The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1913-07-24

tree is practically the history OF the
county of Williamsburg.
In the year 1871 after the over
throw of the Proprietary and the es-
tablishment of the Royal govern
ment in the province of South Car
olina, a plan was adopted by the
home government in England for
the more speedy population and set
tlement of the province. To encour-
age immigration Governor Johnson
was instructed TO mark out in
square plats on the side OF rivers,
eleven townships, each to consist of
twenty thousand acres; and to di-
vide the land within them into shares
Of fifty acres for each man. woman
and child that should come to occu-
py and improve them. Each town
ship was to form a parish and all
inhabitants were to have an equal
right to the river. Each settler was
to pay four shillings a year for every
hundred acres of land except the
first ten years. neutrality-suspicious.
ships were marked out: two on riv-
er, ,Altamahaw, two on Savannah, two
on Santee, one on Pee Dee, one on
Waccamaw, one on Wateree and one
on Black" " This latter marked out
On the banks of Black river was call
ed Williamsburg township in honor
of William III, Prince Of Orange.
According to Rev James A Wal
lace in his invaluable brochure His
tory of Williamsburg Church," the
principal immigrations took place in
1872 and 1874. About this time
there came into the township the
men who with their descendants
have made the name and fame OF
Williamsburg known among men ev-
en- unto the present day. Among
them can be mentioned the names
of Witherspoons, James, Wilson,
Bradley, Frierson, Gordon, Porter,
Presley, McCrea, Armstrong, Err
vim, Plowden, Stuart, Mcdonald and
many others, whose names cannot
now be recalled. They came from
Georgetown, which was their port OF
entry land up the river as highway
of travel: for in that day it must be
remembered that there were no roads
and these fair lands were peopled by
the hostile, if picturesque, Indians,
and the lean gray wolf. Immediate
| ly on their arrival they proceeded to
! lay out and establish a town and we
have the records signed by Antho
| " ilIiams, ID $, that pursuant toan
order of Hon Thomas Broughton,
Esq, Lieutenant Governor and his
Majesty's surveyor-general, bearing
date, August s, 1885, | have ad-
measured and laid out a general plan
of the town of Williamsburg, in
Craven county, containing three
hundred and fifty acres Of land, the
river swamp fronting the town in
auded." This old plat is still the
first and last authority concerning
location and boundary in Kingstree.
On the banks of the river near the
spot where the bridge crosses the
stream, there stood at that time a
large white pine known as the Kings
tree, from the circumstance that in
the grants of land of that period all
trees of like kind and dimensions
together with all gold and silver
mines were reserved to the King.
Hence the name of Kingstree, which
in few years superseded Williams
burg as the name of the town. When
we speak the name Kingstree, what
volume of history and romance we
open up! Through these fertile lands
rode the great Marion and his men.
In these streets camped the terrible
Tarleton with one hundred dragons,
while on the road from the lower
bridge gallant McCottry and his In
diantown company came like an
avenging angel to strike him before
the dawn. Who can doubt that but
for the warning given by the one trai.
tor in Kingstree, Tarleton would
have suffered a complete surprise,
his force cut to pieces, and he him
self probably captured? And to the
| glory of the Scotch-Irish patriots OF
the districts, let it be remembered
that not one of them was ever taint-
ed with the suspicion of Toryism,
but to a man they were steadfast
and true to the cause OF Fberty, even
unto death. For the traitor just al
luded to was a newcomer in their
midst. an Enplishman, who kept q