The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-11-12

i~--O 14AASA Ctz4 k}aLIlS 4TOIIl LS4Sll-
bOrh0od TO neighb0Yhood. The
woods were much denser then .
than now and it is easy TO con- /
jec1re how he got lost frequently .
and had to lie cut all night, see
ing ghosts and jack-o'lanterns in
every trembling bush, while
listening 10 the heartrending
screams Of panthers, with no
hammock or other facilities for
resting up out Of reach Of the
armies a. alliga1ors that crept
out from the swamps at night.
Those Of Us whose memories go
back fifty years can easily under
stand that the swanps of 1890
were much deeper than now and,
from the frequency with which
We had 10 pull COWS out Of the
n1ire in our boyhood, that they
were far more impossible and,
in some cases. virtually bottom
less. From all this We can ap-
preciate how dangerous. as well
as difficult. the task Mr.. Dudley
had in listing over 900 heads Of
families representing a popula-
ton Of 1856.
4 map Of date 1796 accompan-
les the publication. 1t upsets
the geography Of all the histori-
cal sketches and traditions that
We have read and heard about
Drowning Greek, Raft Swamp.
Big Marsh and Ashpole. but is
all the more interesting on that
/ account. Al that time it appears
thaJ Drowning Greek had its
source near the southwestern
corner Of Cumberland county and
instead OF flowing in a southeast
" direction and losing itself in
Lumber river. it made almost q
bee line for South Carolina. cut
ting across the lower edge of
Richmond. crossing the line be-
low where NaXton is now locat-
ed, and here received its princi-
pal tributary, Warren Greek. A
few miles further on it entered
Raft swamp. and four or five
miles below crossed over into
South Carolina just above where
the Lunlberton and Harlleesville
road crosses Little Peedee river.
Raft swamp was not a stream
but an oval shaped swamp, 20 or
Is miles from the nearest point
Of the modern Raft swamp anG
about at the modern junction OF
Little Peedee and Shoe Hee'
creek. There was no such stream
as Lumber river. Lumbertor
was situated Oh a small unnamed
stream which headed up about
where ST. Pauls is situated
Looking over on the South Caro-.
lima map in the hope Of find
ing Lumber river. We find Ash
pole swamp, across the line, from
start 10 finish. Mr. Dudley gave
q little additional geography by
locating one VIM. Thompson OF
Back swamp and another on Hos
swamp. Other parts Of the State
are equally out Of joint. but i
, would take up too much space /,
!, notice them.
To ME this is an interesting
chapter in geography. but con
:, sidering that the map was mad
. 112 years ago. it is not a surpris
, ing one. Hardly 10 years be
-. fore that, La Sale. before start
! ing on his voyage across the AT
| lantic with his Louisiana Colony
! procured a letter Of introductio.
from Louis NV to the Kahn Q
Tartary. He had found tn
: mouth Of the Mississippi river
Il Il year or two previously, and claim
y ed all the county drained by
for the grand monarch. La Sail
had convinced himself and hi
: king that the source Of the Mi:
> sissippi river was in China, an
: possibly in Tartary. This bein
Il the case, it would become nece:
( sary to confer with these power
, as to the limits Of Louisian;
u La Sale never saw Louisiar
e afterwards, but landed in TeXa
l. where he was killed and som
u unknown spot in East Tex;
le contains his bones. EQua
+ " interesting are Jefferson
ID ID mountain of solid salt somewhe
= in the northwest, and DAM
Ia Webster account Of the Rocl
III Mountain Plateau and Paci:
~ Slope.
o. There were Is different fan
ue lies of McMillans; Is families
or McNeills: IA Of the McLeans:
ne of the Campbells: s of the Buit
81 5 Currys,7 Z McSwains, 6 Mcleod
* and so on. Of the families otf
e, r. than Scotch. very few were
"a q the same name. Among thee
~ atans, there were seven Locke
m VI families, and as a rule these p
~ ~ pie had the largest families. I
10 only persons having 10 or M
1no 1 slaves were Daniel McPhers
ne ne who had p John Cade, 17;Hel
aiJ iJ Pope, Is; John Willis, IS; Ste
amIu m en- King and Samual Smith
III III. Nuse) IS each; John Regan,
'te Joseph Wood, II; Jesse Jernig
~ john Fort and Cornelius v
1e1 ,ed gate, 10 each. James Low
lls'3 l3 was the largest slavehol
anu any among the Croatans and he
No. no. only 8. Joshua Ammons, "
ilat @ Bishop Gregg tells US, saved
slA life of Gen. La, Fayette anC
u 1925 walked to Fayetteville
elA meet and shake hands with
= old general, was a resident
u - d Robson in 1890. This re