The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-02
Adventures With Soldiers
And Indians on The Frontier

son. and raised two sons, William and
John. both Of whom have seen. a.
we'll - their mother. My mother car
ried my sister and to South Caro-
lima. when we were small children. and
the old lady was then living. and. from
what ! have learned since. was then
about liz years old. She died two years
later.
It has been said that Robinson neg
lected my grandfather's education, and
he was suffered to grow up much in
the way that one Of his grandscns has
since. AT an early age. he showed some
inclination to become q soldier. and
Of the time with General Washington,
who was then q Major or Colonel. My
grandfather was captain In that ser
vice. and q much older man than
General washington. and from what
have been able to learn since from
Parson weems and others. the old man
was looked upon a. . good tighter. He
married at an early age. woman By
the name of Iemima Collins. and they
had four daughters and two sons. John
and William. His wife died while ne
was In the service. At the close OF the
French war he was ordered on the
frontier Of South Carolina. leaving his
children In Virginia. While In South
Carolina. he became acquainted with
my grandmother. who was his second
wife. And II Is the blood of that grand
veins. that In early life tempted me to
quit what the world terms civilized
and Christian man.
THE STRAIN OF BLOOD
THAT CALLED FOR ACTION
I will now give you as accurately as
can. the true history OF that branch
OF my family. At the very earliest
settlement of South Carolina by Euro
peans, and at the time those tribes Of
OF the Carolinas and Georgia. viz: the
Sowanokas Uchees, Yemacraws. and
others, a European, either OF French
OF Spanish origin, by the name Of
Siives, Il think that the name was
originally spelled Sylvester. but pro-
nounced Silyes) came to Beaufort. 8.
c., took an Indian woman for wife.
and raised family of children. About
the time Silves's eldest daughter ar
rived to womanhood, an Englishman
by the name OF Thomas Stokes. came
to the country, and turned Indian
trader. Stokes took the daughter OF
Silves for a wife, and raised four
children by her, two sons and two
daughters, and one OF them was my
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES name was Elizabeth.
She married one John May. The other
ten. Though I was much better ac-
quainted with her than ! was with
my grandmother), married q man by
the name OF Joiner.
Tho two sons were Thomas and Sill
vester. They were both Whigs in the
American Revolution, and in a sl<ir-
mish with some British and Tories. on
the old ridge not far from the line of
Edgefield and Lexington districts. they
were both badly wounded. and escaped
at the time. but were necessarily force
ed. from their wounds. to go to q set
Element to have them dressed. where
they were betrayed and taken prison.
ers by the British, and IL not hanged
at the same time with Colonel Hayne.
they were just before or after.
My grandmother raised three chill
dren by John May, two sons and a
daughter. when May died. She then
married my grandfather and settled In
the Fairfield district-they raised
three sons and three daughters--iny
father was the oldest OF the. young set
OF children. My grandfather, after
marrying my grandmother. moved his
mother and two haif-hrothera from
Virginia to South Carolina. When the
Revolution commenced, he raised
first. that was raised In South Carr.
lima. He was killed on Dutchmans
Creek. in a fight with the British and
Tories. on the 18TH of May. ITS. NJ,
half-unele, Ben May. took command 81
his company. My half-uncIe John
Woodward. raised another company.
My father. who was rather young %
take the field at the commencement OF
the war, after his father was killed