History of the Old Cheraws,' by the Rt
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HISTORY OF THELD O CHERAWS CONTAiNiNG An A ccount of the Aborigines of the Pedee THE F IRST WHITE SETTLEMENTS THEIR SUBSEQUENT PROGRESS. ClVlL CHANGES. THE STRUGGLE OF THE REVO- LUTlON. AND GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY AFTERWARD Extending f rom About A. D. 1730 to 1810 WITH NOTICES OF FAMILIES AND SKETCHES OF INDIVIDUALS .Y . B THE .-* ' '. i l RIGHT R EV. ALEXANDER GREGG, D.D. Biahopf o the P. E. Cliuvcli in 1 exas Formerly Rector of St. David's Chu.ch. Chrraw, So. Ca. Columbia. S . C. THE STATE COMPANY 1905 \ C hecked TO THE D ESCENDANTS OF THE FIRST SETTLERS ON THE UPPER PEDEE, OF THE W HIGS OP THE OLD CHERAW DISTRICT AND LIBERTY PRECINCT, WHEREVER T HEY ARE TO BE POUND : THIS T RIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF THEIR FATHERS, Is R espectfully Dedicated BY THE A UTHOR. REFERENCES T O BISHOP GREGG'S "OLD CHERAWS." "This w ork affords a noble illustration of what antiquarian research can accom plish in working up the local traditions in our extended country. It is a mine of historic information. into which few shafts have yet been sunk." — Dr. B. M. Paimer, in his "Life and Letters" of Dr. Thornwell, page 8, note. McCrady, i n his "South Carolina Under the Proprietary Government, 1670-1719," says : "In 1 867 the 'History of the Old Cheraws,' by the Rt. Rev. Alexander Gregg, D. D.. was published. This work contains an account of the aborigines of the Pedee, the first white settlements, their subsequent progress, civil changes, the struggle of the Revolution, and growth of the country afterward, from 1730 to 1810, with notices of families and sketches of individuais. It offers the most complete history of a given section of the State to be found." INTRODUCTION. The A uthor was induced some years since, at the instance of the "Cheraw Lyceum," to investigate the history of the Indian tribes formerly inhabiting the valley of the Pedee. In t he course of his researches, some very interesting documentary matter connected with the first white settlers of this region was unexpectedly discovered, which led to renewed effort in that direction, and resulted in the collec tion from various sources of an amount of matter far beyond anything which the most sanguine hopes in the outset could have anticipated. This was the more gratifying, inasmuch as in the histories of the State and the published memoirs of some of the distinguished leaders of the Revolution, the region of the Upper Pedee, embraced within the limits of the Old Cheraw District, had literally found no place. It was far removed from Charles-town, as well as from the main routes of emigration, travel, and the Indian trade, all which tended to the west and north-westward, where the Cherokees held sway. None of the important battles of the Revolution were fought in this portion of Carolina, though it contributed largely to the number of those who took an active part in the strife. The operations of Marion were confined chiefly to the parts lower down on the river. Even Judge James, who served in early life under that dis tinguished partizan leader, remarks, in his "Life of Marion": — "As to the Old Cheraw District, where a vi I ntroduction. sanguinary w arfare was waged between the Whigs and Tories under General Thomas, their leader, nothing is known, and it will, perhaps, remain ever unrecorded." It m ay, therefore, be readily imagined with what delight the materials of this unwritten history were recovered, how the desire was naturally excited to give it publicity, and the pride justly felt by one in the region of his nativity, to rescue the noble deeds of those who had long since passed away, from oblivion. After g athering materials for his narrative from every accessible source, and carefully collating them, the Author was called, in the providence of God, to make a permanent removal from the State of his birth and the scenes of his former labors. He has since found time to bring the work to completion, esteeming it a tribute of affection due to those ties and associations, ever so dear to man, which he has left behind him. Though i n the main a local history, and for that reason chiefly interesting to those who by nativity or descent are more immediately connected with this portion of Carolina, there is yet of necessity a close and continuous connexion throughout with the history of the State at large — a history which, except by the aid of such detailed accounts of par ticular localities, can never be fully written. Much, there fore, of general interest will be found in the following pages, more especially in the period which immediately preceded the Revolution, and during the progress of that eventful conflict. To the Whigs of the Old Cheraws, though with very few exceptions hitherto unknown to fame, must a con spicuous place be assigned, for the part they took in pre paring the way for that early struggle for independence, and in its prosecution afterwards. If o missions appear in the account of families which came at an early period to the Pedee, and are known to have taken Introduction. v ii an a ctive and influential part in its subsequent history, it is to be attributed to the fact, which none can regret more than the Author, that after diligent and unremitting effort, information was either, not to be obtained, or failed, after repeated application, to be procured from their descendants. It is a melancholy fact, indeed, as has been painfully experi enced here in not a few instances, how little is known by their posterity of the third and fourth generations, of ances tors who are worthy of being held in honored remembrance. In this connexion facts could be given which would scarcely be credited. Too little attention has been generally paid to the preservation of such ancestral accounts, and of documen tary matter, invaluable in connexion with the history of communities and public events of importance. To a few such collections which happily escaped the ravages of time, the Author has been largely indebted in filling up some of the links of his narrative. He is under weighty obligations to those who kindly furnished information and materials within their reach; also to others who gave him access to public libraries and the archives of the State, and desires in this lasting form to give expression to his acknowledgments. In a l ocal history like the following, much of minute detail as to persons and places is to be expected, constituting, as it does, one of the chief attractions of such a narrative. Where printed or documentary matter of permanent interest and value could be given in full as recorded, the object has been to present it literally in its original form, rather than in the language of the Author. In this way only can the materials necessary for general use in the future be preserved, and the labor of those to come in more important paths of historical inquiry be lightened. The hope is therefore cherished that the intrinsic value of the matter collected, not the style of its narration, may interest the reader. And if a work, begun and prosecuted under the constant pressure of viii I ntroduction. other p ursuits and labors, shall serve to make those for whom he has chiefly written, better acquainted with the history of their fathers, and do justice, though at so late a period, to the memory of the noble men who have gone before, the Author will feel that his effort is abundantly rewarded. San A ntonio, Texas, April, 1867. i HISTORY OF THELD O CHERAWS. CHAPTER I . Indian t ribes in Carolina— Extent of their territory — Other tribes — Pedees — Kadapaws — Localities of each — Their origin — Advent of the Catawbas — Their tradition— Subsequent relation to tribes on the Pedee — Ledcrer's narrative — Localities identified — Sara, where — Flrat mention in public records of tribes on the Pedee— Visit of the Cheraws to Charlestown —Governor's visit to the Congerees — Interview with Pedees —Governor Glenn writes to Governor Clinton — Evans's Journal —Cheraws visit Charlestown — Smallpox prevaiis — Removal of Cheraws and union with Catawbas — Catawba History — Languages of tribes on the Pedee — Meaning of "Cheraw" — "Pedee" — Indian remains on the Pedee— Indian habits and customs — Lawson's narrative — Last of Cheraws and Catawbas. There i s a sad chapter in the history of the New World : it is that relating to the Aborigines of America— a people, as all accounts agree, distinguished for many noble traits, but invariably degenerating in character and habit as they have come in contact with the "pale-faces," and taken up their mournful line of march towards the setting sun. When f irst known to the colonists, South Carolina is said to have contained not less than twenty-eight tribes of Indians, with settlements extending from the ocean to the mountains. Of these tribes but a few names survive to mark the localities they once inhabited; and these, with such scattered remains as the waste of time and the level ling work of the white man have spared, are the only memo rials left to tell of their early occupancy of the soil. Of the tribes which dwelt upon the Pedee and its tributaries, the Saras, or Saraws, as they were first called — afterwards Charrows, Charraws, and Cheraws — occupied the region still 2 H istory of the Old Cheraws. identified b y the name: their territory extending thence to the coast, and along the coast from the Cape Fear to the Pedee.