Subject: Craven County, S.C. From: Cynthia Ridgeway Parker Date: April 25, 1998 Hello SC Rooters, As coordinator for 3 of the SCGenWeb pages, I am often asked about Craven County, due to the fact that my three counties, Sumter, Clarendon, and Lee were once part of Craven. Since so much of the back country of S.C. was once a part of Craven County, I decided to post this bit of info. Craven County In the modern sense, Craven was not a unit of government, but merely a geographical expression for a general location. Created originally in 1682, on the coast of South Carolina, Craven County extended from Seewee Bay for 23 miles northeast and inland from the shore only 35 miles. As settlers moved into the interior, the inner and northern boundaries moved back with them and eventually Craven "county" extended to the North Carolina line. For the most part, Craven County was an election district for representation in the provincial Commons House. There were a few justices of the peace, and a sheriff, and a coronor. When the province of South Carolina was laid out into parishes in 1706, Craven County ceased to be an election district, and representation was thereafter by parishes. The county lost all governmental significance but the name continued to be used until about 1769 when the circuit court districts were created. This information was gleaned from reading from The History of Sumter County by Anne King Gregory, pub. in 1954 by the Library Board of Sumter County Good luck with your research, Cindy in Sumter County, S.C. ==== SCROOTS Mailing List ==== Go To: #, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Main |