The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1906-12-07
DR.. THOMAS HANCOCK, IMMIGRANT.
An Interesting StO.y of One of the
First immigrants in the Up.
Country.

Jonesvillc. Nov. 2z.-While SO
much is being said and written
these days about immigrants, it
reminds me that one of my grand
fathers, DIR. Thomas Hancock,
was perhaps the first immigrant to
this part of the country, and one
among the first to come into South
Carolina. He was born in the
city of London, England, on the
10th day of April. 1901. He was
educated in London and then grad
uated in medicine, and while a
young man he came to America, in
1898, landing at Charleston, S. G.
He came on ship loaded with ne
groes and he was the surgeon of
the ship. The ship was castaway
and for six weeks they were on
the deep blue sea without seeing
land. Their provisions gave on.
and the whole crew came near per-
ishing for want of food. Several
of the negroes starved to death,
and grandfather said the others
ate them. He helped to eat the
negro flesh, and he also broiled his
boot legs and ate them, and they
were sweet to his taste. Grand
father had kind of shudder oc-
casionally in his shoulder to the
day of his death, and he said it was
caused by eating the human flesh.
Shortly after grandfather landed
in Charleston. Mr.. Jack Littlejohn,
who lived near Grindal Shoals, as
it was then called, was in Charles
ton and he came up with the young
English doctor and became at
tached to him and brought the
Young doctor home with him; and
it was in the Littlcjohn and Dawk-
ins neighborhood, now Cherokee
county, that grandfather found
his first American friends. Among
them he located and practiced his
profession. There was ever after
wards the most kindly feeling and
closest friendship between the Lit
tlejohns and my grandfather and
his family At Asburv. where Mr.
Durbin Littlciohn now lives. is
where grandfather settled and up
on that spot my saintcd mother
was born; the place was called
HanCockSvillc. after my grand
father. who bought large tracts OF
lands. several hundred acres. for
one dollar per acre. and moved
down ON Brown : creek. five miles
North OF Union, where l'inchcr
Harris now lives. There he lived
: until March. 1915. when he died.
He had accumulated considerable
, property and had established q
reputation as an eminent phvsi-
clan and especially for the treat
: m2nt OF cancer and dropsy. Many
, patients from over the country
would go to his home and remain
for weeks for treatcmnt. and ii
was seldom that he lost patient
Grandfather brought with him
from London twelve dozen china
plates of very fine figure. but so
| far as | know there is only one
of the plates in existence and I
have it. ! sent it to the Charles
ton exposition a few years since
: along with the exhibit of Union
county. in charge of Mrs. b. G.
Clifford. of Union. and it came
back safe and sound.
Grandfather was of the old
English Presbyterian stock and
his funeral was preached by a
: PRESBYTERIAN minister, Thomas
: Hutchinson. Although I was only
: six years old | can well remember
the occasion and also the preach
er's text: MARK the perfect man
and behold the upright. for the end
: of that man is peace" The text
was very appropriate to the sub
, iect, for whom it represented for
thus lived an upright man. as near
perfection as was Dossible to live
in the flesh and who left good
/, name to his postcritv.
w TT g Harris