Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-04-17
HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
From the First Settlement to the Close OF
the Revolution.
By REV. ROBERT LATHAM. ID. ID.
From the Yorkville Enquirer Of 1875.
INSTALLMENT XXI.

1t is thought that about one hum
dred and fifty persons constituted the
colony. that in 1870, made settlement
on the right bank of the Ashley river.
The exact number is not known, but
there are reasons for concluding that 1t
was somewhere in the neighborhood or
the number stated above. These were
all white and the majority Of them
were dissenters. That is, they were
either individuals who were op-
posed to the Church Of England, and
were members of some other denomi-
nation of Christians, or they were
members Of the Church Of England,
but opposed to some of the practices of
that church.
Slaves were brought into the colony
by John Yeamans, but a very short
time after it's settlement. By these,
and the Indians who were reduced to
bondage, most of the manual labor In
the colony was performed. In 1701. the
whole population, including the whites,
the negroes, and the Indian slaves,
amounted to 1000. In 1924, the period
at which we have arrived, the whole
number of inhabitants was thirty-two
thousand. OF this number, eighteen
thousand were slaves, the most OF
whom were negroes.
1t was now fifty-four years since the
landing of Sayle and his little band,
and when we take all things into con-
sideration the increase was very great.
On several occasions the number OF the
Inhabitants had been thinned by the
wars with the Indians and Spaniards;
and, at other times, disease, In It's
worst form, had preyed upon the set
tiers. Smallpox and yellow fever had
visited the province. In fact. shortly
after the settlement was made, 1t seems
to have been very sickly. Besides these
things, during the latter part OF the
proprietary government, the encour-
agement to immigrants was not very
great. When we consider all these
things the increase from one hundred
and fifty inhabitants to thirty-two
thousand in a period of fifty-four years
is, we think, very remarkable.
The mode of life of the first settlers
was exceedingly simple and frugal.
The majority Of them were English,
but other nations of Europe were rep
resented. Some Of the settlers were
possessed of considerable fortunes, but
| by far the greater portion of them
were from the humble walks In life.
There was an abundant evidence that
the settlers generally were intelligent,
Ihighminded and patriotic, and a very
respectable number of them were men
of culture and refinement. The enact
ments made by the Colonial assembly.
even in the very infancy Of the colony,
are an honor to any nation. They
give unmistakable evidences of both
moral and intellectual stamina. The
early laws of South Carolina are un-
surpassed by those of any of the colo
nies i'm America. Like the manners
and customs of the people, they are
English in all their leading features.
|
ed in but few luxuries. Each farm
produced an abundance Of supplies TO
meet the necessities of its owner and
some to sell. The rivers and bays
were filled with fish and the forest
abounded with game Of great variety.
1t was customary for the planters to
hire, for a mere trifle, an Indian hun
ter This Indian was able to keep the
family of his employer in an abund-
ance of animal food
The principal cereals cultivated
were maize, or Indian corn peas and
rice. The two former, the settlers
found to be the principal farinaceous
food of the Indians. Both of these the
first settlers found to be more healthy
and better adapted to the wants of Ia
boring men than rice, and hence their
cultivation was at first more extensive
than was that of rice or any other
crop.
| For a long time after the first set
tling of the state, the plow was but lit
tie used. This arose from two circum-
stances. At first no domestic animals,
such as horses, mules and oxen, were
possessed by the settlers; and most OF
the settlers, coming from old countries,
from which all stumps, roots and
stones had been removed from the
fields, they entertained the notion that
the plow could not be used in this
country until the soil was reduced to
a similar condition. The manner of
cultivating the maize was learned from
the Indians. Ridges about five feet
apart were made with the hoe, and the
maize planted on the top of the ridge.
During the growth of the maize 1t was
worked exclusively with the hoe. The
up in a kind of hill around the root of
the stalk After the maize had attain
ed a considerable height peas were
planted at each stalk of maize. Span
ish potatoes were also cultivated.
Rice was sown in the wet places that
were unsuited to the cultivation of
maize. The luXuries in which the
people indulged occasionally were cof-
fee, sugar tea and rice. Sayle, and his
little party who settled OH the Ashley
river, brought a still, but there is no
evidence, so far as we have discovered,
that it was used. Orchards and vine
yards were planted, and at very early
period, the inhabitants learned to con-
vert the fruit into alcoholic beverages.
The commerce of the colony was, at
this time, as previously, carried on
with the West Indies and the northern
colonies. Lumber and naval stores
We're sent to the West Indies for which
molasses sugar, coffee rum and cot
ton We're received in exchange Near
ly all the money that was i'm the colony
came from this quarter. Rice, tar,
pitch and hides were sent to the Eng
lish colonies in the north and eX-
changed for flour fruit, beer. cider and
salt fish,
As early as the Year 1910 consid-
cradle variety of fruits had been intro
duced into this country. Grapes had
been brought from Madeira and 9TH