Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-08-07

of the same year, the petition was
granted by William Wynn. Evidently
the part of this road which was east
of the present town of Yorkville was
what Is now called the Charlotte road
Talbot's ferry was twenty miles above
Fishdam ferry. Whether the road was
opened at this time or not, we are un-
able to say positively. We think,
however, it was not for on the 28th Of
March, 1878, the general assembly Of
South Carolina passed q law establish
ing a ferry on Matthew EIigger's land
on the Catawba and opening road
from the ferry to Talbots ferry on
Broad river. This Is the same for the
opening Of which a petition was sent,
six years before, to William Wynn.
The Nation ford ran about two
miles south of the site o. Yorkville.
1t passed by the residences Of A. j.
Devinney and ]. T. Lowry, out into
what Is now called the Pinckney road
at Coker's old field.
The only house within the present
corporate limits Of Yorkville at the
time of the Revolutionary war, stood
near the Kings Mountain road on the
northwestern corner of the lot on
which stands the Kings Mountain
Military school. A large hickory
marks the place. The first settler was
a
son. On the lot now occupied by Ed
gar P. williams, Matthew Dickson kept
a store, in which he and a relative sold
whisky, treacle, (molasses) salt, delf
and other useful articles. Matthew
Dickson came to the region with the
Crowder's Greek Scotch-Irish emf
grants, perhaps before Braddocks de-
feat. He married a Miss Carson, a
relative of the Carsons in the neigh
borhood of Pisgah church In the low
er edge of CASTOR county, North Caro-
lima. The marriage Of Matthew Dick
son and Miss Carson took place in
Gettysburg.
When Tarleton and his men passed
from Biggers ferry to Cairnes' (then
RossD mill, they went near by the
house of Matthew Dickson, who was
with Sumter's army. Mrs. Dickson
was at home. They had several ne
groes. Two of the negro men left their
families and followed the British. Mrs.
Dickson, when she heard that Tar
Teton was at the Nation ford, set out
to recover the negro men. She rode
one horse and led another, causing a
negro woman to do the same. The
led horses were for the negro men to
ride back oil. When she arrived at
the British camp, she made known the
object Of her visit. Tarleton told her
that her negroes were in camp, but
remarked, you have four fine horses.
think the best thing you can do Is to
return; for If you remain here long
you will have to walk home The
good woman anxious to save her horses,
took his advice and returned, leaving
the negro men with the British. When
she returned home she found her hus-
band at home, and on consultation Ii
was determined by them to abandon
their present abode and go to Sails
bury. Both of them thought that the
region in which they lived would be
for a long time the seat Of war. From
Salisbury, Matthew Dickson and fam
lily went beyond Broad river, South
Carolina, and settled on SiX-and-Twen-
ty creek in Pendleton district, about
six miles from old Pendleton court
house. One reason he gave for not
coming back from Salisbury to his
lands in York, was that having heard
that the town lands joined his, he
thought 1t would be impossible to raise
his boys right so near little village.
Matthew Dickson owned the lands
west of the Lincoln road as far as the
present corporate limits Of the town.
On the south they were bounded by a
line running a short distance south Of
the old male academy: on the north
they extended as far as the Murphy
branch Matthew Dickson having
abandoned these lands, they were TAX
en- up by Judge William Smith and
from him passed through several hands
into the possession of the present own
ers. Many Of the descendants Of Mat
thew Dickson are living In Anderson
county.
It Is worthy of note that the Ross, on
Turkey creek, at whose place Tarleton
lay in camp for several days, was the
grandfather of DR.. F. M. Ross Of York
Vile. Col. Ross was a gallant officer
and fought bravely at Brier creek, at
which place he was killed by the In
dians.