The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1906-04-04

read by r. E. Babb, Esquire, before
the County Teachers Association Sat
urday, March Oath:
In preparing the following sketch, /
must at the outset acknowledge my in
debtedness to Mr.. John A. Barksdale
for much information as to the naming
of Laurens County and to Wharton's
Diplomatic Correspondence of the
American Revolution for many Incidents
in the career of Mr.. Henry Laurens.
Mills Statistics of South Carolina,
published in 1926, states that the name
of this district was in honor of that
great patriot Henry Laurens. 1t fur
Their states that of it's eminent men,
Major Jonathan Downs and John Hun
ter distinguished themselves during
the Revolution; the first in the field;
the last in the councils of his country.
These men were probably both in the
general assembly of the State when
Laurens was made a separate judicial
district or county but when it was pro
posed to call the district Downs in
honor of Major Downs, he declined and
proposed the name of his friend Henry
I.aurens. Major Downs resided in the
upper part of this county near Rabun
Creek. DIR. Barksdale states that he
remembers the widow of Major Downs
and has a distinct recollection of hear
ing her statements of these facts, COR
roborated by many others who also
knew them. Henry Laurens was known
to Major Downs before the Revolu-
tionary War, while the former was a
leading merchant in Charleston, and it
was there this friendship was formed
which afterwards resulted in the name
of Mr.. Laurens being attached to this
County.
Laurens County was formed by an
act of the General Assembly of South
Carolina, the 18th day of March 17S5.
1t was originally a portion of Ninety
six District, which was cut up into six
counties, the boundary of Laurens
County given in the act being as fol-
lows: Beginning at the Island ford,
thence up Saluda River to the Indian
boundary, thence along said boundary
to Enoree River, thence to O'Dell's
Ford, and thence along the Old Road to
the beginning" Thus we see that
Laurens County was formed prior to
the adoption and ratification of the
Constitution of the United States, and
is therefore older than the present
government of the United States.
Henry Laurens, for whom the county
was named as related above, was born
in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1924
of Huguenot parentage. At an early
age he entered a business house in
Charleston and there laid the founda-
ton of his future business career. In
1740 he went to England and secured
a position in one of the leading banking
houses of London, in which position he
remained several years and made many
acquaintance amongst the most promi-
nent merchants and politicians of the
mother county. These acquaintance
ships proved to be a vast benefit to
him in his subsequent career in the SER
vice of the Colonies and the influence
of friends her made served to mater
tally mitigate the seventies attendant
on his Imprisonment in the Tower of
London during the Revolutionary War.
He returned to Charleston sometime
before the war and took a leading posi-
ton in that city as a merchant and
amassed a large estate, a portion of
which he invested in England. His
great interests in shipping brought him
into many controversies with the Brit
ish Admiralty Court, sitting at Char
lesion, and he wrote much in regard to
the Navigation Acts, so much abhorred
by the Colonies, in which publications
he showed remarkable wit and skill.
But through all this his attachment to
England was strong, and in 1761, while
Lieutenant Colonel under the British
General Grant, he took ground with
that officer in many disputes in which
he was involved with other American
officers. After the passage of the
Stamp Act, Laurens was strong in his
support of that measure and sustained
the constitutionality of it in this State,
and was opposed to forcible resistance
ouSiioiiIy' LII Kun HS again
visited England and remained there and
on the continent of Europe for more
than three years and made judicious in
vestments in foreign funds and securi-
ties. While here he placed his children
in the best English schools for the COM
pletion of their education. One of
these children was John Laurens, who
subsequently took a prominent part in
the Revolutionary War, not only as an
officer in the army but also as secre-
tary to Franklin at the Court of France.
In ITS Mr.. Laurens, having returned
to South Carolina, was elected a mem
Der of its provincial council. The an
nouncement of the Declaration Of indie
pendence, he says, he heard with pain,
but he afterwards acquiesced in it and
was elected to Congress, in the DELHI
erations of which body he took apromi-
nent and leading part. He was elected
President of this body, Chat position
now corresponding with that of Presi-
dent of the United States) in 1777, and
while President, did much for the con-
centration of power in Congress, but
did not go to the extreme as did '.the
~~- . Ill., 49,