University of South Carolina Libraries
Valuable Local History. Address by Mr. John T. Green, of the Lancaster Bar, at Annual Woodmen Picnic at Old Waxhaw Church Tuesday, on the Origin and Development of ? - - 1 C?^ t_ Ivy axnaw ana onnon Churches and the Old Waxhavv Settlement. It is l)?it proper that I should acknowledge the tact that the information which T shall attempt j to 'urnish in this paper has. necessarily, been obtained by me Jrom others, who have previously written and spoken on this subject. Especially am I indebted to Ramsay's 1 list orv of South Carolina, I)r Howe's llistorv of j Piesbyterianhm in this State, Washington Irvin's Life ot George Washington, and .Jenkin's T C d- A 1 . I _ _ 1 1. <W i-iire 01 Anurew uiicKson?wuras that should be wi'hin the reach of every school in our County, because ?>f their historical value, and in order that the tact may not be lorgo'ten, that the early history of our County is reailv the history ot these Churches and the Waxhaw settlement. This section ot Lancaster County was i the first in which the white man i entered for the purposes of ettle- ! inent. In fact we are told by Mr. Ramsay, that ' In the year 1755 the country trom the Wax-| haw 9 on the Catawba River J across to Augusta on t he Savannah River did not contain twentvlive families." In May 1751 six or se.eu families settled in this community and that fall a few more. In 1752 a considerable number, chiefly from Augusta County Va and the backwoods ot Pennsylvania also found homes along the Catawba and Waxhaw, Cane and Twelve Mile Creeks. The first grant of land in the settlement, so far as we have any record, was made to Robert MeElhany in 1751?ol a tract, of land atterwards owned by the Blair family and now, probably, owned bv the Estate of the late Dr. William Crawford or the Foster family. In tfie following year grants of land were made to a number of other settlers. Owing to the tact that at this time the Waxhaws was considered a part of North Carolina territory, these old grants are not to be found record ed in our State but in North Carolina? in what is known as Anson County. These first settlers were known as "l'ennsyl vania Irish," who had formerly settled in that State directly from Ireland?a fact which may ac count for the vigorous manner in .... . . .. ...... I wmcn tney iougnt the tSrilMi about twenty years later. Having been driven from their mother country by reason ot the oppressions ot the English government, these hardy Irishmen readily espoused the cause ot American freedom in 1770?it being an historical fact that a 'lory was seldom, if ever, to be lound among them. From the tact that these early Irish settlers invariably settled along the Ua tawba and its various tributary creeks, it is to be interred that they were excellent judges of good land. A lew ol the early settlers of this section were "Scotch Irish" who, not being so ' < ft/4 T J wed posted on the relative value of lands, settled at a distance from the streams or at thtir head-waters, where the lands were not so fertile Among the early settlers ot the Waxhaws we find such names as the Whites, Fosters, Simpsons, Dunlaps, McClannahans, Crockets, Barnets, Millers, Stephensons, McKees, Mc.Ed1an.v9, Thompsons, R-.nisa.\ s, Littas, Nelsons, Usddens, iNesbils, Papers, Harpers, Hueys, Leekies and many others. Necessarily there was mucli intermarrying among them ?especially among the Whites ami Fosters. All beims ot the Presbyterian persuasion and some ol them eiders ln tn their old Pennsylvania and Virgini ? churches, it was not 1 onir?in 1753 or 1754 ? before these early settlers erepted a place of worship. For this purpose they chose a spot on the plantation of one of their num oer, itobert Miller, on the east side of tlie present cemetery.? Necessarily it was constructed of logs. Some of the rustic tomb stones now to be found in this old cemetery bear, it is said, dates as far back as 1753 and 1754 and 175S. In 1753 the first sermon in this church was preached l y a Mr. John Brown?a pro hationer from Pennsylvania.? Not being able to secure the services of a minister regularly, lor a number of years the pulpit was supplied by several different preachers, among whom we find the names ol Ray Irom Williamsburg County in this State, Hogg (or Hodge) of Virginia, Tate of Pennsylvania, and McAdden of North Carolina. An idea of the scarcity of preaching in the early days of this and other communities of the upper portion of our State is forcibly shown by a remark made by one of the old settlers to the Governor of the State while he was on a visit to the Cheiokee lndian3?"That he had never seen a shirt, been in a fair, heard a sermon preached, ' or seen a minister in all his life." Among these eariy settlers was Andrew Pickens, who afterwards became so distinguished in the Revolutionary War and in the councils of the infant Ameri can Republic; his home being somewhere on Waxhaw Creek? 1 at a place known as late as 1850 as "Pickens1 Old Field." Me to( k great interest in the establishment and maintenance of the ' old Church. There are t o be ! lound many old grants of land in this community to Andrew Pickens and to Pickens and Rutherford?t he latter also of I great Revolutionary fame. A't'*r the settlement of the line between North and South Carolina, this territory of the Waxhaws was known as the "New Acquisition" until it was laid off into Lancaster County. In 1750 Waxhaw Cihurch, having become j sufficiently strong, entered into J an agreement with Fishing Creek ! Church, in Chester County, by i which it w as to secure the 1 half of a minister's time, and put itself under the care ol Charleston Presbytery with a view of securing a minister from Scot 1 -1 1? -11! - - - ! i 11111. railing, nowevcr, in so i doing, Waxhaw's first call was to one Robert Miller?a probationer from Pa who had settled | in the community and who had W .. _ . IK LAN'JAS.E.t NEWS, AUGl leased them the land on whic the Church had been erected However this man, proving o loose morals, was soon d>smisse< ?a circumstance wh'ch prove* a severe blow doubtless to thi cau-e of the religious growl 1 and development ot the com munity. Nevertheless, as saic by Dr Ilowe: "It is no Rinal | argument lor the divine origii of the visible church, that it out f lives the imperfect ions of its members and the tins and evei crimes ot those clothed with authority in it. It claims no perfection for the individuals thai compose it, hut only forthetrutl it publishes. Neither the passion o? Moses, the crimes of David, nor the fall ot Peter have been able to destr-ry it." And so Old Waxliaw Church, ! and those churches in the con:' rnunity that have grown out oi her, regardless ot the Robert Millers (whether in pew or pulpit), have gone on from year tc year, trom one century intc another?in a successful fight against <kthe powers of darkness'1 tliat may have been in their midst. The existence of S hi I oh. Unity, Tirzah, Beulah, *Six Mile and the Churches at Lancaster of Presbyterian faith?all the ; 1.1 - e -u The Rev. William Richardson above referreo to, was Rticceedei by the Rev. ('railhead, who ii 1780 tb*d to Va. on account oi the advance of the Briti-di undei Oomwallis into the upper portion ot the State. This reverent] J Continued on l'age 7 j V/iinuicu in Otu ?v?xnaw lg proof positive of the fact, that the great majority of the membership of the old mother church was tailhful to the doctrines ol the church of Christ and thai her work in the previous cen turies has been thoroughly done. It might be worthy of note, tha I thefirst Hoard of Trustees ot tlx old Church was composed/'f Rob ert Davies, Robert Ramsay, Join Linn, Samuel Dunlap and Hen ry While, and that the Deed, o f .o ncn ^ f(>r t jro j slid on which 'h1 church was erected was witness ed by Robert McClannahan John Crockett and Audrev Pickens. In 1759 the Rev. Will ianr Richardson of Virginia though a native of England, tool charge of the Old Church ant .....; 1 ? *? " i t-iiim uru ?<? iur many years. u< was an untiring and faithlul ser vant of God?his work extendini far out info the surrounding territory. It is said that it wai mainly through his efforts?en couraged by Iris flock at Ul< Waxhaw?tliat the Presbyteriai Churches of Yorkville, Cfiester Pacolet and Fairlorest. were es tabliehed. Among those win have since succeeded the origi nal Hoard of Trustees ot Wax haw Church?in her earlie days ? we find the name of William Davies, Rober Montgomery, Robert Dunlap William Carus, Nathan Birr {James Dunlap, John Foster, B , S. Massey, Robert Crocket, D Dunlap and ? Gamble. Th? original Lease of the Old ehurcl ' property is recorded in the Regis try Oflice of Anson Co. N. C. it hook "D." at pages J71-375. In 1764 Presbyterians fron Ireland began to settle in tin community?among whom wen the parents of Andrew Jackson I . rsr 31, I <>07. ' 1 " MO(C?RE : 0(0)RE ! 0(0)RE ] > BLINDS. MO j 200,000 feet finished lumbei 150,000 feet rough lumber, 200,000 shingles, $3.00 to s 1 car load doors, sash and b If you anticipate | + imn T>.,; i J: kimc. UUUUMIg ually advancing : MOORE LUMB ) J&Zjf' } 48?^ JHL. ' Hi ^HMHmhKRwa, fcS?S*l j - " "^^. I -J - * ?~ " ^ Fine Fren Capucin, 4069, the Imp< stand the present season at tl 3 Capucin is a superb anim - foaled May 28, 1902. Bred b i vados. Sired by the Govern] by Galha, 2d dam Gastadoure If you want to raise fine ? UaoI'VI P11ir\H iiCruiirmii?jtL Lancaster, S. C., April 26, 1 i INTER 1 ' For the next "n going to make pj Mens $5.00 Oxford: Mens 3.50 Oxford fl Mens 2.50 Oxford t Ladies #3.00 and > Ladies $2.50 Oxfor Few odd lots in lad . to go at some price?75 3 Soo yds white 15 and : ) Hverything in colc 1 goods can be had from on everything in the shs Just received line 3 good things in these. ? . picked over. ; Y01 i P" l l runaerour i . i ? . ?? iinii **.> It, ,ir^, , . ' LUMBER. SHINGLES, * DOORS, SASH, UIjDING, ETC. r, $17.50 to $30.00 per 1000 feet. $13.50 to $17.50 per 1000 feet. LOO per 1000. linds. All kinds and prices. > building, now is the material is continEE & WFG CO. ' ch Stallion Drted French Coach Stallion, will le Stables of the undersigned, al, bay, star, both hind feet white; \7 M V/Mlf j in. x vui.amt, Licpai lIMCIll U1 V^cll- ^ ment Stallion Tyrol, dam Fugitive I by Gastadour. I stock, now is your opportunity. I Mtllf* ^nmn^nn I I'lUlC 907. ESTING few weeks we are rices as follows: s S3-75S 2-50S 2.00. 3.50 Oxfords - - 2.00. ds 1.75. ies white and black Slippers c and up. 20c Lawn to go at Old Prices. >red lawns at less than same ?i. iiicinuiatiurcr. prices tpe of clothing. : of notion samples?some >ee them before they are all Lirs Respectfully, k Company ... ^$3