Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-01-20

came and settled in all of the upper countie
of South Carolina. -... ..
It will, no doubt, be interesting to give
brief history of the settlement of! the severa
counties of the State. 1t must be remember
ed, however, that the division of the Stat
into counties did not take place until aftel
the Revolutionary war.
After the territory embraced in the presen
counties of Charleston, Colleton and Beau
fort, that embraced by Barnwell and Orange
burg, was the first to induce settlement. Al
early as 1904, a man by the name of Henry
Stirling made settlement in the present
county Of Orangeburg, on Lyons creek. Il
was not, however, until 1755-two years aftel
the settlement of Williamsburgh-that per
manent settlement was made in this section
Of the State From 1904, the time of Henry
Strings settlement, to 1875, only few in
dividuals located in this region. In 1876 g
number of Germans made permanent set
tlement. They were people of good mora
character. By them the settlement was call
ed Orangeburg. Barnwell is 80 named in
honor of the Barnwell family of Beaufort
Horny and Williamsburg, were both settled
about the same time, and both by Irish. In
Horny, many of the French Huguenots found
home. Georgetown was settled early in the
beginning of the eighteenth century by Bap
lists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians, mostly
of English origin but it was not until 1871
that the settlement became permanent
Following the tide Of emigration from the
seacoast northward, the next settlement wa'
made in the present county of Richland, in
the year 1740, at point a few miles north
west of the present city Of Columbia.
When the country was first settled, stock
raisers constructed what they called "cow
pens" These were rude fabrics, generally
reared on some stream, or at the confluence o.
two streams. The object designed was te
have some place where their stock, consisting
mostly of horses and COWS, might be collected
salted and branded. Insome cases, there was
no house, nor even pen. The name cowper
was given to certain locality. The owne,
of the stock, on arriving at the place, uttered
call which was recognized by the stock, and
to it they rushed. ,l ........s...... 49,.
At the mouth of Cane Creek, Benjamin
Singleton, and afterward Poreher, established
cowpens. Settlements were soon made in the
neighborhood by German immigrants. This
was in the region of the Cherokee Indians
and for protection, the settlers constructed two
forts-fort CRANKY on the Congaree, and fort
Kinnerly on the Saluda.
The remaining counties Of the State wert
mostly first settled by immigrants from The
northern colonies. Fairfield was settled ir
the year 1745, on Broad river, by two broth
ers, John and Ephraim Lyles. The, old home
sread ls, We believe, stlll IN Possession OF some
of their descendants, who bear the same name
The Lyles were Virginians by birth. They
we're nativesof New Brunswick, Virginia, bu
had emigrated to North Carolina; thence K
South Carolina. Soon after their settlement
Ephraim was killed by the Cherokee Indians
At the same time the Indians killed negro
belonging to Ephraim Lyles, but Mrs. Lyle
and eight children were not disturbed. Pre-
vious to this, Thomas Nightingale, the mater
nal grandfather of Rev. R. P. johnson, th'
present pastor Of the Episcopal Church o
Yorkville, established cowpen on little Cedal
Creek, about six or seven miles below Winns
boro. About the same time, a cowpen wa
established near Winn's bridge, by mar
named Howell. The Scotch Irish, both before
and after the Revolutionary war, settled ii
great numbers in and around Winnsboro.
Chesterfield and Lancaster counties, were
settled in 1745 by Virginians and Pennsyl
vanians. Kershaw was settled in 1850 by 6
colony of Irish Quakers; Chester in 1850 by
Pennsylvanians and Virginians; Darlington
and Edgefeld, in 1850, by virginians-mos
ly the latter. Lexington county was settled
in 1850 by Germans. The first township laid
out in this county was called Saxegotha
Marion and Marlborough were both settled
by Virginians the former in 175O-the latter
in 1855. The first settler in the present
county of Newberry was John Duncan, q
Scotchman; but an immigrant to South Car
olina from Virginia The counties of Lau
rens and Union were both settled in 1756 by
immigrants from Pennsylvania and Virginia
Samuel and James Brady made, in 1850, the
first permanent settlement in what is now
Sumter county. spartanburg county was
settled in 1850 by few individuals from Vir.
ginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina
The territory embraced in the counties Of
Anderson, Pickens and Oconee, was not set
tied until in 1855, after Braddock's defeat.
when a number of persons, exposed to the
ravages of the Indians, came from Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Virginia and located in
that mountainous region. Abbeville, York
and Greenville, were the three last counties
in which permanent settlements were made.
In 1866, Patrick Calhoun, with four other
families, made q settlement in Abbeville
county, on Long Cane creek. They were pre-
ceeded by two other families by the
name of Edwards and the other by the name
of Gowdy. York was first settled in 1850,
and Greenville in 1766, by Virginians and
Penusylvanians. rs ........... -.
When the upper and middle sections Of the
State began to receive settlers, the territory
was soon, at least, partially filed with inbab-
itants. The Irish came in by hundreds. Ire
land and Scotland furnished the up.country
with the largest amount Of immigrants. Ger
manv and Eranca fi1rnished several colonies.