The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-11-25
LOOK OUT FOR YOUR LAND
WAS 1T EVER OWNED BY ONE THOM-
as SWAOSWORTH

WAS 1T EVER OWNED BY ONE THoM-
As WAOsWoRTH
II 1t Was Tou May be in Danger of Losing
It-A Story That Will Interest Many of
Oar Kcaders---3Eanv Innocen: Parties
NAY Suffer.
GEEESyiLLE, :. c., Noy. 16.-Recent-
ly the Greenville News published the
following: The "Wadsworth poor
school fund.- and the WadsWorth es-
tate have been heard of by many peo-
pie Of this State, but the story that sur
rounds them is not familiar. Inasmuch
as the estate concerns many people in
nearly every county in the State, the
story is repeated below:
Thomas WadsWorth died in Charles
ton about the year iii. He came to
America from England when young
man, first settling in Massachusetts, and
later in Laurens county, this State,
near Milton. He became immensely
wealthy, owning thousands of acres Of
land and hundreds of slaves. After
living in LaureDs county many years
he moved to Charleston and went into
the merchantile business with Mr..
Turpln. When ne died he owned lands
from the mountains to the seaboard OF
South Carolina, principally in the coun-
ties Of Laurens, Spartanburg, Green
vile, Plckens, Anderson, Newberry,
Lexington and Orargeburg. After
abundartly providing for his wife and
mother, for he had no children, he left
about 81 600 acres in various counties
for "poor school fund" The proper
ty was not to be SOLD. Everything was,
left in the hands of board of trustees,
composed of five men. The trustees
were to be elected every two years by
the white free holders OF Dunlaps bat
talon OF I4aurens county and the school
to be supported was to be located in
the battalion. In Mr.. Wadsworth's
days the counties were divided into
paCtalions instead of townships, as now,
and there were four battalions in Lau-
rels county. There were also four In
Greenville. The deeds to the lands
were left in the hands Of trustees and
are now il the possession Of the present
trustees, elected last year by tile white
voters living in "Dualap's battalion"
A school house was built in the batta-
lion, now Hunter township, and has
been in use ever since, although the
vast estate has not, until now yielded
enough to pay a teachers salary. The
trustees rented the land for awhile and
finally leased them for terms ranging
from fifty to ninety-nine years. The
money received was loaned out and
much of it was lost. Some Of the leases
were renewed by other trustees, but a
number of them are beginning to ex-
pire and distressing state of affairs is
in store for a number of people now in
possession of the lands.
r. G. Wallace and W. II. Workman,
two of the five trustees, are in the city
and are looking up part Of the estate
located in this county for the purpose
of selling or settling in some manner.
An act Of the Legislature short time
ago empowered the trustees to sell the
lands and reinvest in lands in Laurens
township, near the WadsWhorth school.
The trustees find by old records In the
| Register Mesne Conveyance's Office that
there are about 400 acres belonging to
the estate in this county. Over 800
acres of it are located two and a half
miles from the city and the worst part
OF the story is that about forty seven
persons own the property and there are
over twenty houses on it. Persons to
whom it was leased and released years
ago sold 1t to unsuspecting and careless
persons and there Is not much doubt
put that many people will have to suf-
fer. Part OF the land is in possion OF
Captain William Goldsmith. Much of
the same iar1:5S land les in the Sandy Flat
section of this county. No property
IN the city is included in the estate and
real estate owners here will breath
easier. In one tract in Spartanburg
county there are 1900 .cres.
1t was said at one time that the town
of Anderson was built on this proper
ty, but the courts freed the property
there from further trouble. About one
hundred and twenty-five acres east Of
the town belonged to the estate. and the
owners settled with the trustees some
time ago by paying a fair price to COM
promise. Wherever the present owners
have fought the matter in courts they
have lost. This would tend to brighten
all who have any interest in the prop
erty.
Oae gentleman in this ,city:lately:in-
vested in some of this land east of here
and he Is now worried. All over the
State, wherever there is any:of this
land, there will be u1eaSiness and few
may loose their ali.
The trustees of the fund now have
about $1,000 on hand. They propose
to push matters to settlement and in
crease the fund. They have planned to
build two more school houses in Dun
laps battalion, one at Cross Hill and
one ct Mountville. The WadsWorth
estate is now valued at between $780,
600 and 100000 at low estimate.