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Location: Charleston County SC

The Discovery Of This Continent, it’s Results To The Natives

The Discovery Of This Continent, it’s Results To The Natives

Posted by | Mar 3, 2014 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now In the year 1470, there lived in Lisbon, a town in Portugal, a man by the name of Christopher Columbus, who there married Dona Felipa, the daughter of Bartolome Monis De Palestrello, an Italian (then deceased), who had arisen to great celebrity as a navigator. Dona Felipa was the idol of her doting father, and often accompanied him in his many voyages, in which she soon equally shared with him his love of adventure, and thus became to him a treasure indeed not only as a...

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Indian Wars of Carolina – Previous to the Revolution

Indian Wars of Carolina – Previous to the Revolution

Posted by | Dec 18, 2013 | , , , , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now When the English settled in South Carolina, it was found that the State was inhabited by about twenty different tribes of Indians. The whites made gradual encroachments without meeting with any opposition from the Indians, until the latter saw that if these advances were continued, they would be completely driven from their country. A struggle was immediately begun, in which the colonists suffered so much from the number and fury of their enemies that a price was fixed upon every Indian who should be brought captive...

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John Isaac Love – Notes on the Will

Posted by | Nov 12, 2012 | , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Notes on the Will of John Isaac Love, the son of Thomas Dillard Love, taken from a memorandum of my Father, Robert Love, now in my possession-F.D. Love John I Love died on the ________ of ________ leaving Will made on ________ of __________ 18___, in which he gives all his personal estate to his brother, R. Love, and likewise his entire landed interest. However, he requires or conditions in the bequest a sale; that his brother, R. Love, shall pay his nephew, R.L. Dulaney, five hundred dollars when he arrives at the age of 21, and if he dies before that time, then to be null and void. He likewise requires his brother to pay $500 (when it is convenient for him to do so) to the American Bible Society. The bequest to him are with a condition, and therefore assume the function of a deed of sale and in order to be of any validity on part of Love, the devisee, he will be compelled to accept of the Will or estate with the conditions annexed. Note: The said John I. Love died in Charleston, S.C. he was my uncle, and was one of the brightest members, if the brightest member of the whole Love name. He was a scholar, and Ramsey, the Historian,...

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Slave Narrative of Ned Walker

Posted by | Sep 2, 2012 | , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Ned Walker Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Place of Birth: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 83 Ned Walker lives in the village of White Oak, near Winnsboro, S.C., in a two-room frame house, the dwelling of his son-in-law, Leander Heath, who married his daughter, Nora. Ned is too old to do any work of a remunerative character but looks after the garden and chickens of his daughter and son-in-law. He is a frequent visitor to Winnsboro, S.C. He brings chickens and garden produce, to sell in the town and the Winnsboro Hill’s village. He is tall, thin, and straight, with kind eyes. Being one of the old Gaillard Negroes, transplanted from the Santee section of Berkeley County, in the Low Country, to the red hills of Fairfield County, in the Up Country, he still retains words and phrases characteristic of the Negro in the lower part of South Carolina. “Yes sir, I’s tall and slim lak a saplin’; maybe dat a good reason I live so long. Doctor say lean people lives longer than fat people. “I hear daddy read one time from de Bible ’bout a man havin’ strength of years in his right hand and honor and riches in his left hand, but whenever I open dat left hand dere is nothin’...

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Slave Narrative of William Rose

Posted by | Sep 2, 2012 | , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: C. S. Murray Person Interviewed: William Rose Location: Edisto Island, South Carolina Going Down To Die (Folklore) Story Told By Ex-Slave Boss Man, you talk about de brave soldier who been in de last big war and how dey look death in de eye and spit on him. I ain’t see dat war. It been ‘cross de water. But I know sump’en ’bout de Civil War. I been young lad when de big gun shoot and de Yankee pile down from de north. Talk ’bout being brave. De bravest thing I ever see was one day at Ashepoo junction. Dat was near de end of de war. Grant was standing up before Richmond; Sherman was marching tump-tump through Georgia. I was a stripling lad den and boy-like I got to see and hear everything. One day more than all, de overseer sent my pappy to Ashepoo junction to get de mail. I gone ‘long wid him. Seem like I jest had to go dat day. I member dat morning well. When I get to de junction de train start to come in. What a lot of train! De air fair smoke up wid dem. They come shouting in from Charleston, bound up-country. I stand wid my pappy near de long trestle, and see de train...

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Slave Narrative of Rosa Starke

Posted by | Sep 1, 2012 | , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Rosa Starke Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Date of Birth: 1854 Age: 83 Occupation: Farm work, hoeing and picking cotton. Rosa’s grandfather was a slave of Solicitor Starke. Although she has had two husbands since slavery, she has thrown their names into the discard and goes by the name of Rosa Starke. She lives in a three-room frame house with her son, John Harrison, two miles south of Winnsboro, S.C., on the plantation of Mrs. Rebecca V. Woodward. She still does farm work, hoeing and picking cotton. “They say I was six years old when de war commence poppin’ in Charleston. Mammy and pappy say dat I was born on de Graham place, one of de nineteen plantations of my old marster, Nick Peay, in 1854. My pappy was name Bob and my mammy name Salina. They had b’longed to old Marse Tom Starke befo’ old Marse Nick bought them. My brudders was name Bob and John. I had a sister name Carrie. They was all older than me. “My marster, Nick Peay, had nineteen places, wid a overseer and slave quarters on every place. Folks dat knows will tell you, dis day, dat them nineteen plantations, in all, was twenty-seven thousand acres. He had a thousand slaves, more or less,...

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Slave Narrative of Joe Rutherford

Posted by | Sep 1, 2012 | , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Joe Rutherford Location: Newberry, South Carolina “I was born about 1846, ’cause I was in de war and was 19 years old when de war was over. I went to Charleston with my master, Ros Atwood, my mistress’s brother. My mistress was Mrs. Laura Rutherford and my master at home was Dr. Thomas Rutherford. We was on Morris Island. “My father was Allen Rutherford and my mother Barbara Rutherford. My daddy had come from Chili to this country, was a harness maker, and belonged awhile to Nichols. We had a good house or hut to live in, and my work was to drive cows till I was old ‘nough to work in de fields, when I was 13. Then I plowed, hoed cotton, and hoed corn ’till last year of war and den went to Charleston. “Master paid us no money for work. We could hunt and fish, and got lots of game around there. We had dogs but our master didn’t like hounds. “Col. Daryton Rutherford, doct’s son, had me for a ‘pet’ on the place. They had overseers who was sometimes bossy but they wouldn’t allow dem to whip me. One old nigger named ‘Isom’, who come from Africa, was whipped mighty bad one day. The padderollers whip...

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Slave Narrative of Prince Smith

Posted by | Sep 1, 2012 | , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: Augusta Ladson Person Interviewed: Prince Smith Location: Wadmalaw, South Carolina Experiences Of An Ex-Slave On Wardmalaw Island Massa Wus Kind to Slaves Prince Smith, a man who is said to be over a hundred years of age, has lived on Wardmalaw Island practically all of his life. His experiences during slavery are very interesting and true to life. An interview with him revealed the following: “I was bo’n an’ raise’ on dis island and was only frum here when de Civil War had begun. W’en Fort Sumter wus fired on mossa carried seventy of us to Greenville, South Ca’lina on account of its montanous sections, which was believed would have prevented the Yankees invasion in regard to their hide-out.” We stayed een Greenville nearly four years. Durin’ dat time mossa planted his fa’m an’ we wurk as if we wus right here. “The Yankees had gunboats,” he continued, “but dey didn’ help dem atoll fur dey couldn’ make any a’tack dat dis place is so unsuited fur water battles. But forest’ battles wus fight on Beaufort Island and Port Royale. We een Greenville didn’ know enyt’ing ’bout whut wus goin’ on except what wus brought to us collud people by dose who wus sent to da town. Mossa didn’ tell us eny ting. Fur almos’...

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Slave Narrative of Alexander Robertson

Posted by | Aug 31, 2012 | , , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Alexander Robertson Location: White Oak, South Carolina Age: 84 Ex-Slave 84 Years Old Alexander Robertson lives as a member of the household of his son, Charley, on the General Bratton plantation, four miles southeast of White Oak, S.C. It is a box-like house, chimney in the center, four rooms, a porch in front and morning glory vines, in bloom at this season, climbing around the sides and supports. Does Alexander sit here in the autumn sunshine and while the hours away? Nay, in fact he is still one of the active, working members of the family, ever in the fields with his grandchildren, poke around his neck, extracting fleecy cotton from the bolls and putting it deftly into the poke. He can carry his row equally as well as any of the six grandchildren. He has a good appetite at meal time, digestive organs good, sleeps well, and is the early riser in the mornings. He says the Negro half of his nature objects to working on Saturday afternoon, and at such times his tall figure, with a green patch cloth over the left eye, which is sightless, may be seen strolling to and fro on the streets of Winnsboro. “Well, well! If it ain’t de youngun dat use to...

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Slave Narrative of Tena White

Posted by | Aug 30, 2012 | , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: Martha S. Pickney Person Interviewed: Tena White Location: Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina Everybody in the town of Mt. Pleasant, Christ Church Parish (across the Bay from Charleston) knows “Tena White, the washer,” “Tena, the cook,” “Maum Tena” or “Da Tena, the nurse”—the same individual, accomplished in each art, but best as a nurse. The house where Tena lives is the second in a row of Negro houses. The writer, calling from the gate, was answered by Tena, a middle-sized woman of neat figure. As the writer ascended the steps a friendly cur wagged itself forward and was promptly reproved by Tena, who placed a chair, the seat of which she wiped carefully with her dress. The piazza was clean and on the floor a black baby slept on a folded cloth, with a pillow under its head. The writer was soon on friendly terms with Maum Tena, and was told: “As soon as my eye set on you, I see you favor the people I know. My people belonged to Mr. William Venning. The plantation was Remley Point. I couldn’t zactly member my pa’s name. I member when de war come though. Oh dem drum; I nebber hear such a drum in my life! De people like music; dey didn’t care nothing bout de Yankees,...

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Slave Narrative of Uncle Dave White

Posted by | Aug 30, 2012 | , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: Laura L. Middleton Person Interviewed: Dave White Location: Charleston, South Carolina An Old Time Negro Uncle Dave White, one of the waning tribe lives in a simple homestead down a dusty and wind-swept curved country lane on the out skirt of McClenville, forty miles North of Charleston rests the simple shanty of David White, aged Negro, affectionally known to the Negro and white population for many miles around as “uncle Dave”. His quiet unadulterated mode of living and his never changing grateful disposition typifies the true Southern Negro of pre-Civil War days; a race that was commonplace and plentiful at one time, but is now almost extinct, having dwindled in the face of more adequate educational facilities. His homestead, resembling a barn more than a place to live in. To protect the house against the hazardous affects of imperilling winds, long poles are made to prop the somewhat dilapidated shanty. A visit to his home, one dark and dreary day in late December, found him as usual in the best of spirits. He welcomed the visitors with a cordiality that would rival the meeting of two long lost friends. The front has no main entrance; the main door is around the back. There are conspicuous displays of many ancient burlap bags, heavy laden, hanging from...

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Slave Narrative of George Pretty

Posted by | Jun 18, 2012 | , , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: Viola B. Muse Person Interviewed: George Pretty Location: Vero Beach and Gifford, Florida Age: 84 George Pretty of Vero Beach and Gifford, Florida, was born a free man, at Altoona, Pennsylvania, January 30, 1852. His father Isaac Pretty was also free born. His maternal grand-father Alec McCoy and his paternal grand-father George Pretty were born slaves who lived in the southern part of Pennsylvania. He does not know how his father came to be born free but knows that he was told that from early childhood. In Altoona, according to George, there were no slaves during his life there but in southern Pennsylvania slavery existed for a time. His grand-parents moved from southern Pennsylvania during slavery but whether they bought their freedom or ran away from their masters was never known to George. As in most of the southland, the customs of the Negro in Altoona abounded in superstition and ignorance. They had about the same beliefs and looked upon life with about the same degree of intelligence as Negroes in the south. The north being much colder than the south naturally had long ago used coal for fuel. Open grates were used for cooking just as open fireplaces were used in the south. Iron skillets or spiders as they called them, were used for...

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Slave Narrative of Dave Taylor

Posted by | Jun 17, 2012 | , , , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: Jules A. Frost Person Interviewed: Dave Taylor Location: Tampa, Florida A Marine In Ebony From a Virginia plantation to Florida, through perils of Indian war-fare; shanghaied on a Government vessel and carried ’round the world; shipwrecked and dropped into the lap of romance – these are only a few of the colorful pages from the unwritten diary of old Uncle Dave, ex-slave and soldier of fortune. The reporter found the old man sitting on the porch of his Iber City shack, thoughtfully chewing tobacco and fingering his home-made cane. At first he answered in grumpy monosyllables, but by the magic of a good cigar, he gradually let himself go, disclosing minute details of a most remarkable series of adventures. His language is a queer mixture of geechy, sea terms and broad “a’s” acquired by long association with Nassau “conchs.” Married to one of these ample-waisted Bahama women, the erst-while rambler and adventurer proved that rolling stones sometimes become suitable foundations for homes – he lived faithfully with the same wife for fifty-one years. “Shippin’ ‘fore de mahst ain’t no job to make a preacher f’m a youngster; hit’s plenty tough; but I ain’t nevah been sorry I went to sea; effen a boy gwine take to likker an’ wimmen, he kin git plenty o’both at...

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Slave Narrative of Anna Scott

Posted by | Jun 15, 2012 | , , , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Interviewer: Viola B. Muse Person Interviewed: Anna Scott Location: Jacksonville, Florida Anna Scott, an ex-slave who now lives in Jacksonville near the intersection of Moncrief and Edgewood Avenues, was a member of one of the first colonization groups that went to the West coast of Africa following the emancipation of the slaves in this country. The former slave was born at Dove City, South Carolina, on Jan. 28, 1846, of a half-breed Cherokee-and-Negro mother and Anglo-Saxon father. Her father owned the plantation adjoining that of her master. When she reached the adolescent age Anna was placed under the direct care of her mistress, by whom she was given direct charge of the dining-room and entrusted with the keys to the provisions and supplies of the household. A kindred love grew between the slave girl and her mistress; she recalls that everywhere her mistress went she was taken also. She was kept in ‘the big house’. She was not given any education, though, as some of the slaves on nearby plantations were. Religion was not denied to the former slave and her fellows. Mrs. Abigail Dever, her owner, permitted the slaves to attend revival and other services. The slaves were allowed to occupy the balcony of the church in Dove City, while the whites occupied the main...

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Biography of Mary Morrall Darling

Posted by | May 26, 2012 | , |

Discover your family's story. Enter a grandparent's name to get started. Start Now Mrs. Mary Morrall Darling is the daughter of Wamego’s pioneer physician, Dr. Albert Morrall, and she is now living in the same house where she was born May 14, 1872. The Morralls were English people and were colonial settlers in the Carolinas. Her great-great-grandfather was Daniel Morrall who married Lydia Savanen. Her great-grandfather was John Morrall. Her grandfather, George Washington Morrall, was born at Georgetown, South Carolina, August 17, 1786, became an attorney by profession, and practiced at Grahamville and at Beaufort, South Carolina, dying in the latter city February 22, 1836. He married Phoebe Jenkins Tripp, who was born January 23, 1794, and died in Barnwell District, South Carolina, April 10, 1865. Dr. Albert Morrall was born at Grahamville, South Carolina, November 17, 1829. The record of this old time physician had a distinctive place in the history of Kansas, particularly in the pioneer times of the country around the Big Blue River. He was of old Southern family and kept his sympathies with the South during the period of hostilities over slavery and the questions of state rights. He was educated in private schools at Grahamville, and first came to Kansas in the spring of 1856. He tells the story in his own words: “I came to Kansas in the spring of 1856 in...

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