Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-05-18

the French and Indians. Multitudes
driven from their homes in these states
came and settled in all Of the upper
counties Of South Carolina.
1t will, no doubt, be interesting to
give a brief history Of the settlement
of the several counties Of the state. 1t
must be remembered, however, that
the division of the state into counties
did not take place until after the Rev.
olutionary war.
After the territory embraced in the
present counties of Charleston, Collie
ton and Beaufort, that embraced by
Barnwell and Orangeburg, was the
first to induce a settlement. AS early
as 1904, a man by the name Of Henry
Stirling made settlement in the pres
ent county Of Orangeburg, on Lyons
creek It was not however, until 1855
two years after the settlement Of Will
liamsburgh-that a permanent settle
ment was made in this section Of the
state. From 1904. the time Of Henry
Strings settlement to 1875, only few
individuals located in this region. In
1885 a number of Germans made a
permanent settlement. They were a
people Of good moral character. BY
them the settlement was called Orange
burg. Barnwell Is so named In honor
of the Barnwell family of Beaufort.
Horny and Williamsburg. were both
settled about the same time and both
by Irish. In Horny, many Of the French
Huguenots found home. Georgetown
was settled early in the beginning of
the eighteenth century by Baptist,
Presbyterians and Episcopalians. most
ly of English origin; but it was not
until 1887 that the settlement became
permanent.
Following the tide Of emigration from
the seacoast northward the next set
tlement was made in the present coun-
ty of Richland, in the year 1740, at a
point a few miles northwest Of the
present city of Columbia.
When the county was first settled,
stockraisers constructed what they
called "cowpens." These were rude
fabrics, generally reared on some
stream or at the confluence Of two
streams. The object designed was to
have some place where their stock,
consisting mostly of horses and cows,
might be- collected, salted and branded.
In some cases there was no house, nor
even a pen. The name cowpen was
given to a certain locality. The owner
of the stock, on arriving at the place,
uttered call, which was recognized
by the stock and to it they rushed.
At the mouth of Cane creek, Benja-
min Singleton, and afterward Porcher
established cowpens. Settlements were
soon made In the neighborhood by Ger
man immigrants. This was In the re-
gion of the Cherokee Indians; and for
protection, the settlers constructed two
forts-Fort CRANKY on the Congaree
and Fort Kinnerly on the Saluda.
The remaining counties Of the state
were mostly first settled by immi-
grants from the northern colonies,
Fairfield was settled in the year 1745 on
Broad river by two brothers, John and
Ephraim Lyles. The old homestead Is,
we believe, still in possession Of some
of their descendants, who bear the
same name. The Lyles were Virgin
ians by birth. They were natives OF
New Brunswick, Virginia, but had emil
grated to North Carolina; thence TO
tlement, Ephraim was killed by the
Cherokee Indians. At the same time
the Indians killed a negro belonging to
Ephraim Lyles, but Mrs. Lyles and
eight children were not disturbed
Previous to this, Thomas Nightingale,
the maternal grandfather Of Rev. X.
P. Johnson, the present pastor Of the
Episcopal church of Yorkville, estab-
lished a cowpen on little Cedar creek,
about six or seven miles below Winns-
boro. About the same time a cowpen
was established near Winn's bridge by
man named Howell. The Scotch
Irish, both before and after the Rev
olutionary war, settled in great num-
bers in and around Winnsboro.
Chesterfield and Lancaster counties
were settled In 1745 by Virginians and
Pennsylvanians. Kershaw was settled
in 1850 by a colony Of Irish Quakers;
Chester in 1850 by Pennsylvanians and
Virginians; Darlington and Edgefield
in 1850 by Virginians-mostly the lat
ter. Lexington county was settled In
1850 by Germans. The first township
laid out In this county was called Sax
egotha. Marion and Marlborough were
both settled by Virginians, the former
in 1850, the latter in 1855. The first
settler in the present county of New
berry was John Duncan, Scotchman;
but an immigrant to South Carolina
from Virginia. The counties Of Laur-
ems and Union were both settled In 1855
by immigrants to South Carolina from
Virginia. Samuel and James Brady
made in 1850 the first permanent set
tlement in what Is now Sumter county.
Spartanburg county was settled In 1850
by a few individuals from Virginia,
Pennsylvania and North Carolina
The territories embraced in the coun-
ties Of Anderson, Pickens and Oconee,
was not settled until in 1855, after
Braddock's defeat, when a number of
persons, exposed to the ravages Of the
Indians, came from Maryland. Penn
sylvania and Virginia and located in
that mountainous region. Abbeville,
York and Greenville, were the three
last counties in which permanent set
Elements were made. In 1856, Patrick
Calhoun, with four other families,
made a settlement in Abbeville county
on Long Cane creek. They were pre-
ceded by two other families-one by
the name of Edwards and the other by
the name of Gowdy. York was first
settled in 1850, and Greenville in 1866,
by Virginians and Pennsylvanians.
When the upper and middle sections
of the state began to receive settlers,
the territory was soon, at least par
TALLY filled with inhabitants. The Irish
came in by hundreds. Ireland and