Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-11-04


very important period in the history of South
Carolina. Prior to this period, the inhabi-
tants enjoyed very few comforts. The houses
in which the people lived were miserable
wooden huts. In Charles Town, there were
in 1871, between FIVE and six thousand dwell
ing houses, most of which were wooden struc-
lures.
The county possessed fewer artificial com.
forts than the town. The farmers at that ear
ly day were notoriously slovenly. All that
the majority of them aimed at, was to procure
a sufficient amount of the absolute necessities
oflife. This could be accomplished almost
without an effort. The restrictions which,
heretofore, had been laid on commerce, and the
ineficiency of the proprietary governments,
had conspired to make the farmers careless
and Indifferent.
So soon as the province became part and
parcel of the British dominions, marked
change took place. The farmers became en-
ergetic, and in the year 1881, two hundred
and seven ships were employed in exporting
the surplus productions of the colony.
The King instructed Governor johnson to
extend the settlement of the terr. ry in va
rious directions. For the purpose of efecting
this object he was ordered to lay out eleven
towns. 1t was ordered that the district con.
nected with each of these towns should contain
tract of twenty thousand acres of land.
These towns were to be located on the Alta
naha, Savannah, Santee, Ponpon, Wateree,
Black, Waccamaw and Pedee rivers On
each of the three first named, there were to be
two towns and one on each of the others.
Each man, woman and child Of every family
which would settle on these tracts of land,
was to receive fifty acres which was to be in
creased as the necessities of the family might
demand.
At that time, it was very common tor IN.
dividuals to come into the country in the ca
pacity of servants. These individuals had
engaged to labor in the capacity Of servants
only for certain number of years. The
king made provision for this class Of persons.
So soon as their term of service expired, they
were to receive fifty acres of land, free from
all rents, for two years. Women, as well as
men, were entitled to this bounty. This was
wise provision. Many persons of good
character came, at different times, into the
country, in the capacity Of servants. By the
wise provision of the king, these individuals
we're, so soon as their term of service expired,
enabled to assume, with credit to themselves
and profit to the country, the position OF citi-
zens. From this class of persons, some OF the
most worthy citizens Of the State in after
years, sprang. Whether or not all the towns
that Governor johnson was instructed to lay
out were actually located, we are not able to
say positively. Perhaps they were not; but
one thing is certain, about this time the pop.
ulation Of the State first began to spread over
the territory.
Purrysburgh, on the banks of the Savan-
nah, was settled by Swiss colony. This
town was about thirty miles from the sea and
seven miles above tide water. This settlement
was begun under the auspices Of John Peter
Purry, of Neufchatel; James Richards, of
Geneva Abraham Meuron and Henry Ray
mond, both of Sulpy. In order to aid Purry
in accomplishing his undertaking, the Assem-:
bly, granted him two thousand dollars and
sustenance for three hundred persons for the
period of one year. Provision was made that
the immigrants be Swiss Protestants Of good
moral character.
The country had now been settled sixty
years. Still the people enjoyed but few ofthe
blessings Of civilization. We have already
seen that the dwelling houses of the majority
of the country people were rude in appearance
and afforded but little comfort to those inhab-
iting them. There were even at this early
period in the country, few stately mansions
but these we're exceptions. A few rich men
came to South Carolina, and from the infancy
of the colony lived in English style. What
we now call out-houses, were, of course, even
more neglected than the dwellings.
In 1871 there we're few barns in the State.
The domestic animals were rarely, even in
winter, put into stables. They were turned
into pens, near by the dwelling house, more
for the purpose of keeping them tame, than
with the view of protecting them from the in.
clemency of the weather. Horses, cows, hogs
and sheep had increased most wonderfully.
At this time it was no uncommon thing tor a
farmer to own several hundred head Of cattle
These were no expense whatever, except the
time that was spent in watching them and
preventing them from going wild. They were
fed neither in summer nor winter: In sum-
mer, they grew very fat; but in the winter
they became exceedingly poor, and vast num-
0ers of them died. It is said during the win.
ter of 1730-31, not less than ten thousand
head of cattle died from hunger and cold.
Up to this period the farmers laid up no food
for their domestic animals. and it is said there
was not cow shelter in the country. Very
little use was made of the domestic animals
bv the early settlers. Milk and butter were
scarce, Notwithstanding the fact that one In
dividual would often own two hundred COWS
with calves. The COWS and calves were al
lowed to run together in the forest, and the
owner of this vast herd rarely had either milk
or butter on his table. Butter sold often for
one dollar and half per pound; and some
times for twice that amount in Charles Town.
The first individuals who settled in the State
were it would seem from their conduct, ex-
tremely ignorant with respect to agriculture,
and very little progress was made either IN
the science or art of agriculture by their de-
scendants for more than half a century.
They learned to cultivate maize from the In
dians, and rice from the negroes that were
brought into the colony from Africa:
In 1871, there we're very few mechanics in
the State. The wages of good carpenter, at
that time, was about seven dollars and half
and diet, per day. Blacksmiths ranked about
the same. Such condition of things could
not last long. In country which afforded
freedom to all such, wages would entice the
struggling multitudes of Europe. The first
settlers of the State did not, however, think
of settling up the State with the laboring
classes of Europe. They looked to Africa
for laborers. Hence, the negro population
increased much more rapidly than the white.
When the white population numbered only