RAMSAY'S HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
From ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN 1670 
TO THE YEAR 1808.
by David Ramsay, M.D. 
Preface dated "Charleston, December 31st, 1808"
Published in 1858, by W.J. Duffie, Newberry, S.C.  
Reprinted in 1959, by the The Reprint Company, Spartanburg, S.C.   

Volume I, CHAPTER I, pp 1-5

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CIVIL HISTORY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. CHAPTER I.

Population.

Columbus, by the discovery of America, introduced the Old World to an
acquaintance with the new. No sooner was the existence of a Western Continent
known to the maritime powers of Europe, than they eagerly rushed forth to
seize a portion of it for themselves. Though that part of the American coast
which stretches from the 36th degree of north latitude to St. Augustine, was
claimed by Spain, England and France, yet they all for a long time neglected
it. Nearly two centuries passed away subsequent to its discovery, before any
permanent settlement was established in the tract of country which is now
called Carolina and Georgia. That germ of civilized population which took
root, flourished, and spread in South Carolina, was first planted at or near
Port Royal, in 1670, by a few emigrants from England, under the direction of
William Sayle, the first Governor of the province. Dissatisfied with that
situation, they removed, in 1671, to the Western banks of Ashley river, and
there laid the foundation of old Charlestown, on a plantation now belonging to
Elias Lynch Horry. This site was injudiciously chosen, for it could not be
approached by vessels of large burden, and was therefore abandoned. A second
removal took place to Oyster Point, formed by the confluence of the rivers
Ashley and Cooper. There, in the year 1680,[1] the foundation of the present
city of Charleston was laid, and in one year, thirty houses were built.
Neither the number of these first settlers, nor their names, with the
exception of William Sayle and Joseph West, have reached posterity. They could
not, however, have been many; for all of them, together with provisions, arms,
and utensils, requisite for their support, defence, and comfort, in a country
inhabited only by savages, were brought from England to Carolina in two
vessels. To increase the population, was a primary object. There is no
evidence of any plan to procure settlers of any uniform description, either as
to politics or religion, farther than that a decided preference was given to
protestants. The emigrants were a medley of different nations and principles.
>From England the colony received both Roundheads and Cavaliers, the friends of
the parliament, and the adherents to the royal family. The servants of the
crown, from motives of policy, encouraged the emigration of the former; and
grants of land were freely bestowed on the latter, as a reward of their
loyalty. Liberty of conscience, which was allowed to every one by the charter,
proved a great encouragement to emigration. The settlement commenced at a
period when conformity to the Church of England was urged with so high a hand,
as to bear hard on many good men. In the reign of Charles the Second and James
the Second, and till the revolution, which was eighteen years subsequent to
the settlement of the province, dissenters labored under many grievances. They
felt much and feared more; for, in common with many others, they entertained
serious apprehensions of a popish successor to the crown of England. Men of
this description, from a laudable jealousy of the rights of conscience,
rejoiced in the prospect of securing religious liberty, though at the expense
of exchanging the endearments of home, and cultivated society for the wilds of
America. Such cheerfully embraced the offers of the proprietors; and from them
Carolina received a considerable number of its earliest settlers.

The inducements to emigration were so many and so various, that every year
brought new adventurers to the province. The friends of the proprietors were
allured to it by the prospect of obtaining landed states at an easy rate.
Others took refuge in it from the frowns of fortune, and the rigor of
creditors. Young men reduced to misery by folly and excess, embarked for the
new settlement, where they had leisure to reform, and where necessity taught
them the unknown virtues of prudence and temperance. Restless spirits, fond of
roving, were gratified by emigration, and found in a new country abundant
scope for enterprise and adventure.

Besides individual emigrants, the colony frequently received groupes of
settlers, from their attachment to particular leaders, some common calamity,
or general impulse. The first of these was a small colony from Barbadoes,
which arrived in 1671, under the auspices of Sir John Yeamans, who had
obtained a large grant of land from the proprietors. With these were
introduced the first, and for a considerable time, the only slaves that were
in Carolina.

Shortly after, the colony received a valuable addition to its strength from
the Dutch settlement of Nova-Belgia. This in 1674 was conquered by England,
and thereupon acquired the name of New York. After their subjugation, many of
the Dutch colonists, dissatisfied with their new masters, determined to
emigrate. The proprietors of Carolina offered them lands, and sent two ships
for their accommodation, which conveyed a considerable number of them to
Charlestown. Stephen Bull, Surveyor General of the colony, had instructions to
mark out lands on the southwest side of Ashley river, for their accommodation.
They drew lots for their property, and formed a town which was called
Jamestown. This was the first colony of Dutch settlers in Carolina. Their
industry surmounted incredible hardships, and their success induced many from
ancient Belgia afterwards to follow them to the western world. The inhabitants
of Jamestown, finding their situation too narrow, spread themselves over the
country, and the town was deserted. 

In 1679, King Charles II ordered two small vessels to be provided at his
expense, to transport to Carolina several foreign protestants, who proposed to
raise wine, oil, silk and other productions of the south. Though they did not
succeed in enriching the country with these valuable commodities, their
descendants form a part of the present inhabitants.

The revocation of the edict of Nantz, fifteen years subsequent to the
settlement of Carolina, contributed much to its population. In it, soon after
that event, were transplanted from France the stocks from which have sprung
the respectable families of Bonneau, Bounetheau, Bordeaux, Benoist, Boiseau,
Bocquet, Bacot, Chevalier, Cordes, Courterier, Chastaignier, Dupre, Delysle,
Dubose, Dubois, Deveaux, Dutarque, De la Consiliere, De Leiseline, Douxsaint,
Dupont, Du Bourdieu, D'Harriette, Faucheraud, Foissin, Faysoux, Gaillard,
Gendron, Gignilliat, Guerard, Godin, Girardeaux, Guerin, Gourdine, Horry,
Huger, Jeannerette, Legare, Laurens, La Roche, Lenud, Lansac, Marion, Mazyck,
Manigault,[2] Mellichamp, Mouzon, Michau, Neufville, Prioleau,[3] Peronueau,
Perdriau, Porcher, Postell, Peyre, Poyas, Ravenel, Royer, Simons, Sarazin, St.
Julien, Serre, Trezevant.

These, and several other French protestants, in consequence of the revocation
of the Edict of Nantz, repaired to Carolina, and became useful inhabitants.
Many of their descendants have been, and are, respectable and distinguished
citizens.[4] They generally at first established themselves on Santee river;
and from them, that part of the country in old maps was called French Santee.

Besides these French refugees who came directly from France, there was a
considerable number which, after a short residence in the northern countries
of Europe and of America, particularly New York, repaired to Carolina, as a
climate more similar to the one from which they had been driven, than the
bleaker regions to which they had first resorted. Thus Carolina became a
general rendezvous of French protestants, as had been originally contemplated
by one of their distinguished leaders, shortly after the discovery of
America.[5]

[1] A monument in the Circular Church, erected to the memory of Robert Tradd,
states, "that he was the first male child born in Charlestown," and "that he
died on the 30th of March, 1731, in the 52d year of his age." Though the
precise time of his birth is not mentioned, the whole accords with other
historic evidence, that Charlestown began to be built in 1680.

[2] A letter written in French by Judith Manigault, the wife of Peter
Manigault, who were the founders of the worthy family of that name, may give
some faint idea of the sufferings of these French protestant refugees. This
lady, when about twenty years old, embarked in 1685 for Carolina, by the way
of London. After her arrival, she wrote to her brother, a letter, giving an
account of her adventures. This letter translated into English, is as follows:
- "Since you desire it, I will give you an account of our quitting France, and
of our arrival in Carolina. During eight months, we had suffered from the
contributions and the quartering of the soldiers, with many other
inconveniences. We therefore resolved on quitting France by night, leaving the
soldiers in their beds, and abandoning the house with its furniture. We
contrived to hide ourselves at Romans, in Dauphigny, for ten days, while a
search was made after us; but our hostess being faithful, did not betray us
when questioned if she had seen us. From thence we passed to Lyons - from
thence to Dijon - from which place, as well as from Langres, my eldest brother
wrote to you; but I know not if either of the letters reached you. He informed
you that we were quitting France. He went to Madame de Choiseul's, which was
of no avail as she was dead, and her son-in-law had the command of everything:
moreover, he gave us to understand that he perceived our intention of quitting
France, and if we asked any favors from him, he would inform against us. We
therefore made the best of our way for Metz, in Lorraine, where we embarked on
the river Moselle, in order to go to Treves - from thence we passed to
Cochieim, and to Coblentz - from thence to Cologne, where we met with an host
who spoke a little French, and who informed us we were only thirty leagues
Lunenburg. We knew that you were in winter quarters there, by a letter of
yours, received fifteen days before our departure from France, which mentioned
that you should winter there. Our deceased mother and myself earnestly
besought my eldest brother to go that way with us; or, leaving us with her, to
pay you a visit alone. It was in the depth of winter: but he would not hear of
it, having Carolina so much in his head that he dreaded losing any opportunity
of going thither. Oh, what grief the losing so fine an opportunity of seeing
you at least once more, has caused me! How have I regretted seeing a brother
show so little feeling and how often have I reproached him with it! but he was
our master, and we were constrained to do as he pleased. We passed on to
Holland, to go from thence to England. I do not recollect exactly the year,
whether '81 or '85, but it was that in which King Charles of England died,
(Feb. 1685.) We remained in London three months, waiting for a passage to
Carolina. Having embarked, we were sadly off: the spotted fever made its
appearance on board our vessel. of which disease many died, and among them our
aged mother. Nine months elapsed before our arrival in Carolina. We touched at
two ports - one a Portuguese, and the other an island called Bermuda,
belonging to the English, to refit our vessel, which had been much injured in
a storm. Our Captain having committed some misdemeanor, was put in prison, and
the vessel seized. Our money was all spent, and it was with great difficulty
we procured a passage in another vessel. After our arrival in Carolina, we
suffered every kind of evil. In about eighteen months our elder brother,
unaccustomed to the hard labor we had to undergo, died of a fever. Since
leaving France we had experienced every kind of affliction - disease -
pestilence - famine - poverty - hard labor. I have been six months together
without tasting bread, working the ground like a slave; and I have even passed
three or four year without always having it when I wanted it. God has done
great things for us, enabling us to bear up under so many trials. I should
never have done, were I to attempt to detail to you all of our adventures. Let
it suffice that God has had compassion on me, and changed my fate to a more
happy one. for which glory be unto him." The writer of the above letter died
in 1711, seven years after she had given birth to Gabriel Manigault, who in a
long and useful life accumulated a fortune so large, as enabled him to aid the
asylum of his persecuted parents with a loan of $220,000, for carrying on its
revolutionary struggle for liberty and independence. This was done at an early
period of the contest, when no man was certain whether it would terminate in a
revolution or a rebellion.

[3] The Rev. Elias Prioleau, the founder of the eminently respectable family
of that name in Carolina, migrated thither soon after the revocation of the
Edict of Nantz, and brought with him from France a considerable part of his
protestant congregation. He was the grandson of Anthoine Prioli, who was
elected Doge of Venice in the year 1618. Many of his numerous descendants, who
were born and constantly resided in or near Charleston, have approached or
exceeded their 70th year; and several have survived, or now survive their
8Oth.

[4] Three of the nine Presidents of the old Congress Which conducted the
United States through the revolutionary war, were descendants of French
protestant refugees, who had migrated to America in consequence of the
revocation of the Edict of Nantz. The persons alluded to were Henry Laurens,
of South Carolina; John Jay, of New York; and Elias Boudinot, of New Jersey.

[5] As early as the year 1562 Admiral Coligny, a zealous Huguenot, formed a
project for founding an asylum for French protestants in America. He succeeded
so far as to affect a settlement under the direction of John Ribault somewhere
on the coast of Carolina, most probably on or near the island of St. Helena.
These French settlers not being well supported, became discontented; and
afterwards the whole of them put to sea, with a scanty stock of provisions.
Pinched with hunger, they killed one of their number, who consented to be made
a victim to save his comrades. The survivors were taken up by an English ship,
and carried into England. Two years after, or in 1564, M. Rene Laudonniere,
with a considerable reinforcement, arrived at the river of May on the same
coast after it had been abandoned. This second groupe of French protestants
was killed by Pedro Melendez a Spanish officer, who had received orders from
his King to drive the Huguenots out of the country, and to settle it with good
Catholics. In execution of this order he hung several of the French settlers,
and suspended over them a label signifying, "I do not do this as to Frenchmen,
but as to Lutherans."  The Spanish conquerers took the stand of the vanquished
French and fortified it. But their cruelty was retaliated by Dominique De
Gourges, who soon after sailed from France with a considerable force. On his
arrival he successfully attacked the Spanish settlement, and after killing
many in action, he hung the survivors on the same trees in which his
countrymen had been previously hung, and with a searing iron, impressed on a
tablet of wood this inscription, "I do not do this as to Spaniards, but as to
robbers and murderers." The victors, after razing the forts and destroying the
settlement, returned to France. The country, thus abandoned by both French and
Spaniards, remained in the undisturbed possession of the Indians for more than
a hundred years. Soon after the end of that period, it was taken possession of
by the English, and under their auspices became an asylum for French
protestants, as it had been originally intended by Admiral Coligny.

[To be continued....]

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