The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1903-08-05

The County of Iaurens which, up to the reconstruc
ton PERIOD known Iaurens District; carved
out of the old Ninety Six District about 1885 is be
inferred from the wording of certain grants from George
I'LL still in existence and covering land i'll the Graycour
section that large division of territory called Craven
County, with indefinite boundaries and extending into
North Carolina originally embraced all of this portion of
our State
The writer, while making abstract of titles some
ago. could not find in the proper office any record of
certain tract of land belonging to Of the Putnans
and asking the for any papers he had concerning
the property handed very paper worn out at the
folds On being opened il was found to be grant from
George III to of the of the owners 1t
quite curiosity with its blue ribbons and the great royal
seal i'll rcd 1t signed by Jonathan Downs the
Kings Surveyor and stated that the land which covered
lay in Craven County.
Jonathan Downs lived OH Rabun Creek where Mr.
Albert Darlington lives When the Revolutionary
began he raised body of Wings, of whom he took
command, and with whom he fought many hard skirnisl
along the stream OH which he lived and along Rccdy
River with Indians and Tories He is supposed have
fought at Kings Mountain 1t is known that lie partici-
pated i'll the battle of Musgrove the Enorce SO dis
tnguished he for his bravery and ability that his pco
pie sent him to the legislature after the When this
County carved out Of Ninety Six District it pro-
posed i'll the legislature to it Downs District but lie
and promptly objected saying that he still living
and that for aught lie anybody else knew, he might dis
dlStrCt
given the name of dead He begged that they
would give it the name of his friend, John Iaue,s who
had been killed just the closing his request
was granted hence, the Our County bears.
During his term Kings surveyor Major Downs OBJ
tanned grants covering nearly ALL if ALL of the upper
portion aurens County, the boundary of his pos
sessions at the close of the Revolution being straight line
running from Enorce to Sauda and passing somewhere
between DIR. A. c. luler's and Trinity Church
Years after the his daughter the late Mrs. Phoebe
Brewster, then quite young girl coming into his
morning found him seated beside trunk full of papers
i'll front of the fire taking out paper after paper and after
examining it throwing it into the fire. She asked him
what he doing and told that the papers in that
trunk grants to him from the King covering hous
ands and thousands of which had been settled and
improved by great many poor but honest and ndusr
Gus people, who supposed that they held udisputed titles
that, i'll of his DEATH his heirs could dspossess all Of
these people, and that to them harmless he after
serving ample estate for his family was destroying all
the evidences of his ownership
The first white settlements in Iarens were made prob
ably by Indian traders and the adventurous of the
Huguenot, Scotch and Scotclrsh coonsts of the low
country Afterward these received accessons from Vir-
gina Germany and Holland, thus laying the foundation
for the splendid people have now-selfrespectng IN
dstrious thinking progressive people, who read the
papers and useful books mgle much with each other So
cialy observe the Sabbath go church and take an ell
lightened interest i'll schools.
During the Revolution large proportion of the peo-
pie OF section adhered to the cause there being
good people side the other though most all
early historians tried to convince their leaders that the
Wings all saints and the Tories all devils. The two
factions merely represented different opinions great pub
lie questions, and i'll nearly all both consce
tious The truth OF the matter is that the Revolution III
South Carolina not spontaneous, nor, in any sense
original, but merely sympathetic, the Northern colonies
having the direct grievances while the Southern especially
i'll South Carolina only had direct grievances but
stood iii most favored relation to the crown it is not sur
prising therefore, that the spirit Of loyalty should have
been SO strong here.
At the close of the war; while spirit of vndctive
prevailed amongst the impusive of the victor
Wigs towards the vanqusied Tories, and prompted
property con6scation and personal retalation the
thoughtful leaders recognizing the true spirit of the sa
ton, counseled moderation and reconciliation except il
of great wanton crime thus saving to the country
some OF the best elements of its population, who the
being over accepted the situation established by the sword
The WISDOM as we'll the righteous of this course has
been demonstrated many times III peace and iii Te
Of those Wings have joined hands with the
those Tories both IN peace and i'll war.