married at an average age of 15, bore about 10 children, buried half of them in infancy, and themselves sank wearily into their narrow graves at some 30 years of age. They were succeeded by a second, often a third, young wife, whose days were patterned on the lines of her predecessors and ended at approximately the same age. 

"Typical of the feelings which their husbands entertained for them is the remark by John Ramsey Witherspoon, who was born in Williamsburg in 1774, and who continued the Witherspoon genealogy begun by Robert Witherspoon, who came to Kingstree with his parents in 1734.

"Says John Ramsey, 'I married first Jane Harrison of Charleston, S.C., and second Mary Green Todd, of Kentucky, who died without issue. It may be said of these estimable women, as of Mary, Queen of Scots, that youth, beauty, innocence, virtue, all combined to render them lovely.... I married the third time Sophie Graham of Lincoln County, N.C. ..., an estimable woman.'

Inscription on the gravestone of Jane Harrison McCalla Witherspoon 

at Old Wappetaw Independent Congregational Church, Awendaw, SC.

She died February 23, 1808, at age 27 years, four months.

"Estimable, innocent, virtuous! Doubtless most pioneer women were all of that, but under their meek exterior, they carried a spirit of endurance impossible to overestimate. It is probable that their husbands depended on the 'weaker sex' more than they themselves realized.

"Bearing out this belief is an incident recorded of an old Scottish minister, John Witherspoon, ancestor of a number of the first settlers around the King's Tree. The Reverend John was being hunted as a dissenter by a party of the King's soldiers and was seen by them to enter his house, which was quickly surrounded.

"'Bettie dear,' said the godly old man to his spouse, 'They have me noo.'

"'Trust in God,' replied the devout helpmeet. No doubt poor John had hoped the adroit Bettie would have up her sleeve something more canny than a mere platitude.

"'But Bettie dear, they're at the door,' he told her desperately.

"'Trust in God, John,' she repeated. At the same time, she proved that trust in God implied faith in the Almighty's power to use the means at hand, and as she spoke, she pushed her mate down before her spinning wheel and threw over him her voluminous cloak, pulling the hood over his head. Thus did the 'gude' man turn out his first crop of spinning as the soldiers burst into the house and inquired of Dame Bettie the whereabouts of her husband. With a beautiful regard for the truth, she replied, "He has been both out and in today, and if you think he is in the house, search it.'

"While the search went forward, the guileful soul went about her homely tasks, the hooded old 'woman' spinning frantically, with what success is not recorded.

"Giving up their fruitless search at last, the soldiers said to Mrs. Witherspoon, 'Well, the man is a witch, for we saw him come in. He is not in the house now, and we have guarded the place.'

"From such resourceful, loyal women were Williamsburg's first homemakers descended.

"Elizabeth Witherspoon, a descendant of the said John and Bettie, was among the women in the first colony who came to the King's Tree in 1732. She was the wife of William James, and they brought with them four children: Mary, Janet, John, and William. Elizabeth survived the rigors of pioneer life 18 years and died in 1757 at the age of 47, the mother of 11.

"Mary Witherspoon was the wife of David Wilson and brought with her two children, William and John. She lived until 1756 and died at age 58. A fine sense of humor Mary Wilson must have had.

"In recounting to her children in later years tales of the journey across the Atlantic in a small boat, the landing finally up Black River at Brown's Landing, and the trek through some 40 miles of forest, it was not the horrors nor the frightening silence of the strange land her children remembered most, but the homely incident of how the older folk and the little ones clinging to their mothers' skirts would fall behind the stronger walkers, sometimes losing sight of them in the tangle of swamps.

"Then some woman, perhaps Mary herself, would call out to cheer up the stragglers, 'YOO-O-O–HOO-O-O! Where are you?' and back would come the tones of some heartening Irish voice, 'Follow the bleezes!" And so the marks of the axe blazed that first trail.

"Two years later John and Janet Witherspoon set sail from Belfast to join their children who had already settled in Williamsburg. But sadness was cast over that voyage because Janet died two days after the vessel left Ireland. Robert Witherspoon records of his grandmother's passing:

"'She was buried in the boisterous ocean.'

"We may imagine the grief of her daughters, Mary Wilson and Elizabeth James, who must have been waiting eagerly to welcome their mother to the new land. At the time of her death, Janet was 54. Her namesake daughter was with her when she died and came on to Williamsburg with her husband John Fleming and their seven children. Janet Fleming lived until 1761 and died aged 66.

"Other women known to have been in the second colony were Ann Pressley, the wife of David Witherspoon, and Elizabeth McQuoid, wife of James Witherspoon. The latter couple brought with them four children, one of whom, Sarah, died after their boat landed in Charleston and was the first person buried at the Scotch Meeting House there.

"Doggedly the little colony set themselves to making homes in the wilderness. The women worked as hard and as uncomplainingly as the men. They never left home without their husbands, who only occasionally took them to church or to visit their mothers.

"These wives were literally helpmeets. The men planted and harvested corn; the women shucked and shelled and ground it into meal from which they baked bread for their families. The men killed and dressed cattle or a forest deer; the women cured and cooked the meat, made the hide into breeches for their husbands, moccasins for their children, or aprons for themselves. The men sheared the sheep; the women cleaned the wool, carded, spun, wove and made clothing for their families.

"It was a hard life, made infinitely harder by frequent childbearing and the grinding agony of burying little forms under alien earth. It has been estimated that the man of that day who lived to 75 years was the father of 15 living and 15 dead children, having buried three or more wives. James Witherspoon [son of James and Elizabeth McQuoid Witherspoon] was married five times, holding the record in Williamsburg.

"But there were women, too, who held to life with hard tenacity. Such was Mary Frierson, who was born in Ireland in 1701 and came to Williamsburg in 1735, the wife of Thomas Frierson, whom she had married when very young. She outlived Thomas and married John Scott. Her youngest child, named for her, was born when she was over 50, and Mary lived to be 56.

"There was also Mary Heathly, who survived her third husband. She married first William Bradley, by whom she had seven children; second Thomas Witherspoon, by whom she also had seven children; and third Thomas McCrea for whom she bore three children, making a brood of 17 in all. One glories in her strength!

"Besides their endless household duties and the bearing, rearing and burying of children, those pioneer women had sole charge of the education of their offspring. Before the Revolution, teachers in South Carolina were required to be members of the Church of England, licensed by the Lord Bishop of England. No such pernicious influence was permitted in Presbyterian Williamsburg, hence children were taught at home. The thoroughness of their schooling is attested by the fact that out of the first hundred wills and transfers of property made in the district, only one man had to make his mark for a signature, and the women's signatures, releasing their dowers, were clear and beautiful. Of the 300 Williamsburg men in Marion's Brigade, only six had to make their mark. The ancient manuscripts of the day were penned with sharpened goose quills dipped in ink made from red oak balls, but the penmanship is said to have been exquisite.

"There were no slaves in early Williamsburg to lighten the Herculean labors of pioneer housewives. A few were introduced in the 1740s, but it was not until the planting of indigo began in 1749, and the people of the community became wealthy that slaves were owned in any number. Though the harvesting of indigo added another task for women, it must have been balm to their beauty-loving souls to dip their hand-woven materials into the vivid dye. How they must have reveled in fashioning those blue garments for their growing daughters! How they must have yearned over those simple trousseaus, dreading for their tender girls the treadmill of the pioneer mother's life!

"Yet, there must have been an almost inconceivable intensity of devotion for their mates among those women, who knew the reality of companionship which the modern woman cannot conceive. For the arduous tasks of the household there must have been recompense a hundred-fold when the man of the family came home from his fields or hunt at sunset and took his wife in his arms with reverent gratitude for the homely beauty she was creating for him in the midst of solitude and strangeness.

"And how those first women must have treasured the little possessions added gradually to their stores. In the keeping of Mrs. James Haselden of Cades is a small sugar dish brought over by her ancestor, Elizabeth Witherspoon James, in 1732–a delicate china container which doubtless recalled to Elizabeth the comfortable home she had left in Ireland. It was tenderly washed and dried with handwoven cloths and handed down from one generation to another.

"'Grandmother's sugar dish from the auld counthree!' Proud must have been the bride into whose home was brought this heirloom. 

"Pioneer life was not quite all hardship and drabness. There were holidays and feasting, too. Even those stern Calvinists of Williamsburg were not averse to relaxing on occasion their rigorous Puritanism. Every two months the militia companies met, and twice a year the militia battalions assembled with appropriate festivities.

"One does not suppose that the women into into the festivities and drinking on those occasions with the abandon of their lords and masters. But they could not be left alone at home with the danger of savages and wild beasts threatening them. We may picture them gathering happily at the home of their friends, their children around them. After they had busily prepared the feasts and served the men, we may envision them hungrily listening to women-talk: swapping recipes, exchanging quilt patterns, recounting anecdotes of the children. Once a year the Craven County Regiment of Militia gathered with much pomp and ceremony in Williamsburg District.

"There were, besides, mid-winter and mid-summer racing seasons when doubtless much courtship was carried on, and lonely women rejoiced in social intercourse. Possibly the women were patient when their menfolk, good churchmen though they were, relaxed from their stern daily programs and imbibed too freely of the apple brandy and 'old rosy corn whiskey' furnished them by North Carolina distillers. The women, as well as the men, were deeply interested in the racing. Much of their lives were of necessity spent in the saddle, and they prided themselves on the horses they raised and trained themselves.

"In 1749, occurred the great drought which continued from June until January of the following year. Thought the Scotch minister blew a great blast on his ministerial horn, and the good people assembled themselves in the log church to pray, first for hours at a stretch, and again from sunrise till sunset, not a drop of moisture fell to cool the parched earth. Dependent on their crops for bread, starvation threatened the colony. Reluctantly, a band of emissaries went to Charleston to ask for help, fearful that the Colonial Council would supply bread only on condition that Williamsburgers give up their cherished religion and conform to the established church. The journey, requiring over a week, was fruitless.

"There was not sufficient corn and wheat in Charleston to be spared. Council promised to send to England for supplies, but three months must elapse before help from overseas could be expected. Three months, and their children dying for want of food!

"Doggedly the men, tearing themselves from the arms of desperate, frightened women, set forth for North Carolina, a trip which required more time than a voyage to England. They were gone so long that those left at home believed them dead. Many of the homes they left behind were darkened during their absence by the shadow of death. What has gone down in the history of the county as 'The Great Mortality' followed the relentless drought. It has been estimated that 80 out of every 100 in the colony succumbed. Thin, wasted mothers sat dry-eyed and watched their children die like flies. Helpless babes were left motherless.

Mary Erwin Scott is credited with harvesting cattails like these,

drying their roots, grinding them to flour and making bread to save

the community during the "Great Mortality of 1749."

"One resourceful woman, tortured by the cries of her children for bread to eat with their diet of fish and meat, called the little ones to her, flung a sack over her back, grabbed up her man's heavy hoe and set forth into the swamp near her home. There she dug up cattail roots, disregarding blistered  hands and aching muscles until she had filled her sack. She dried the roots out in her oven and with her own hands beat them into meal from which she baked bread that her children ate greedily. News of her discovery spread over the community, and the people of Williamsburg were saved from possible extinction by the ingenuity and spirit of Mary Erwin Scott, second wife of William Scott. Her home lay just across Broad Swamp from Kingstree, and until his death not many years ago was the property of her descendant William Scott. 

"It was a spirit like Mary Scott's which characterized Williamsburg women when their men went into the swamps during the Revolution to follow their beloved Marion. Long suppressed, those ladies rose to assume the duties of their husbands as well as their accustomed activities.

"They managed plantations, controlled slaves, grew crops, and raised cattle. At their hearth fires, they melted their beloved pewter cups and spoons to make bullets for Marion's poorly-equipped troops. With their own strong fingers, they filed swords out of handsaws for their men.

"They spun and wove and sewed clothing for the soldiers of Liberty. They killed the fruits of their flocks and cooked the best they had gladly when an opportunity came to feed Marion and his band. They formed, besides, an important part of the great leader's unsurpassed system of espionage.

"The Kingstree chapter Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is named for Margaret Gregg Gordon, whose daring and courage are well known. She was the beautiful wife of William Gordon and as brave as she was fair. As a British soldier attempted to escape over the fence after looting her home, she caught and held him captive. Again she rode through the silent midnight and boldly made her way to secure a horse from the enemy's fold to replace one stolen from her stables by the British.

"The name Jane Hawkins is perpetuated in history because she led seven unsuspecting British soldiers to Marion's camp when they blithely supposed she was leading them on horseback to their own headquarters.

"Jean Dobein, wife of the famous Major John James, first chosen leader of the four companies of Williamsburg patriots, suffered a frightful experience during those bloody days.

"She and her husband saw their Indiantown home surrounded by Tories whose bullets embedded themselves in the logs of which the house was built. Major James was dragged away from his wife and children by his enemies who threatened to hang him in the presence of his family. Just as they were about to swing him from the limb, a party of of his followers rode up and rescued him. Whose heart can remain unmoved at the thought of Jean's joy when her man was restored to her after she had seen the noose around his beloved throat.

"The wife of the venerable patriot, James Bradley, must have suffered agony because of the torture inflicted on her husband who was captured and led to Camden by Cornwallis, who effected the capture by passing himself off as Colonel Washington, thus securing Bradley's confidence. The old gentleman was kept in irons in Camden and forced to witness the execution of one fellow patriot after another, being assured each time that his fate would be similar. To the day of his death, he was a cripple from the marks of those chains. Mrs. Bradley followed her husband to Camden where she begged to be allowed to visit him in prison. But she was denied even the privilege of seeing him during his imprisonment.

"That those women fought in spirit and almost in fact beside their husbands is portrayed in the story of Mrs. John Frierson. When the British under the bloody Wemyss, approached the Frierson home, John Frierson escaped by hiding in the top of a tree so that he might be spared for the later protection and support of his family. The soldiers demanded that Mrs. Frierson reveal her husband's hiding place, but she bravely refused. She was then locked inside the house with her terrified four-year-old son, while fire was set to the roof and sentries placed around the house to prevent her escape. The intense heat drove the sentries away, and Mrs. Frierson, with the child, escaped. The infuriated marauders broke up beehives, poured honey out on the ground; threw on the fire poultry, pigs and all living creatures on the place. After they left, we envision the husband and wife clinging together in their desolation, assuring each other that nothing mattered so long as they were together.

"After the passing of Wemyss, which was the enemy's second invasion of Williamsburg, the settlement was in ashes. Valiant women searched among the ruins and rescued hinges, scissors, and knife blades. They herded together in the few houses left standing and carved plates and mugs out of wood, never losing courage or faith that all they endured was worth the freedom for which they fought.

"A less tragic story of one of Williamsburg's belles is that of Mary Witherspoon, the lovely fianceé of the dashing Captain Conyers, one of Marion's bravest officers. British officers were camped at the Witherspoon home, and Captain Conyers had issued a challenge to any one of them to meet him in combat. They stood in awe of the young American, and it is said that when he came near, a warning ran through the camp, 'Look out! There's Conyers!'

"One day a British officer, who may have enjoyed seeing fire dart from Mary's eyes, spoke sneeringly of Captain Conyers in her presence. Like a flash, the high-spirited girl drew the shoe from off her foot, threw it in the British soldier's face and cried, 'Coward! Go to meet him!'

"It would have been a blessing had one of these remarkable women written a diary of life as it was lived in early Williamsburg. But there was probably no time or equipment for such an undertaking. Only women, living a woman's life in the luxurious present, may hazard a guess as to what pioneer mothers went through.

"A pleasant picture of that life is evoked by the epitaph which Robert Witherspoon had carved on the tombstone of his wife, who lived far past the ordinary span of years. She is buried in the forgotten Witherspoon burying ground near Lane, where time and nature have almost obliterated the crumbling gravestones. But her inscriptions is elsewhere recorded. Its eulogy brings to mind a vision of the hospitality to strangers, of generosity to those less fortunate which were indeed a mercy in that lonely age and which are traditions still kept alive in the community. There are the words on that weatherstained stone:

"'Elizabeth, consort of Robert Witherspoon, and daughter of William and Mary Heathly, June 5, 1740 -July 5, 1820. Aged eighty years and one month. Ardent in piety, deep in humility, eminent for charity to the poor and hospitality to strangers, punctual in her attendance on the ordinances of God's house and distinguished for her reverence.'"

Williamsburg County, 1896: A New Land of Canaan

On Thursday, March 26, 1896, The News & Courier published a multi-page article about Kingstree and Williamsburg County, written by one of its correspondents, J.E. Norment. It was headlined, "A New Land of Canaan" and described Kingstree as "one of the richest regions in all Carolina." 

The M.F. Heller House, now the Heller House Inn, on Academy Street

as it looked in March 1896.

Mr. Norment began his article by discussing the Cotton States and International Exposition which had been held recently in Atlanta. He noted that the cost of living in the rural South was as low as anywhere, and that few places rivaled the South in that consideration, adding that rural South Carolina had great agricultural, business, social, religious and educational advantages, but that the people of South Carolina had for too long been unconscious of their "rich possessions." He then began to extoll the great advantages and opportunities to be had in Kingstree and Williamsburg County. His discussion follows

"The best and cheapest land for the money I have ever heard of or seen is in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. What they are capable of and what they have done: their timbered possessions, water power and general average, all these must be ascertained by reading this article. These lands sell from $1 to $5 per acre at good average sales: very valuable places, highly developed and well located, go as high as $10 per acre, while lands sold at public outcry bring from 50 cents per acre and upward. Make a note of this and further on when you read of the yield of cotton, corn and tobacco per acre, when you see the shipments of grapes, plums, apples, strawberries and wild fruits; when you learn of the practically inexhaustible supply of pine, cypress, gum, oak, and hickory timber, and many other things here found in rich profusion, turn to these land values and, as you look at them again, remember that I have given the correct figures.

The home of Capt. John A. Kelly on Academy Street in 1896.

It has long since been torn down.

"Artesian wells are now here and claim the close attention of everyone, and their possibilities are perhaps incalculable. Cypress, gum and other timber lands abound in the swamps of the Santee, Black Mingo, and Black rivers, and forests of virgin, uncut pine line every ridge of the uplands, with large growths of oak and hickory.

"There is no finer country for stock raising in South Carolina, and Williamsburg's reputation in this respect is very easily understood when one sees these lands. Among the largest cattle raisers are Capt. J.A. Salters, the Messrs. McCullough and Mr. D.Z. Martin.

"The rivers abound in choice varieties of fish. I have never seen finer specimens of trout, bream, and perch than were here shown me, and those who knew said that splendid rock and shad were in these same rivers. I was told deer, wild turkeys and ducks abounded in the lower part of the county, and partridges are numerous in every section.

"Williamsburg County is situated in the central eastern portion of South Carolina, and the mean winter temperature is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Three railroads traverse the county in various sections, the principal one being the Northeastern going through the entire western portion. The Central of South Carolina goes from Lanes to Sumter through this county, and the Georgetown and Western runs from the eastern to the western parts of the county. These roads, given good facilities, connect on close through schedules, for all points end at Charleston and Georgetown where they connect with ocean steamers. Two of the rivers in the county are navigable, and there are numerous streams in the various sections. The county is very large, having an area of 968 square miles. In 1800, the entire population of the county was 5,678. In 1830, the figures as given in Mills' statistics were only 8,716, and the census of 1890 showed a population of 27,700.

The home of Dr. D.C. Scott on Railroad Avenue as it looked in 1896.

"In 1731, Messrs. Rutledge and Finley, of Charleston, attempted to make a permanent settlement here but did not succeed. After the Proprietary Government had been overthrown in 1719, this township appears to have been laid off in 1731 under the orders of King William III, for whom it was named, when it was no longer a part of Craven County. First it was William's Parish, then William's District, and finally it was Williamsburg. The name of Kingstree, the county seat, has somewhat of this same flavor, with a different ending. When royal land grants were made, certain valuable rights were reserved by the Sovereign for the Crown, and among those reservations, it is stated in Ramsey's history, that white pine was highly prized, and these trees were reserved when land grants were made. A magnificent specimen of yellow pine, standing on the high bluff of Black River, very near the original settlement was known as "The King's Tree." This place took its name form this tree, which, it is said, was shot almost to pieces by ardent patriots during the Revolutionary War, but the town retained its former name.

"Williamsburg County, as is well-known, was the cradle of Presbyterianism, certainly in this section of South Carolina. The ecclesiastical connection of the Wiliamsburg Church was originally with the Presbytery of Edinburgh. A book of great interest is the rare little volume, published by the Rev. James A. Wallace in 1856, entitled A History of the Williamsburg Church. Here in familiar and honorable mention are the names  of those pioneer settlers, among which we find Witherspoon, Wilson, Fleming, McClelland, Sym, Allan, Bradley, Frierson, James, Gamble, Hamilton, Gordon, Pressley, Porter, McRae, Armstrong, Ervin, Plowden, Stuart, McDonald and other Scotch-Irishmen. The five first pastors of the church were respectively the Rev. Messrs. Robert Heron, Joseph Ray, _____McKee, Hector Allison, and Thomas Kennedy.

"In August 1786, owing to a difference of opinion, which afterward caused a dismemberment of the congregation, the church building was razed to the ground, the materials were carried off, and the pulpit was removed three miles away and concealed in the barn of Mr. Samuel McClelland. These men had their own convictions: they were dead in earnest, and both sides established churches, which were afterwards reunited and stronger than ever before.

"Ramsey's history tells of an incident of the greatest importance to this section. The year 1780 was a gloomy one in South Carolina, when Capt. Ardesoif arrived at Georgetown and published his proclamation inviting the people to come and swear allegiance to the King and take protection. 'But there remained a portion of that district,' says Ramsey, 'stretching from the Santee to the Pee Dee, containing the whole of the present Williamsburg and Marion districts, to which the British arms had not penetrated, and where the people were very little disposed to submission.' Major John James was sent to the British captain, and, after a brief interview, during which the Major drew his chair on the Captain, and the Captain drew his sword on the Major, without diplomacy, the interview ended, but not until the Captain had seen some of the spirit that was destined to achieve such results. This interview led to the immediate formation of Marion's brigade, that body of fighting rifle shots, who under the leadership of this 'stern Huguenot' were never defeated. Four companies, under the command of Capts. William McCottry, Henry Mouzon, John James and John McCauley, all of Williamsburg, formed the nucleus of this famous body, known now to history while the world standeth as 'Marion's Men.'

"From one who saw Francis Marion as he then looked (see [William Dobein] James's Life of Marion) the following description of his appearance may here be interesting. 'He was rather below the middle statue of men, lean and swarthy. His body was well set, but his knees and ankles were badly formed, and he still limped on one leg. He had a countenance remarkably steady; his nose was aquiline; his chin projecting; his forehead was large and high, and his eyes black and piercing. He was dressed in a close, round bodice, crimson jacket of a coarse texture, wore a leather cap, part of the uniform of the regiment, and a silver crescent on front was inscribed with the words "Liberty or death."' Snow Island, the famous retreat of the Swamp Fox, near here, was not very far from the site of Tarleton's old prison in this county.

"The predatory warfare of this period was particularly hard upon the women who had to fight or scheme at home when their men were fighting with Marion, James, McCottry and the others. On one occasion, Mrs. Jane Hawkins was a little more than requested by some British soldiers to direct them to their encampment. She very pleasantly consented, chatting with them as she rode and gaining all the information she could, and in the midst of this pleasant conversation, they suddenly found themselves in the very presence of Marion and his men. At another time, a Mrs. Gordon caught a fleeing soldier, whom a fence had already partially imprisoned, pulled him over on her side of the fence and held him till she was assisted in his capture. This same lady, a few weeks later, when her husband's horse was stolen while he was away, probably using his flint and steel rifle, smooth bore and loaded with buckshot, watched the marauders, and that night, quietly entered their camp, took the best horse there and rode away.

"From Revolutionary days and, indeed, nearly half a century before, the history of this section shows that hardihood, intrepidity, and determination were among the foremost characteristics of this people. 

"About 1776, they seem to have been nourished on a diet of cold water, cold potatoes, and family prayers. This pastoral diet–this unusual mixture of praying and fighting–made their lives a terror to oppressors, a revered memory to posterity. These men of Marion, James, McCottry and others, would leave the communion table of their fireside altars to shoot buckshot from old smoothbore, long-barreled flint and steel muskets. In their hands equal almost to Gatlings or Maxim repeaters of today. The record of McCottry and his riflemen shows that they were always near the Swamp Fox, and when they marched in Indian file, it was a sign of death. Three times was Williamsburg invaded by the British, and they were repulsed on each occasion. History records, in speaking of the fight at the bridge near Kingstree, when Col. Watson made this last invasion that 'McCottry and thirty of his riflemen were there,' and a little further on history incidentally adds, referring to the same occasion, that Watson said he 'had never seen such shooting in his life.'

"The permanent settlement of Williamsburg dates from 1731, and the earliest records found in the Courthouse are dated January 1, 1806–just a few years after the establishment of the Charleston Courier. The Northeastern Railroad passes the eastern side of the town within 200 yards of the old Courthouse. The natural location of the town of Kingstree is simply beautiful. The drainage is perfect. Black River is 400 yards to the west of the town and among the eastern hills is a deep basin carrying off all water, even after very heavy rains. One wonders naturally why Kingstree has not grown more rapidly. Its principal growth has been during the years since its real estate could be purchased. Two very rich men formerly owned the entire town, and the entailment of some valuable property has only expired since the deaths of these two gentlemen. Traditional history of the early settlement of the town abounds, and once can be entertained for hours by the descendants of these sturdy settlers.

"Mr. M. F. Kinder, a venerable gentleman of Kingstree, is proof of this fact and should put his reminiscences into permanent shape. At the corner of Main and Academy streets is the old house where the brilliant A.D. Sims breathed his last. In days that are not yet forgotten, the voices of Chancellor B.F. Dunkin, J.L. Petigru, Mitchell King, B.F. Hunt and Judge Monroe were heard in the old Kingstree Courthouse. Among the Congressmen who once represented this district were Col. T.D. Singleton, who died at Fayetteville, journeying by stage to Washington; Col. Campbell, A.D. Sims, Gen. John McQueen and James H. Witherspoon. More recently, there followed a combination carpetbagger-scalawag whose name will not be mentioned here. He was small; his career was even smaller, and he bartered what little there was in him or ordinary human characteristics for money, no matter how it might be obtained.

"So we see that the Kingstree of today holds in its keeping much of the honored history of past years. Down its still old-fashioned streets once marched Francis Marion and his men. Where the Swamp Fox went, he trailed the oppressors of his country, and Tarleton and his troops made tracks here, also.

The Courthouse was approaching its 100th anniversary when this was first published.

Next year, it will celebrate its 200th anniversary.

"The Courthouse will soon be 100 years old. Fire could not destroy it entirely, as only the upper story was burned a few years ago, and not a paper on the lower floor was even scorched. The building as it stands today is a reproduction of the same old one, the second story having been rebuilt just as it formerly was. The town is situated right on the high, sandy bluffs of Black River, and for natural beauty, the location is very hard to equal.

"The little town is wrapped in a delicious quiet. When I saw a very small boy riding a very large cow bareback down Main Street, it was quietly done, not even did the cow appear surprised, and I alone seemed interested.

"The people are home lovers, and they have given to the town this atmosphere that is never seen nor felt amid rude surroundings. Homes like these shown in the cuts, guarded by old trees and old-fashioned flower gardens in front, with the tops of tall woodland trees seen behind, are more than suggestive of solid home comfort. Many of these homes are in Academy, Main, Hampton, Porter, and Mill streets, all of which are wide, pretty and shady. Academy Street, with its stately avenue of lofty pines is ideal in its beauty and suits the town exactly. Among the prettier homes, especially notable were those of Dr. D.C. Scott, J.A. Kelly, R.C. Logan, Dr. W.L. Wallace, H.Z. Graham, T.M. Gilland, P.A. Alsbrook, H.D. Reddick, L. Jacobs, E.T. Sweet, G.P. Nelson, M.A. Ross, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. M.J. Porter, Mrs. V.E. Lee, W.R. Funk, Edwin Harper, L. Stackley, Dr. W.G. Gamble, J.Z. McConnell, Jr., J.J. Steele, R.R. Stutts, E.G. Chandler, Capt. Yates, J.J. Snow, George W. Arms, The Rev. O.A. Darby, Mrs. L. Donath, Mrs. H.J. Weingarten, M.F. Heller, B.D. Mitchell, the Rev. H.M Jarvis, S.P. Brockinton, Edward Epps, Mrs. Virginia Brockinton, M.J. Hirsch, C.W. McClam, J.A. Scott, W.W. Grayson, W.W. Matthews, William Reddick, Dr. R.J. McCabe, and Dr. W. V. Brockinton.

"The population of Kingstree is estimated by some of its residents to number not less than one thousand inhabitants. These are typical Southerners, hospitable, courteous, and with a warm welcome for visitors. The men have charge of the business affairs generally, and I did not hear women's rights mentioned, though several flourishing business institutions are owned and managed by those who sometimes agitate this most agitating question. The stores of the town are well-stocked, well-managed and seem prosperous. This shows a strong set of merchants and especially was this evidenced where Messrs. S.P. Brockinton, Lesesne & Epps, W.R. Funk, E.J. Porter, E.T. Sweet, and the drug stores of Drs. D.C. Scott and W.L. Wallace were concerned.

"Mr. Brockinton has long been a leading merchant of this section. The strong and enterprising young firm of Lesesne & Epps has just opened here. Messers. Funk and Porter are leading merchants and citizens, and especially well-kept and attractive are the stores of the two doctors and the jewelry store of Mr. Sweet.

"Mayor Stackley has one of the leading stores, also, and on the opposite corner is the large establishment of Mr. H.D. Reddick. Among the other leading houses are those of Messrs. George S. Barr, W.M. Kinder, Mrs. H.J. Weingarten, Mrs. M.E. Thompson, Dr. W.V. Brockinton, Dr. W.G. Gamble, the large livery and buggy business of Mr. M.F. Heller, Thorne's Lumber Company, the lumber mill of Mr. Joel E. Brunson, and Yates & Snow, cotton buyers.

"The Kingstree Bar includes the following eminent attorneys: Messrs. John A. Kelly, T.M. Gilland, F. Barron Grier, M.J. Hirsch, E.G. Chandler, and J.Z. McConnell, Jr.

"The historic Courthouse is in charge of the following competent officials: H.Z. Hanna, auditor ever since 1876; R.D. Rollins, treasurer for one dozen years; W.W. Grayson, clerk of the court, now on his second term of office; J.D. Daniels, sheriff; F.M. Player, supervisor; J.Z. McConnell, Jr., probate judge; J.J.B. Montgomery, school commissioner, and W.W. Matthews, trial justice.

"The physicians seem to have an extra strong hold upon their friends and 'patients' and each one has his own cozy office and well-equipped drug store. Dr. D.C. Scott and Dr. W.L. Wallace have spent years in the practice of their profession here, and more recently Drs. W.G. Gamble and W.V. Brockinton have been added to the list of practicing physicians. Dr. R.J. McCabe is the only dentist here, and he fills his place popularly and most successfully.

"Churches and schools are the objects of great interest and concern here, as may easily be imagined. The religious history of his community is an unusually interesting one. Four churches hold regular services here, and, in addition, there are three well-built houses of worship belonging to the colored people. The Presbyterian church is in the care of the soldier-preacher, the Rev. J.E. Dunlop; the Rev. O.A. Darby, DD, officiates at the Methodist. The Rev. W.D. Moorer has charge of the Baptist, and at St. Alban's Episcopal Chapel services are regularly held by the rector, the Rev. H.M. Jarvis.

"Mr. E.C. Dennis, a graduate of Vanderbilt University, is the accomplished principal of the Kingstree Academy, which was organized about 10 years ago. It now has about 60 pupils, and the principal is doing the work, assisted by Miss Sallie Wilson. The trustees of the Academy are Dr. W. L. Wallace, Dr. D.C. Scott, and Mr. M.J. Hirsch. Miss Maggie A. Brockinton has charge of the primary school and Mrs. Samuel Scott has a kindergarten. The Tomlinson colored school, Mrs. N(ancy) A. Battiste, principal, is well-attended and flourishing.

"The Kingstree County Record is the well-known weekly newspaper of the town. This paper, from its establishment and past management has weight and immanence, and today it goes out to its subscribers strong, clear and well-edited. Mr. P.A. Alsbrook is proprietor, and Mr. E. Girardeau Chandler is editor, and this representative of the News & Courier, with thanks to these gentlemen for their assistance, gives them his best wishes for their success.

Louis Stackley was Mayor of Kingstree in 1896. 
He later went on to serve many years as the town's Postmaster.

"Mr. L. Stackely, though a young man is prominent here. He is one of the largest merchants and is so well-thought of, that, at the last election he was called to preside over the local government as mayor. The aldermen are Messrs. W.R. Funk, and F.G. Swails.

"Mr. J.A. Scott is the night watchman and constitutes the police force of the town on the very rare occasions when his services are required. Mrs. E.G. Chandler is postmistress and is thoroughly competent and most obliging.

"One of the leading citizens here is Mr. R.H. Kellahan, private banker and capitalist. Mr. Kellahan settled in Kingstree in 1867 without a cent, and the great success which has crowned his business ability and work was all achieved right in this town and county.

"Fraternal organizations flourish here. Kingstree Lodge No. 16 A.F.M, as its number implies, has been in existence for many years. The Knights of Honor, Knights and Ladies of Honor, Woodmen of the World and Chosen Friends all have organizations here, and the Knights of Pythias are now at work establishing a local order.

The Coleman House or Coleman's Hotel on Main Street in 1896.

"Many years ago Coleman's Hotel was here established, and today it continues its delectable and successful career. At present, it is under the management of Mr. George S. Barr, and I have never seen a host more concerned and mindful of the comfort of his guests. Literally he leaves nothing undone that it is in his power to do, and when he is seeking to accomplish the greatest good for the greater number of his guests, he is in his element. The cut of his pretty, shady hotel shows that, among other things, it must be a great place in summer. A good barber shop is in the building, a flowing artesian well is just in front; airy, spacious rooms, well-furnished parlor, pretty flower garden and a bountiful table loaded down with Kingstree fish, chicken, eggs, beef, milk and other good things are here to be found. At night, the Mouzon String Band makes music while the guests smoke, think, and listen. Mr. Barr must excuse me, but so much of the good things here served are the results of Mrs. Barr's skill that I must give her my thanks, also. It will be pleasant news to the traveling public to know that Mr. Barr intends giving his chief care and attention to his hotel and will from time to time make further improvements. A first-class livery business is now carried on in connection with the hotel, which is a convenience in more ways than one.

"The Kingstree Hotel was opened a few months ago by Mr. R.B. Lyons, and is not far from the depot. Here, certainly, is another peaceful, resting place for travelers. Mr. Lyons attends personally to his guests and he succeeds in making things pleasant and interesting for those who sit around his board. Visitors to Kingstree are (illegible) in these temporary homes. Newspapers and hotels are popular subjects for what "they say," and "they" do no always say what the subjects merit. I commend the Kingstree hotels and only hope that others may have the same pleasant care extended them as was given me at both these houses.

"Without further reference to the railroads of the county, mention will here be made of what Kingstree enjoys in this respect. Eight through passenger trains on the Northeastern Road pass Kingstree daily and among these are the celebrated "Vestibule" and "Last Mail" of the Atlantic Coast Line Service. A local freight runs in both directions each day, and in busy seasons, extra ones are put on. Seven thousand bales of cotton are annually shipped from this depot, and tobacco goes in steadily increasing quantities yearly. Quantities of fruit and truck are shipped by express and better facilities are constantly given. The daily shipments of plums, grapes, strawberries, whortleberries and other fruits average over 80 crates during the busy season, and these go to New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Norfolk, Charleston and elsewhere. These shipments are increasing at the rate of 25 percent per annum, and this year's indications are for the largest increase yet shown. Cypress lumber and shingles go every week in carload lots, and these aggregate shipments from the county must be very large. Mr. H.Z. Graham is the very efficient officer in charge here and is as able in his management of the freight, passenger, express and telegraph offices as he is courteous in discharging these varied duties. He is assisted by Mr. H.A. Graham, and this office is a model of neatness.

"I have never seen nor heard of a place where homes can be so easily procured. Everything is cheap; easy terms are given, and the right kind of people are waiting to welcome others of the same sort. No immigrants are here, but it seems to me that they will come before very long. Mortgaged places could be given up where land values are higher, and with only a small portion of the amount required to pay for a small farm in other places a large one could easily be secured here. It has puzzled me in looking over these lands to understand why they are so much cheaper than they are anywhere else. Before the war, this was one of the richest counties in the state. I understand that money lenders were here and borrowers came from adjoining counties. The property was well-distributed and lands were valuable. Today they have no superior among South Carolina tobacco lands, as will be shown further on, and tons of grapes have been grown here per acre without using any fertilizers. They are fully as good today as they ever were and probably they will never sell any lower than at the present prices.

"A pure water supply has interested everyone in this section for some time past, and large results have been gained. Today there are three flowing artesian wells in Kingstree, and contracts are made for three more at private homes. The town council has had the work in charge, and so far complete success has resulted. All of the wells flow ceaselessly, and from one well in Main Street, the flow is not less than 40 gallons per minute. This water is deliciously cool and clear and will be analyzed at once. All over this county these flowing wells are being bored, and the average cost is $30. They vary in depth, the deepest so far is 321 feet."

He then spends several paragraphs discussing the success of irrigation in desert areas of Arizona and in California.

The Hon. J.E. Brockington is generally credited as the 

first person to grow tobacco in Williamsburg County.

He then continues, "The News and Courier last year had a brief mention of what Mr. J.E. Brockington of Kingstree made on one acre of land. I have secured from Mr. Brockinton a detailed statement of the results from this acre....

"From one acre of ground, planted in tobacco, then in turnips, the net profit was $406. ,,, Mr. Brockington made 1,750 pound of tobacco on this acre, some of which sold at 59 cents per pound, the whole amount bringing him $496. He then made (illegible) bushels of rutabaga turnips, which he valued at 40 cents per bushel, thus making a total net profit of $406 on this acre, at a cost of not over $45. When it is remembered at what prices tobacco sells in home markets and that 2,000 pounds of it can be made on an acre of ground, it will be seen that in comparison with the past results from cotton and corn, this amazing yield is easily possible. Perhaps another reason of Mr. Brockington's success is in the way that he cures his tobacco. As nothing is more important to a tobacco farmer than this same subject of curing tobacco, they should all see Mr. Brockington's furnaces. In every respect, it is the most complete thing of the kind I have ever seen.

"Mr. Edwin Harper is another typical Williamsburg farmer and has a beautiful home in Kingstree. He is the owner of 15,000 acres of land, on which he grows crops, fruits and vegetables. He has made 5,580 pounds of lint cotton on eight acres of Williamsburg land, an average of nearly two bales per acre. When Mr. Drake of Marlboro captured the prize for the largest yield of corn, Mr. Harper was a competitor, and he made a little more than 75 bushels from his acre. This acre had 20 stumps in it, and the crop of corn was gathered, shocked, shelled, measured and weighed in the presence of 15 witnesses. Mr. Harper believes thoroughly in these lands. Experts have more than once told him that for tobacco growing they cannot be surpassed. Mr. Harper is an enthusiastic believer in tobacco culture and has 40 acres planted this year. His vineyard and that of Mr. James Epps is in fine condition, large and flourishing.

""Mr. W.D. Bryan is another Williamsburg farmer whose experience will make him the envy of many who read of what he has done. Eight years ago, with borrowed money, he purchased 4,306 acres of Williamsburg land for $500, less than 12.5 cents per acre. He has sold not less than $5,000 worth of timber and cross-ties from portions of this land. Last year he made 2,400 bushels of corn from 300 of these acres. He runs a store and a large business generally at Green's Post Office. Everything he owns, home, stock, lands, store, bank account–all–was made on this low-priced, high-grade Williamsburg farm.

"Those who want homes have the greatest opportunity in this county that should ever be given to man. I must repeat that I have never seen or heard of a land where such homes can be so easily secured. The county is large, with a fine population. The character of the inhabitants is a strong point in considering the availability of this as a home for prospective settlers. Their homes are well-made and comfortable. They are hard workers and certainly believe in helping each other, and nature's resources, practically untouched, are here in waiting for busy hands and workers. ... Full information will be given to any inquiry addressed to Mr. John A. Kelly, Mayor L. Stackley, Mr. F.M. Player, county supervisor; or to Mr. R.H. Kellahan.

"Artesian wells are becoming very numerous all over this county, and their number is rapidly increasing. What they mean is hard to over-estimate, and everybody intends that their full scope shall be given the experiments that are now claiming their interest. Flowing wells are easily secured, and the water is of the finest quality for irrigation purposes, and should irrigation work its wonders here, what a country this will be.

"A newspaperman remembers some things that linger with him when his pencil and notebook are not brought into use because they are absolutely unnecessary. When such a warm greeting as was here given me falls to his lot, here is one thing he does not forget. To those whom hospitality and quiet courtesy were such pleasant reminders of the traditions of their homes, I return my thanks.

The Logan House on Brooks Street. According to Bessie

Britton, sightseers came from miles around to look

at the Italianate architecture of this home.

"I was requested to visit Kingstree for the purpose of publishing this article and valuable assistance was given my by many. Col. R.C. Logan, a veteran retired newspaperman, did much for me. Col. Logan entered the field of journalism in 1856 and was a popular and valued member of the News and Courier staff for years until the establishment of his paper at Kingstree. Twice, he was Master-In-Equity for his county, elected to the Legislature, and he was also a member of the Secession Convention. Voluntarily, he has retired from active duties now, and in his home life may the years before him fulfill the promises of the past. Mr. G.P. Nelson, the oldest living man born in Kingstree, was ready to assist me in any way I desired. He was, for 32 years, one of the municipal officers of the town, lives in the oldest house in Kingstree, has a pocket knife that is 18 years old, and a warm heart that is 72 years young. He says he can 'shake hands with any man in South Carolina,' and I hope soon to see him do this with one at least.

"Capt. John A. Kelly, I am sure, would be better pleased were I not to here allude to his interest and help. I am under such obligations to him, however, that I trust he will even pardon this brief acknowledgment of his services.

"Mr. George S. Barr, beyond any question, has the welfare of Kingstree at heart. He placed himself and his carriage at my disposal and gave of his time and cash to further the interests of his town.

"Of special interest to visitors here is the old cemetery of the Williamsburg Church, one of the most quiet 'gardens of sleep' that ever lifeless clay rested in after life's fever was forever ended. It is just on the suburbs of the town, and the beautiful manner in which everything is kept shows what care and love is here. Sombre pines surround the spot and long gray moss droops its silent, waving folds over the mounds where even the stones are black with age. Gray-black and moss-covered are these old stones that years ago were once new, white and cold. The names cannot be deciphered on many of these crumbling stones, yet is the spot a 'link among the years,' binding the generations each to each. These sombre, shaded corners of the great world seem the most fitting places for the last long sleep. Here are the remains of those who were once among the most loved and honored of this section. Many names are forever obliterated, but some belong to those whose works still live and whose names are written on more imperishable material than is marble. The old stones are quaintly carved, many of the old head pieces being exact duplicates of the ones seen in old Trinity Churchyard, New York, by rushing, roaring, noisy Broadway.

"On an old, crumbling stone, wind-swept, weather-beaten and black, I deciphered with much difficulty the following inscription: Mary Heathly. Died February 8, 1792. How lov'd, how valued once, availeth not/To whom related or by whom begot: A heap of dust alone remains of thee./'Tis all thou art and all the proud shall be.

"Though quiet now, it needs no reminder to recall the years, and they were many when strife, tumult and battle raged here. The people of this section have, with their lives, given their record to history and the descendants of these patriots abide today in the homes of their forefathers. The soil out of which such men were made is good to be born on, good to live on, good to die for and be buried in. Did not their lives exemplify all this? ..."

Williamsburgh District's Own Paul Revere

"Listen my children, and you shall hear/ of the midnight ride of Paul Revere." Once upon a time in our nation's history, school children were required to memorize the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, "Paul Revere's Ride." That requirement has long gone out of fashion. And, sadly, I was an adult before I learned that Paul Revere was not the only one to ride through the Massachusetts countryside on the night of April 18, 1775, spreading the alarm, or that the American Revolution also provided the backdrop for a ride that began right here in Kingstree, South Carolina.

The Bolen-Bellune House, located on Broad Street in Georgetown.

Some speculate this is the building in which Major John James

and Captain John Plumer Ardesoif had their confrontation in 1780.

Charleston fell to the British on May 12, 1780. According to a newspaper piece by the Rev. Robert Lathan, published in the Yorkville Enquirer in 1876, for the Centennial of American Independence, a number of men in the Williamsburgh Militia were among those captured by the British at the fall of Charleston but were then paroled and sent back to their homes. 

Prior to Charleston's surrender, Governor John Rutledge sent Major John James home to Williamsburgh District to train more members for the local militia, so that when General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered Charleston to the British, Major James was at home on his farm near Indiantown Church. When the British commander issued a proclamation that local militia were now required to fight in support of the British government, the men of Williamsburgh had questions. In fact, the Rev. Lathan noted, "This proclamation thoroughly aroused the settlers in the vicinity of Kingstree and Indiantown church."

They met with Major James at the King's Tree and appointed him to visit with the British commander in Georgetown, Captain John Plumer Ardesoif, to find out exactly how this proclamation would affect them. James set off down the trail, that had been cut by his parents and the other early settlers some 48 years before, astride his Arabian stallion, Thunder.

Arriving in Georgetown, he sought out the house that Ardesoif had commandeered as his headquarters. According to the National Historic Register's Historic Building Survey, the Bolen-Bellune House, located at 222 Broad Street in Georgetown, just off Highmarket, was the one occupied by the British commanding officer during the American Revolution. That house still stands today. However, other newspaper articles seem to point to another building as the one occupied by Capt. Ardesoif.

A News & Courier article published in December, 1905, stated that the house visited by Major James was located at the corner of Broad and Front streets. It was still standing at that time, but, according to the article, was scheduled for demolition in early 1906 to make way for a two-story brick building for the People's Bank. Susan Lowndes Allston, writing in the News & Courier on April 6, 1930, asserted that the altercation between James and Ardesoif took place in a house located on the east corner of Broad and Front streets, but that the building was unrecognizable by 1930.

Regardless of where the interview took place, James was well aware that it would not be a pleasant one. Therefore, he tethered Thunder close to the house, some accounts say to a tree near the door; others say it was to a porch rail. 

The Rev. Robert Lathan wrote, "On entering the office of the British commander, he (James), in true Irish style, announced his business and asked in a manly tone of voice, on what terms, he and others similarly situated with himself, must submit."

Ardesoif's reply was that the only acceptable terms were unconditional surrender, which would include taking up arms against their friends and families if ordered to do so by the British.

James asked if they could simply stay at their homes "in peace and quiet," and was told that "you have rebelled against your King, and you ought to be hanged like dogs; but His Majesty is merciful, and proposes to pardon all your past offenses, on the condition that you take up arms and fight for his cause."

Both men, by this time were on their feet, enraged. Lathan's account says that Ardesoif put his hand on his sword. Other accounts say he brandished his sword. James was unarmed, but swiftly picked up the chair on which he had been sitting and swung it up between him and the Captain as James backed toward the door. Again, other accounts, say that James threw the chair at Ardesoif, knocking him off balance, if not knocking him to the floor.

Before exiting, James issued his parting verbal shot. "Sir, the gentlemen whom I represent will never submit to any such condition."

Lathan simply wrote that Ardesoif "swore and threatened vengeance on him and those he represented." Others credit Aredsoif with saying, "You damned rebel! I shall have you hanged at my yardarm."

But James was gone! Nell Flinn Gilland, writing about the altercation in the early 20th century, described it this way: "One may almost hear the flying hoofbeats of that high-spirited thoroughbred as it bore its equally high-spirited master back to report this insult to his people."

Three hundred men reportedly gathered that night on the muster ground, now the grounds of the Williamsburg County Courthouse, to hear his report. They then took their own horses to spread the word throughout the district. Within weeks, four militia companies had formed under John James' command. But later, that summer at Witherspoon's Ferry, James relinquished that command to Francis Marion, with the four companies, plus two others from the Britton's Neck area, forming the nucleus of Marion's Brigade, which would ride into the history books, keeping the British off balance by using guerilla warfare tactics. 

When British Major James Wemyss marched through eastern South Carolina burning everything in his path, he seems to have taken great delight in burning the home of Major John James. 

The tombstone of Major John James in Indiantown Presbyterian Church graveyard.

James survived the American Revolution, dying in 1791. He lies buried in the Indiantown Presbyterian Church graveyard. His epitaph states: In memory of Major John James, who departed this life January 29, 1791, aged 59 years. In Faith he died, in dust he lies, But Faith forsees that dust shall rise when Jesus calls while hope assumes and boasts her joys among the tombs."

Traveling Exhibit Gives Context to Anniversary

This Sunday, Mother's Day, May 8, marks the 56th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "March on the Ballot Box" speech, delivered at the Tomlinson High School athletic field in Kingstree on Mother's Day, May 8, 1966. This year, a traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibit, Voices and Votes–Democracy in America, on display at the Williamsburgh Historical Society's African-American Archives at 127 Hampton Avenue in Kingstree, will help give context as we mark the anniversary. In addition, the Historical Society, in conjunction with the South Carolina Humanities Council, sponsored a talk by journalist Claudia Smith Brinson last Saturday at the Williamsburg Technical College auditorium. Brinson, whose book Stories of Struggle: The Clash Over Civil Rights in South Carolina details the lynchings, cross-burnings and death threats many Black South Carolinians faced during the continuing struggle for civil rights, spoke about the Clarendon County legal action Briggs v. Elliott that became a part of the landmark US Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education, which brought about the desegregation of public schools in the United States.

The Williamsburgh Historical Society's African American Archives will host

the Smithsonian exhibit Voices and Votes throughout the month of May.

Fifty-six years ago, in the wake of President Lyndon B. Johnson's signing of the Voting Rights Act two years earlier, four Black men filed to run for public office in Wiliamsburg County. Virgil Dimery was running for State Senate; Jesse Lawrence and Purvis Easley were running for the SC House of Representatives, and Paul Murray was seeking a seat as a County Road Commissioner, the equivalent of a seat today on the Wiliamsburg County Council. But to have any chance of winning, they needed more Black residents to register to vote. Thus, the Williamsburg County Voter Education Group invited Dr. King, who had been to South Carolina before, but "not for this type of occasion," according to Virgil Dimery.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., leans over to shake hands with the audience at 

his speech in Kingstree on Mother's Day, May 8, 1966.

The audience of almost 5,000 persons from throughout South Carolina began arriving early that Sunday afternoon and was drenched by a heavy rain before Dr. King spoke. During the speech, Dr. King said, "We will never fully enjoy our God-given rights, until we use the right to vote creatively. You've got to do more than just clap your hands, give loud cheers and assemble in crowds. You must get every Negro registered to vote." He reminded those assembled that during Reconstruction South Carolina had sent Blacks to both the State House and the US Congress. "Sending dedicated and competent Black men and women to the State House and Congress is what democracy is all about," he said. He then encouraged them to "on that glad day in June (June 14, 1966) let us march to the ballot boxes." Ultimately, Paul Murray would be the only successful candidate of the four Black men running.

Information about Paul Murray in the Williamsburgh Historical Society's

African-American Archives, located at 127 Hampton Avenue, in Kingstree.

Monument to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the Williamsburg County Courthouse grounds.

Dr. King also noted that the unanimous May 17, 1954, Brown v. Board of Education decision had been the turning point in the Civil Rights movement. The Brown v. Board decision hinged on the dissent filed in the SC case, Briggs v. Elliott, by U.S. District Judge for Eastern South Carolina J. Waties Waring.

Claudia Smith Brinson

Last Saturday, Claudia Smith Brinson remarked to the group gathered at Williamsburg Technical College, that when she started as a reporter for The State, the stories told to her by Black South Carolinians differed greatly from the stories she heard from white South Carolinians. She found that stories concerning the struggles for Civil Rights had been greatly under-reported in the state's newspapers. At the time she became interested, three of the women who had signed the Briggs petition were still living in Summerton in rural Clarendon County.

These women had never told their stories to anyone else, not even family members. However, they realized that if they did not soon tell them, the story of this important part of South Carolina history would die with them. "I think they trusted me because they had seen that in other stories I had written, I had approached them with an open heart and and open mind," Brinson said. She said she always brought an open mind and a box of tissues to interviews, as "we would often cry together," as they told their stories.

Monument to the memory of Justice Thurgood Marshall

erected on the grounds of the Williamsburg County Courthouse

shortly after his death in 1993.

Briggs v. Elliott came about when Black parents asked the Summerton School District to provide a bus so that their children did not have to walk nine miles to attend school at Scott's Branch. The school district did not want to provide this to them, and they decided to file a legal petition. Civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall, who would later serve as an Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court, was consulted. Knowing the likely consequences to the families if they pushed their petition, he counseled them to give up the fight. However, the 20 families, knowing the likely outcome, decided to press forward. One hundred and seven people signed the petition, and every one of them lost their jobs. Sharecroppers were thrown off the land they had worked. Those who ran a café suddenly were unable to get supplies. Many of the families were forced to leave the state to find work and to ensure that their children got a better education.  Although the petition was denied, Briggs v. Elliott became one of five cases heard by the US Supreme Court under the caption Brown v. Board of Education.

The traveling Smithsonian exhibit, Voices and Votes, now on display

at 127 Hampton Avenue in Kingstree through the end of May.

In introducing Brinson, Margaret Chandler, Vice President of the Historical Society, noted that the Smithsonian exhibit, Voices and Votes–Democracy in America begins with the founders of this country taking a "great leap of faith" in daring to break away from one of the world's great powers. It then looks at those who have taken other leaps of faith through the intervening years to make sure that our democracy continues to represent and serve the people well. The brochure promoting the exhibit notes that "across the generations we can see diverse and inspiring Americans who faced ... challenges and were determined to speak their part." It also quotes educator and philosopher John Dewy, who said, "Democracy has to be born anew every generation and education is its midwife."

Voices and Votes is a part of the Museums on Main Street project of the Smithsonian Institution. Kingstree is the first of six stops in South Carolina. The exhibit is open to the public each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. from now until May 26, and on Saturdays, May 7, 14 and 28 from noon until 4 p.m.. You may call museum director Wendell Voiselle at 843-355-3306 for more information.