FIRST EARLY
SETTLERS
Source: A History of Marlboro
County: With Traditions and Sketches of Numerous
Families, 1897
In the early division of the
Province of South Carolina, this whole Pee Dee region seems to
have been embraced in what was called Craven County; named, it
is supposed, in honor of William Earl of Craven, one of the
first Lord Proprietors. Its immense area stretched from
the Santee River to the North Carolina line, and from the
seashore to the mountains. While some measures were
adopted at an earlier date looking to its organization into
parishes, and near the coast some settlements were made, yet
not until about 1730, did the authorities take any active steps
encouraging emigration to this part of the colony. About
this time, however, several townships were marked out.
One was laid off near the mouth of Little Pee Dee called
Queensborough; and settlers were encouraged to occupy it, by
the offer of "fifty acres of land to each soul that would
settle and offer of "fifty acres of land to each soul
that would settle and improve the grant." But not yet did
this bring settlers, permanent residents at least, to that portion
of country included in the present limits of our county.
It was not until 1736, or early in 1737 that any permanent
settlement was effected. That first settlement seems to
have been so manifestly directed by Providence, and so fruitful
in results, important and lasting, as to justify
special notice.
The recital must take us back to the
beginning of the century, and to the principality of
Wales. "Several Baptist people, pining for larger
religious liberty, living in the counties Carmarthen and
Pembroke, in the year 1701, resolved to remove to
America." And as one of their number, by name of Thomas
Griffith, was already a minister, they were advised to be
constituted a church emigrant. The names were
as follows: Thomas Griffith, Griffith Nicholas, Evan
Edwards, John Edwards, Elisha Thomas, Enoch Morgan, Richard
David, James David, Elizabeth Griffith, Tennant David, Margaret
Mathias and Tennant Morris." These sixteen persons met at
Milford Haven in the month of June, 1701, and embarked on the
good ship William and Mary, and on the 8th day of
September following landed at Philadelphia, and first settled
about Penepeck, but finding certain inconveniences there, "in
1703, they took up land in New Castle County, about 30,000
acres, and built a little house of worship ." This Welsh
Tract, as it was called, was in Pennsylvania, but by a change
of boundary fell into Delaware. Gregg still further
records that the first visit from this colony to the Pee Dee
appears to have been made in 1735, or early in the following
year; that it led to a remarkable act of favor on the part of
the Colonial Council to induce the Welsh to come. That
act was an order to measure and lay out for these Welsh
families 173,840 acres of land situated and being in Craven
County.
In 1736, or early in the following year, a portion of
this original colony from Wales, or their descendants came
South, and at first stopped near the mouth of Catfish Creek, in
what is now Marion County; but having much sickness there, they
remained but a short time, and most of them removed about fifty
miles up the Pee Dee River, and settled in what has ever since
been called the "Welsh Neck;" a district embracing the lands on
the east side of the river from the mouth of Crooked Creek to
the Red Hill or Hunt's Bluff. Upon the bank of the river, a
few hundred yards above the Society Hill Bridge, this colony of
Welsh people met and organized themselves in to Baptist church
in January, 1738, calling it Welsh Neck. These are the
names of James James and wife, Phillip James and Wife, Daniel
Devonald and wife, Abel James and wife, Thomas Evans and wife,
John James and wife, David Jones and wife, Thomas Harry and
wife, Daniel Harry and wife, John Harry and wife, Samuel Wilds
and wife, Samuel Evans and wife, Griffith John and wife and
Thomas Jones and wife. But these are not all who
came. Bishop Gregg in his "History of the Old Cheraws"
mentions a number of others as coming about the same time, such
as "Thomas James, Griffith John, Wm. James, John Newberry, Wm.
Evans, James Rogers, David James, Samuel Sorency, Evan Vaughan
and Wm. Terrell." We are not suppose that all these settled on
the east side of the river, in what is now Marlboro. Now
are we to infer that none others than the above mentioned
came. Some settled on the west side of the river, and
others outside the Neck, above and below.
The names of Owen
and Jenkin David are mentioned in connection with the
settlement at Catfish, and it is quite well established that
both these brothers were early upon Marlboro soil, here lived
and died, and have had in all the years an extensive and
respectable posterity in the country. Indeed, it is
doubtful if any of our old families have so clear and
satisfactory a genealogy, or one so ancient, as this family.
The writer had access to an
"Old Family Bible" in which the record goes back through
several generations in Wales, before the coming of Owen and
Jenkin to the Pee Dee. The father of these, it is recorded,
was John David, of Wales, and wife Ann, and John was the son of
David and Lydia his wife; David was the son of Thomas who was
the son of David Bevan.
Before coming to America, Owen
married Catherine Vaughan of Wales, who died childless.
He then married Dinah Underwood, who became the mother of
Joshua, Josiah, Benjamin and Sarah. These three sons were
soldiers in the Revolution. Joshua and Benjamin were both
wounded, Benjamin in the head, and Joshua in the hand, at Eutaw
Springs. Joshua married Lucy Hodge, daughter of Thomas
Hodge, who was also a soldier in the War of Independence.
From this marriage came John H., Sarah, Joshua, Welcome, Jesse,
Dinah and Betsy. John H. married Mary, the daughter of
Shadrach Fuller, who became the mother of thirteen children,
Lucy, Ann, James E., John O., Mary, Alex. H., Evander, Sarah,
Joshua, Charles, Elizabeth and William J. Of these, James
E., the first son, represented his people in the State Senate
and House of Representatives. John O. and Alex H. were
well-known citizens for a long time; they sleep in Marlboro's
sacred soil, and are represented by sons and daughters in
the County. Dr. W. J. David died at Dillon in 1895,
Evander past 80, yet lives in North Carolina.
Capt.
Joshua David the second son of the first Joshua, was for many
years a civil officer in Marlboro, as sheriff, clerk and
ordinary.
He was correct, honest, truthful; and no man has
left more beautiful penmanship, or a clearer record upon the
books. He ultimately married his cousin, Miss Susanna
David, and their only son, Joshua, died soon after reaching
manhood. Welcome, another son of Joshua the first,
has descendants among us yet. Jesse, the third son of
Joshua, reared a large family by his two marriages; first with
Miss Harry, and then with Miss Webster. Joseph H., James
F. and A. Judson David are sons of this good man, and Mrs. J.
S. Liles, a daughter, while Mrs. Barnes and a number of others
are among this grandchildren. Josiah was the son of
Josiah, who was the second son of Owen, previously mentioned,
and has descendants among us, but none bearing the David name,
except Wm. R. David and his children, who maternally descended
from Josiah. Benjamin, the other son of Owen, went West many
years ago.
Jenkin David, who came from Wales with his brother
Owen, had four sons, John, Azariah, Owen and Jenkin. Of
this old man it is upon record that he was a soldier under
General Wayne, in the French and Indian wars; that he married
Miss Rachel Rogers, daughter of Nicholas and Martha
Rogers. Of his sons Owen and Jenkin nothing is known,
except that they left the country at an early period.
Azariah, a faithful soldier, also soon disappeared. John,
however, remained, was a soldier and non-commissioned officer,
and rose to a lieutenant in Marion's Brigade. He was five
times married. His first wife was Sarah Booth, became
the mother of three children and died; his second wife, Mary
Jones, lived but three months; his third wife was Isabella
Allison, and the mother of five children; his forth wife was
Sarah Stephens, who had two children and died. His fifth
marriage was with Mrs. Mary Stubbs, the daughter of William
Bridges, and widow of John Stubbs. One daughter was the fruit
of this last marriage. Of these eleven children, all except
two died unmarried, and most of them when quite young.
The two who survived were both daughters. Mary, whose
mother was Miss Allison, became the wife of Lemuel
Pearson. A daughter of this pair, Rachel by name
became the wife of Meekin Townsend, and the mothers of a large
family. Her sons are R. E., C. P. and Walter
Townsend. She died only a few years ago. Another
daughter of Mrs. Pearson was the wife of the late Joel
L. Easterling. AN only son, William Pearson, who went to
his reward a number of years ago, was the father of the late
John D. Pearson, Mrs. J. F. Breeden, Mrs. J. L. Stubbs, and
Mrs. W. Bennett.
Eliza, the other daughter of John David, was
the fruit of the union with the widow Stubbs. Mr. David
was sixty-two, an Mrs. David forty-six when the babe was born
and both lived to see her a full-grown woman, and the mother
was for many years an inmate of the daughter's house after she
had become the wife of Wm. D. Bridges. To Mrs. Bridges
the Lord gave no children of her own, but many another's child
had reason to love her and honor her memory. She passed
to her reward, in the eightieth year of her life.
So that so
far as this writer knows there is no descendant of Jenkin
David, the progenitor of this branch of the family in
Marlboro, bearing the David name. All bearing the name
are descended from Owen, and yet the descendants of both Owen
and Jenkin are numerous. Many interesting traditions of
the family must, for lack of space, be omitted from these
pages, but in connection with the David family another
name deserves to be mentioned. It has been stated that
Joshua David, of revolutionary fame, married Lucy, a daughter
of Thomas Hodge. Londen Harwell, another soldier of the
Revolution, married her sister Mary. Both were natives of
Robertson County, North Carolina, and after marriage removed to
Marlboro. Londen Harwell, at the age of thirteen years, became
a soldier of Marion's Brigade in 1777, and remained steadfastly
with him until peace was declared, when he returned home,
married Mary Hodge and settled in Marlboro. An only son
was born to them, Londen Harwell, Jr., who married Mary
Britton, a daughter of John Britton (called Jacky) a soldier
of Marion's, and a member of the family who lived in Britton's
Neck. Of this marriage the only child was Elizabeth, who
married Philip Miller from Frankfort on the Main. The old
soldier, Londen Harwell, died in July 1838. Mrs. Miller,
his granddaughter, is now eighty-three years old and the mother
of nine children, Mary, wife of ex-judge J. H. Hudson; Anna;
Martha, wife of John R. McKellar; Lizzie, wife of J. B. Adams;
Sue, wife of J. R. Newton; and four sons, John, Henry, Philip
and George. John and Henry each lost a leg in the late war,
John at Chikamauga and Henry at Knoxville, worthy descendants
of good Whig ancestors. Narcissa, the oldest daughter of
J. H. Hudson and the wife of Dr. J. L. Jordan, is the mother of
Mrs. Mary West, who is also the mother of an infant, Annie,
thus making the unusual record of five
living generations.
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