Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-09-08
BEAUTIFUL BEAUFORT
Settlement of Section Was Made Prior
to 1874.
HISTORICAL FACTS OF The FOUNDING
Writer Also Tells of Port Royals ear
Iy History and Settlement-some
of First Settlers Were Butchered by
Spapiards

There seems to be no definite data
as to the date of the foundation OF
Port Royal by permanent settlers,
writes n. L. Willetts in the Charleston
News and Courier. Chalmers in his
history of South Carolina, tells us that
a settlement was made prior to 1874.
In that year, with Sir John Yeamans
as leader, the Province of South Caro-
lima which up to that time had a mil
itary government, was divided into
oLaties-Berkeley, Colleton, Craven
and Carteret. Chalmers says that Col
Teton county included Port Royal and
the lands in its vicinity to the distance
of thirty miles. There may have been
q colony or a part Of colony at Port
Royal at that time. In the legislature
establishing civil regulations three
laws were passed that were quite i'm
portant: First, to prevent persons
leaving the colony; second, to prevent
all men from disposing of arms, and
ammunition to the Indians, and, third,
for the regular building of Charles
town. The committee for framing
these public regulations had as its
chairman Stephen Bull.
May Have Remained.
It is quite possible that part of
Sayle's settlement at Port Royal re-
maihed behind and did not go to Char
lestown: At any rate, Chalmers tells
us that the first attempt by the Eng
lish proprietors to settle the Province
of South Carolina was at Port Royal,
and we have already seen that the
first attempts of the French to settle in
the United States was also at Port
Royal or Paris Island William Sayle
was appointed governor of this Eng
lish colony at Port Royal. He arrived
with two ships at Port Royal in 1910
and began settlement at Port Royal
In 1871 the colony moved to the banks
of the Ashley. In 1879, because the
river was not deep enough, under the
government of Col. West the colony
moved to Oyster Point, the confluence
of the Ashley and Cooper rivers, and
here laid the foundations of Charles
town, Incorporated in 1888 as the city
of Charleston. 1t is quito probable,
therefore, that this English settlement
of Port Royal, which was prior to'1694,
antedated this foundation OF Charles
town by perhaps ten years.
Port Royal as a Locality.
Port Royal is frequently mentioned
in early history, but probably not so
much as O. town but as q locality.
There is frequent mention Of Port
Royal river which was named by Ri
bault in 1862, and there was Port Roy
al harbor. According to McCradys
History OF South Carolina, 1870 to
1919, there was no town called Port
Royal. Indeed, towns in those days
were not considered important be-
cause from the inception Of the Caro-
lima colony in 1865 and for about 200
years government was not by town.
ship or by county, but was n centraliz-
cd government at the seat of the col
ony
There was an attempted settlement
by the Scotch, headed by Ford Car
dross, at Port Royal, but these people
were butchered by the Spaniards in
1886, the town ut that time being call
ed Stuart Town. Sanford. in 1866,
touched ut Port Royal, finding on Par
ris Island large number of most in
telllgent and friendly Indians who till
ed large fields of corn and peas and
making two crops year. Sanford
speaks of the fine soil, the great woods
and good pasturage, and of peaches,
figs and grapes, and he speaks Of the
country as all cut up with islands, by
rivers and that there were no small
iSlands-indeed there We're some, he
says, with thousands of acres contain
ing rich lands and all washed by riv-
ers convenient for the carrying of car
goes-all of this refers to the country
around Port Royal. Sanford also went
to Calibouge Sound. He speaks of the
country now known as Hilton Head
and Bluffton, of its extraordinary
lands and of its woods and says as to
this locality there is nothing to be
desired except to be inhabited by
thousands of English settlers"
Beaufort Town.
twenty-five years after the destruc-
ton OF Stuart Town by the Spaniards,
English merchants, feeling the need of
Il port for large ships, for exporting
naval stores, secured through the pro-
prietors the building of town called
Beaufort Town after the Duke of
Beaufort and situated on Beaufort riv-
cr on a good harbor. Though we
know that people lived at Beaufort
! prior to 100 there is no historical ref
erence to the town of Beaufort preyi-
Gus to that date of 100. The found
! ing of Beaufort by these English mer-
chants above occurred in 1711. Beau
fort was the second town really that
was settled and followed afer Charles
town. The Indians. because their lands
! had been taken away from them and
| urged on bV the SD, niardS gaVc these