Charleston South Carolina

Register of St. Philip’s Parish, South Carolina

This is a collection of birth records from St. Philip’s Parish in South Carolina, beginning in 1711. It documents births in chronological order, providing the names of the parents, the date of birth, and sometimes additional information like the time of birth or whether the child was baptized. The records highlight the demographics of the parish during the 18th century, showcasing the names, family structures, and even the occasional instances of births outside of marriage.

Biography of Henry Holmes White

Henry Holmes White, President and manager of the Oklahoma Engineering, Machine & Boiler Company and thus identified with one of the leading industrial enterprises of Muskogee, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, December 13, 1868, and is a son of Isaac DuBose and Caroline Octave (Holmes) White. He was educated at the Citadel, the military academy of South Carolina, from which he was graduated with the class of 1889, and, following the completion of his course, he occupied a position as draftsman with the South Carolina Railroad. He thoroughly learned the machinist business in the railroad shops in which he … Read more

Biography of John Congreve

John Congreve, one of the well-known business men of Riverside and San Bernardino County, with which he has been identified for many years, is the general manager of the Riverside branch of the Pioneer Lumber and Mill Company, one of the largest and best known lumber enterprises in Southern California. The Riverside branch was established in January 1886, under the firm name of William H. Perry Lumber and Mill Company, and continued until January 1, 1887. The present company was then organized with M. A. Murphy as president, and S. H. Moot, secretary, and at that time Mr. Congreve took … Read more

John Isaac Love – Notes on the Will

Notes on the Will of John Isaac Love, the son of Thomas Dillard Love, taken from a memorandum of my Father, Robert Love, now in my possession-F.D. Love John I Love died on the ________ of ________ leaving Will made on ________ of __________ 18___, in which he gives all his personal estate to his brother, R. Love, and likewise his entire landed interest. However, he requires or conditions in the bequest a sale; that his brother, R. Love, shall pay his nephew, R.L. Dulaney, five hundred dollars when he arrives at the age of 21, and if he dies … Read more

Joseph W. Williford

Private 1st Class, M. G., Co. A, 30th Div., 115th Regt.; of Charleston, S. C.; son of L. C. and Mrs. A. O. Williford. Entered service July 4, 1917, at Gastonia, N.C. Sent to Camp Sevier, S. C. Sailed for France July 13, 1918. Promoted to 1st Class Private Sept. 1, 1917. Returned to USA March 8, 1919. Mustered out at Camp Lee, Va., April 8, 1919.

Slave Narrative of Ned Walker

Interviewer: W. W. Dixon Person Interviewed: Ned Walker Location: Winnsboro, South Carolina Place of Birth: Winnsboro, South Carolina Age: 83 Ned Walker lives in the village of White Oak, near Winnsboro, S.C., in a two-room frame house, the dwelling of his son-in-law, Leander Heath, who married his daughter, Nora. Ned is too old to do any work of a remunerative character but looks after the garden and chickens of his daughter and son-in-law. He is a frequent visitor to Winnsboro, S.C. He brings chickens and garden produce, to sell in the town and the Winnsboro Hill’s village. He is tall, thin, and … Read more

Slave Narrative of Jesse Rice

Interviewer: Caldwell Sims Person Interviewed: Jesse Rice Date of Interview: January 8, 1938 Location: Gaffney, South Carolina Stories From Ex-Slaves “My people tells me a lot about when I was a lil’ wee boy. I has a clear mind and I allus has had one. My folks did not talk up people’s age like folks do dese days. Every place dat I be now, ‘specially round dese government folks, first thing dat dey wants to know is your name. Well, dat is quite natu’al, but de very next question is how old you is. I don’t know, why it is, … Read more

Slave Narrative of Dave Taylor

Interviewer: Jules A. Frost Person Interviewed: Dave Taylor Location: Tampa, Florida A Marine In Ebony From a Virginia plantation to Florida, through perils of Indian war-fare; shanghaied on a Government vessel and carried ’round the world; shipwrecked and dropped into the lap of romance – these are only a few of the colorful pages from the unwritten diary of old Uncle Dave, ex-slave and soldier of fortune. The reporter found the old man sitting on the porch of his Iber City shack, thoughtfully chewing tobacco and fingering his home-made cane. At first he answered in grumpy monosyllables, but by the … Read more

Indian Wars of Carolina – Previous to the Revolution

ockonostota

When the English settled in South Carolina, it was found that the State was inhabited by about twenty different tribes of Indians. The whites made gradual encroachments without meeting with any opposition from the Indians, until the latter saw that if these advances were continued, they would be completely driven from their country. A struggle was immediately begun, in which the colonists suffered so much from the number and fury of their enemies that a price was fixed upon every Indian who should be brought captive to Charleston, from whence they were sold into slavery for the West Indies. The … Read more

Slave Narrative of Uncle Dave White

Interviewer: Laura L. Middleton Person Interviewed: Dave White Location: Charleston, South Carolina An Old Time Negro Uncle Dave White, one of the waning tribe lives in a simple homestead down a dusty and wind-swept curved country lane on the out skirt of McClenville, forty miles North of Charleston rests the simple shanty of David White, aged Negro, affectionally known to the Negro and white population for many miles around as “uncle Dave”. His quiet unadulterated mode of living and his never changing grateful disposition typifies the true Southern Negro of pre-Civil War days; a race that was commonplace and plentiful … Read more

Slave Narrative of James Singleton

Person Interviewed: Rev. James Singleton Location: Mississippi Date of Birth: 1856 “My name’s James Singleton. I’se a Baptist preacher. I was born in 1856, but I doan know zactly what date. My mammy was Harr’et Thompson. Her marster was Marse Daniel Thompson over in Simpson County on Strong River at a place called Westville. My pappy, he come from South Ca’lina—Charleston—an’ was give to do old folks’ darter. His name was John Black an’ he was owned by Mr. Frank Smith over in Simpson. He was brought down frum South Ca’lina in a wagon ‘long wid lots mo’. “Me, I … Read more

Cusabo Indians

Cusabo Tribe: Meaning perhaps “Coosawhatchie River (people).” Cusabo Connections. There is little doubt that the Cusabo belonged to the Muskhogean linguistic family. Their closest connections appear to have been with the Indians of the Georgia coast, the Guale. Cusabo Location.—In the southernmost part of South Carolina between Charleston Harbor and Savannah River and including most of the valleys of the Ashley, Edisto, Ashepoo, Combahee, Salkehatchie, and  Coosawhatchie Rivers. Cusabo Subdivisions. These people should be divided first into the Cusabo proper, who occupied all the coast, and the Coosa, who were inland upon the rivers above mentioned. The Cusabo proper seem … Read more

Biography of Gillis Q. Lake

Gillis Q. Lake has been in the drug business at Kansas City, Kansas, for the past eighteen years. Most of the people of that city know how he had built up the two finest drug stores in Kansas City, Kansas. The druggist is both a professional and business man, and Mr. Lake had apparently been equally strong in the professional and practical side of his business career. He was born at Wooster in Wayne County, Ohio, August 14, 1863. His parents were Constant and Ann (McDonald) Lake, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Charleston, South Carolina. … Read more

Olcott Family of Norwich Vermont

Hon. Peter Olcott was born at Bolton, Connecticut, April 25, 1733; married Sarah, daughter of Peletiah Mills, Esq., of Windsor, Conn., October 11, 1759, and removed to that place in 1772. That year or the following one he came to Norwich, Vermont. He was the oldest of his parents’ four children (two sons and two daughters), and the only one of them to come to Norwich to reside. Mr. Olcott‘s name first appears in the town records of Norwich in 1773, when he was chosen one of the overseers of the poor, at the annual March meeting. He early took … Read more

Slave Narrative of George Pretty

Interviewer: Viola B. Muse Person Interviewed: George Pretty Location: Vero Beach and Gifford, Florida Age: 84 George Pretty of Vero Beach and Gifford, Florida, was born a free man, at Altoona, Pennsylvania, January 30, 1852. His father Isaac Pretty was also free born. His maternal grand-father Alec McCoy and his paternal grand-father George Pretty were born slaves who lived in the southern part of Pennsylvania. He does not know how his father came to be born free but knows that he was told that from early childhood. In Altoona, according to George, there were no slaves during his life there … Read more

Slave Narrative of Joe Rutherford

Interviewer: G. Leland Summer Person Interviewed: Joe Rutherford Location: Newberry, South Carolina “I was born about 1846, ’cause I was in de war and was 19 years old when de war was over. I went to Charleston with my master, Ros Atwood, my mistress’s brother. My mistress was Mrs. Laura Rutherford and my master at home was Dr. Thomas Rutherford. We was on Morris Island. “My father was Allen Rutherford and my mother Barbara Rutherford. My daddy had come from Chili to this country, was a harness maker, and belonged awhile to Nichols. We had a good house or hut … Read more