Narrative of Reminiscences in Williamsburg County
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^ O N O •- ^^. <i, *'^ :•- -'^^^ /^fe'--. %,/ \./ %/ .-^ ^"'^^ A- a\ <A .•^ -^ A> .0^ o / 'Jy' '<<* ^' -^v' <^ A'V <. o- V » ' * NT", tb •^/^S- '^0' -oV <. 'O , A "hv" -^^0^ ,0 \ ^--^v^. -, .<?-^° .0 ** . NARRATIVE OF REMINISCENCES ..rfNr.. WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY, ...BY- SAMUEL D. MCGILL, M. D., AND EDUCATOR. COLUMBIA, S. C, 1425 Main St. THE BRYAN PRINTING CO. 1897. b^'l.'s PREFACE A narrative of reminiscences, in which a partial picture of the customs and habits of the people of old Williamsburg District in South Carolina, as they were fifty, sixty, and sev- enty years ago, of their Churches, Sunday Schools, Day Schools, Singing Schools, Quiltings, Play, Games, Dances, and other amusements, have been attempted to be written and drawn by one of their number, who had a place in that picture, and was an actor in these scenes, yet distinctly marked by him as their narrator. Also many historical facts relating to the old Revolution- ary War, as they have been transmitted to the generation of children of these warriors; our great political division had in 1832, as are remembered; and items of our late war, as were recorded in a diary made at the time of their occur- rence; and descending to events happening in late dates, all of which their Author asks a consideration for the orig- inality of the plan, the conception of the thoughts, and the novelty and peculiarity in the modes of their expressions. The various descriptions, as made in this narrative, are only intended to embrace those of our people who resided at and around Kingstree, ludiantown. Black Mingo, and Muddy Creek, in this county, with whom this writer has been inti- mately associated during some periods of his life, now gra- ciously extended six years beyond man's allotted time on earth, and with whom he yet lives in hallowed remem- brance of such connections. CONTENTS, Page. Dedication, 1 Apologies, 3 Letter to the Kind Reader, - - - - 7 Chapter I. The Big Storm in 1822— Its casualties, &c., - - 9 Chapter II. The Long Gown and Privileged Period of a Boy's Life; Description of an Old Time Wedding in 1626, 11 Chapter III. Old Time Schools; Discipline of the Teachers; 12 O'clock Games; Amusements, &c.; Sunday and Sacraments, ------ 19 Chapter IV. Indiantown Academy in 1832; Latin Lessons; Nulli- fication Excitement; Public Dinners; Fisti- cuff Fights; Wagon Trip to Charleston, in 1833; Plow Boy, &c., ----- 59 Chapter V. 1834; Bethany Academy, N. C; Scenes, Adventures, &c., 84 Chapter VI. 1835; Edgehill Academy, S. C; Scenes, Incidents, &c., 97 VI CONTENTS. Page. ' Chapter VII. 1836; Yorkville Academy, S. C; Scenes, Incidents, &c., --'------ 103 Chapter VIII. 1836; A Lonely Trip to Yorkville in October; Trials on the Road, - - - - - - 113 Chapter IX. 1837; Florida War Excitement; Alt. Zion Academy, S. C, - ------ - 124 Chapter X. 1838; At Home; School Master; Singing Schools; A Grammar School; Oniltings,Plays,Dances, &c., 130 Chapter XL 1839-40; A Medical Student, South Carolina Medi- cal College; Scenes on the Street; Theatres, &c.; The Green Room, 145 Chapter XII. 1841; A Doctor, and His Cases and Doings, at Black Mingo and Johnsonville; His Charges, &c., - 160 Chapter XIII. 14 March, 1844; Marriage, and Three Years Honey- moon, -------- 176 Chapter XIV. A Permanent School Master, 1847; List of Scholars; Anecdotes and Special Notices of Them; Re- creation; Mrs. McGill's Heroism in Drowning Water, - 185 CONTENTS. VII Page. Chapter XV. 1861; War Items as Recorded in Diary; A Captain and List of Officers and Privates, - - - 204 Chapter XVI. 1881; Public Schools; Public Expenditures; Lists of Teachers and Amounts Paid, - - - 226 Chapter XVII. Kingstree as of Yore, ------ 240 Chapter XVIII. Again, or a Regression, ------ 251 Chapter XIX. Historical Sketches, xActual and Traditional; Lost Names; The McGill Families; A Dance in Kingstree, 1805; Marriage of Samuel McGill and Mary Ann Sanders; The Groom and Bride's Horseback Trip to Brunswick, Ga.; $500 in Cash, and two ^African Slaves and their Child- ren; In 1819, Gavin James dies and bequeaths his property to his niece, Mrs. Mary Ann Mc- Gill; The negroes, Carolina and Lucy, and their children, Cain Scott and Gus McGothy, claimants; In 1848, Carolina, then an old man, lives with his young master, gives an account of his Revolutionary record with his old mas- ter, and how he got Lucy for his wife; Con- clusion: Recent visit to the Indiantown Pres- byterian grave yard, and reflections thereon; The Author's Jerusalem as his native home, - 275 Appendix, 1805, ------- 289 Tributes to His Wife, 300 DEDIGATION. This narrative of the reminiscences of events as distinctly marked from September, 1822, to March, 1845, is respectfully dedicated to the Old Men of Williamsburg District, who have arrived at and passed their three score years and ten, and who are yet with us in their persons and minds. The representa- tion of the affairs as happening in our time is given in a man- ner less compendious than their historical facts seem to have demanded, but, being unaided in the composition of the work of this narrative, and wholly relying on his memory in trans- cribing these facts, the author has done the best he could under the circumstances. He begs indulgence for the omis- sion of many items of general interest which others might have supplied, but which will be available at no distant time, if hoary-headed time will agree to the proposition, and will sus- pend further serious encroachments on our physiques. Old gentlemen, here are your names and dates of births: W.James Haselden, 8th December, 181 1; Samuel A. Burgess, 7th February, 1812; N. Myers Graham, i8th May, 1813; William G. Cantley, i8th August, 1814; J. Leonard Gist, 25th December, 1814; Robert W. Fukon, 20th March, 1813; Salters, 27th Wiley J. McClam, 28th March, 1815; John A. July, 181 5; Samuel A. Haselden, 181 5; Rufus B. Singletary, 19th September, 181 8; Rev. David E. Frierson; Samuel C. McCutchen, 1819; G. Winfield Scott, 1819; John E. Scott, ist June, 1820; Shederick R. Rodgers, 30th July, i82o;''Joseph A. Thompson, 20th August, 1820; John J. M. Graham; Samuel ist J. Strong, 13th January, 1823; William McClam, May, 1816; Dr. D. Edward Wilson, 14th March, 1819. In beliclf of these dearer old men of past three score and ten, as judgc^l by their records, it is just to declare, that their sorrows do not balance the sweet and innocent pleasures of their lives, and the address lO each of them could not better express their social and religious positions than "Oh Fortun- ate Senex," for thus they are and thus they feel. Trulv and affectionately, ' SAM.'L D. McGILL, One of You. Kingstree. S. C., A. D. 1894. 2 Reminiscences of A mental pressure has become so fixed that it refuses to be removed unless these dedication pages be made to include all the old men of South Carolina, pointedly those living in the surrounding lower counties, who, like us, got their early edu- cation from "Old Webster," which succeeded our fathers' Old Dilworth. Most likely these old men endured the teacher's rigid discipline in the old field school house, enforced by the use of the switch over our shoulders on our backs, and their loud threats to make dust rise from our clothes if we miss a word in that lesson. And it is imagined they too made com- plaints of their drubbing at school to their parents in violation of the established order to tell no tales oufof school, and re- ceived no consolation from them only advising us to be kind to the teacher and attentive to our studies. At a certain age of our lives when we began to consult a looking-glass and roach our hair we exhibited much stupidity in the heedlessness of the admonitions of older and wiser heads given for our good, but just let an old man tell something funny, however uncom- mendable, and it is retained. At a Christmas holiday dinner at an old gentleman's house, a sentiment was given by him at the head of the table in the form of a grace, while a half dozen or more young gents with bowed heads, received the grace in much laughter at or before its conclusion. The words of it are given for what they are worth: "May the Lord be praised when women's pleased. For that's but now and then, We'll eat our diet in peace and quiet In the name of God, Amen." Williamsburg County. APOLOGIES. The idea of an boy reared among her people fifty and sixty years ago, even attempting to write a book, would have incited a pitiful smile, if it did not evoke jeering remarks of the presumption. Yet the undertaking has been attempted and the author pleads his simplicity of words and sentences in the following instances as occurring in the distant days already referred to. Many families residing in Sumter district, who had moved away from Williamsburg, occasionally came down to their native places on visits and business affairs. With these there was a common remark that old Williamsburg district was fifty years behind in farming and general progress. But old Mr. James McFaddin, who was possessed of remarkable social endowments and who was an acute observer of things in general and a money lender, by way of rebutting their opinion of us, thus replied: "Yet you Sumter people come down to Williamsburg to borrow money. Ha! Ha!! Ha!!!" One of our school boys who is so often spoken of in this narrative, wrote to his old father, while a student in the South Carolina College in 1838, stating that he was in "pecuniary indigence.'' The old man was unable to understand these words, and had to go to a magistrate residing a short dis- tance over the "Crick" (Lynches), who, together with his offi- cial brethren, was considered above the mediocrity, cjuickly interpreted the meaning of the two words much to the discom- fiture of the father.