Library Guides: Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections: South Carolina History 1600-1799

South Carolina was settled as an established colony in 1670, after many failed attempts by European settlers. The colony was settled near modern day Charleston and consisted of North and South Carolina. In 1710 the colony was split into the two modern states.

Manuscript Collections

This section contains a list of collections our archive holds for the early settling of South Carolina for the 1600's to 1700's.

Accession 123 M52 (67) - The Memoirs of Colonel William Hill
The Memoirs of Colonel William Hill Collection consists of a 1915 transcription from the original Hill memoirs in which William Hill seeks to correct some of the “mistakes” of historians who have written about the Revolution in SC. The memoirs describe his experiences in Revolutionary campaigns after the fall of Charleston in 1780. Hill was owner of Hill’s Ironworks in York County and served under General Thomas Sumter. The memoirs were edited by Alexander S. Salley in 1921 under the title, Colonel William Hill’s Memoirs of the Revolution.
Accession 133 - M60 (75) - George Washington Papers
The George Washington Papers includes a circular (21 pp.) from George Washington to John Matthews, Governor of South Carolina, dispatched from Washington’s headquarters at Newburgh, New York on June 14, 1783 and concerning Washington’s resignation as commander-in-chief. Washington also urges the legislators to act on certain matters that he considers necessary to keep the new nation functioning, including the payment of public debts incurred during the war. The collection also includes newspaper clippings and letters relating to how Winthrop obtained the circular.
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The George Washington Papers were received by Winthrop College via former Winthrop Board of Trustee member, Daniel W. McLaurin sometime before 1951. An agreement was made between the South Carolina Department of Archives and History (since the documents are considered official state records) on September 22, 1980 allowing the Winthrop Archives to maintain the documents.
Accession 327 - Elizabeth Finley Moore Papers
Elizabeth Finley Moore was born in York, South Carolina, on January 29, 1894, to David Edward Finley, a congressman, and Elizabeth (Gist) Finley. From 1910 to 1911 she studied at Winthrop College in Rock Hill, South Carolina. In 1914 she obtained an A.B. at the College for Women in Columbia, South Carolina. She married Walter Bedford Moore on July 19, 1916. In 1926 Moore became a charter member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). From 1934 to 1936 she chaired the History-Graph Committee, and from 1936 to 1938 she chaired the Columbia Sesquicentennial Historical Marker Committee. Moore helped select fifty sites in Columbia and Richland County for marking and wrote inscriptions and the guidebook. From 1940 to 1967 she was on the committee to save Columbia’s Hampton-Prestol House. In 1950 she and her husband helped bring historical memorabilia and Renaissance art (her brother David E. Finley was the first director of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.) to the Columbia Museum of Art. She was also a member of the advisory committee of the state DAR and helped place the South Carolina battleship silver in the governor’s mansion. In 1952 she chaired the committee to preserve Fort Moultrie.
Accession 447 M183 (224) - Arthur Fairies' Revolutionary War Journal
The Arthur Fairies Papers consist of photocopies of Arthur Fairies’ journal written while he was a soldier in the Revolutionary War and served with the South Carolina militia under Colonel Andrew Williamson during the Cherokee Expedition. The journal covers a period from July 8, 1776 to October 11, 1776 and then from 1785 to 1834 which contains notes. Also included in the collection is correspondence of Ferry Gettys relating to his research to find the true location of the Tryon County Courthouse in York County, S.C., a biographical sketch of Dr. Maurice Moore and two maps of the area of the Tryon county Courthouse (York County).
Accession 722 - Daughters of the American Revolution, Catawba Chapter
This collection contains various items relating to the Catawba Chapter of the Daughters of the American and their records, including pieces from 1908-1998. Some of it had been filed beforehand, and so this information is kept in the order it had been received in. These folders include records of programs, correspondence of various DAR committees, and financial records of various years. There is also a bounded volume containing awards and newspaper clippings related to the Chapter. The largest amount of documents are from the mid-1960s through to the mid-1970s. Members or former members of the Catawba Chapter may find the collection useful or interesting in showing what was going at earlier times in the Chapter. Also included is a publication titled, Catawba Chapter Daughters Of The American Revolution: Historical and Genealogical Material, York County, South Carolina Volume 2 which was compiled by Mrs. H. D. Brown. The publication provides information on historical churches, graveyards, and families in York County, including Beersheba Presbyterian Church, Bethany Cemetery, Bullock Creek Burial List, Union Cemetery, Anderson Cemetery, Ebenezer Cemetery, Dawkins Family Burial Ground, the Mason: Youngblood Burial Ground, Robertson Graveyard, Spratt Graveyard, Sadder family and the property of Isaac McFadden. Box 1 Folder 1 contains "Catawba Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution: Historical and Genealogical Material, York County, South Carolina, Vols. 1 and 2.
Accession 895 M409 (460) - Guide Maps of SC
This collection consist of a copy of Guide Maps to Development of S.C. Parishes, Districts, and Counties compiled by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History from maps in SC County Inventories made by the WPA historical records survey. It includes copies of several maps of South Carolina including: Proprietary Counties of South Carolina 1682; Parishes of South Carolina 1770 compiled by Historical Records Survey, WPA, 1938; South Carolina Circuit Court Districts 1769 compiled by Historical Records Survey, WPA, 1938; South Carolina Counties & Circuit Court Districts A.D. 1785 compiled by Historical Records Survey, WPA, 1938; South Carolina Counties & Circuit Court Districts 1791-1799 compiled by Historical Records Survey, WPA, 1938; South Carolina Circuit Court Districts 1800 compiled by Historical Records Survey, WPA, 1938; South Carolina Counties 1868 compiled by Historical Records Survey, WPA, 1938; South Carolina County Origin Map.
Accession 1191 M559 (612) - A South Carolina Protest Against Slavery
This collection consists of a reprint of a letter from Henry Laurens, second President of the Continental Congress, to his son, Colonel John Laurens, from Charleston, SC on August 14, 1776. The editor notes that this letter shows that the difference of opinion between the North and South in 1861 on the subject of slavery did not exist at the time of the Revolution. Both parts of the country regarded slavery as "a social, political, and moral evil." The editor contends that "it is the South which has changed, not the North."
Accession 1223 M586 (639) - The Exchange, 1766-1973: A Portfolio Reproduced from the Original Plans and Drawings of W. Rigby Naylor, 1766-1767
This collection consists of a portfolio titled The Exchange, 1766-1973 which was produced by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History for the South Carolina American Revolution Bicentennial Commission on December 3, 1973. The portfolio was reproduced from the original plans and architectural drawings of W. Rigby Naylor 1766-1767 for the Exchange building in Charleston, SC.
Accession 1242 M594 (647) - Map of the Carolinas 1787
This collection consists of a map titled, “Caroline meridionale : avec les parties adjacentes pour servir à l'intelligence des mouvemens des armées Américaines et Britanniques.” The circa. 1787 map is in French and shows the movements of the British army and the America army through both North and South Carolina during the American Revolution. Battles and conflicts are marked on the map as well. Picquet is listed as the sculptor and the map measures 37 x 42 cm.
Accession 1261 - M613 (666) - Education in South Carolina- Prior to and During the Revolution
This collection consists of a booklet titled, Education in South Carolina: Prior to and during the Revolution which was a paper read before the Historical Society of South Carolina on August 6, 1883 by Confederate veteran and former South Carolina House of Representative General Edward McCrady, Jr. (1833-1903). This booklet by Edward McCrady refutes the accusation by John Bach McMaster (1852-1932) in his History of the People of the United States from the Revolution to the Civil War where he claims that South Carolina was guilty of neglecting education before and during the Revolution.
Accession 1299 M643 (697) - A History of the Charleston Library Society
This collection consists of booklet titled A History of the Charleston Library Society published in 1876. This collection consists only of the preface to this History which traces the history of the Charleston Library Society and provides a broad outline of the organization’s history.
Accession 1535 - Map Collection
The Map Collection consists of various maps from around the world and contains original maps and reproductions of historical maps. This collection focuses on maps from the Southern United States and South Carolina and North Carolina in particular, but also contain maps featuring Africa, Alabama, Arkansas, Asia, Central America, Europe, Florida, Georgia, Global, Holy Land, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North America, South America, Tennessee, United States, Virginia, and World War II as well.

Special Collections

This section contains a list of books in the special collection section of the archives holds for the early settling of South Carolina for the 1600's to 1700's.

Journal of His Majesty's Council for South Carolina May 29, 1721-June 10, 1721
Call Number: SPEC COLL J 87 .S6 1721ba
Publication Date: 1930
Historical Collections of South Carolina by Carroll, B.R.
Call Number: Spec Coll F272.C31 v.1 & v.2
Publication Date: 1836
- An historical account of the rise and progress of the colonies of South Carolina and Georgia [by Alexander Hewatt. vol. I: South Carolina] 1779
- A brief description of the province of Carolina 1666
- An account of the province of Carolina [by Samuel Wilson] 1682
- The second charter granted by King Charles II. the proprietors of Carolina [1678?]
- Carolina: or A description of the present state of that country. By T[homas] A[sh] 1682
- A new description of that fertile and pleasant province of Carolina. By John Archdale. 1707
- Proposals by Mr. Peter Purry, for encouragement of such Swiss Protestants as should agree to accompany him to Carolina. And, also, a description of the province of South Carolina. 1731
- A narrative of the proceedings of the people of South Carolina, in the year 1719 [by Francis Yonge] 1726
- A description of South Carolina [by James Glen] 1780
- Political annals of the province of Carolina: from the Political annals of the United Colonies, by George Chalmers. [1780]
- Statements made in the introduction to the report on General Oglethorpe's expedition to St. Augustine. [1741]
- The first set of the fundamental constitutions of South Carolina: as compiled by Mr. John Locke [1769]
- The history of Carolina: being an account of that colony, originally published in the History of the British Empire in America. By J. Oldmixon. 1708
- A short description of the province of South Carolina [by George Milligen] 1770.
- An account of missionaries, sent to South Carolina [by David Humphreys. 1730]
- An account of what the army did under the command of Col. Moore, in his expedition last winter, against the Spaniards and Spanish Indians. Printed in the Boston news, May 1, 1704.
- An account of the breaking out of the Yamassee war, in South Carolina. Extracted from the Boston News. June 13, 1715
Report on the management of the estates sequestered in South Carolina by order of Lord Cornwallis in 1780-1782 by Cruden, John
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 263 .S7 C9
Publication Date: 1890
An historical account of the Protestant Episcopal Church in South-Carolina, from the first settlement of the province, to the war of the revolution; with notices of the present state of the church in each parish: and some account of the early civil histor by Dalcho, Frederick
Call Number: SPEC COLL BX 5917 .S6 D2
Publication Date: 1820
Memoirs of the American Revolution : from its commencement to the year 1776, inclusive, as relating to the state of South-Carolina, and occasionally refering [sic] to the states of North-Carolina and Georgia by Drayton, John
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 263 .S7 D7 vol.1
Publication Date: 1821
The Women of the American Revolution by Elizabeth F. Ellet (Editor)
Call Number: SPEC COLL E206 .E44
Publication Date: 2019-05-24
- Volume 1 South Carolina: Martha Bratton chapter
- Volume 3 South Carolina: entire volume
Records in the British Public Record Office relating to South Carolina : 1663-[1710] by Great Britain
Call Number: SPEC COLL F272 .G79
Journal of Colonel John Herbert, commissioner Indian affairs for the province of South Carolina, October 17, 1727, to March 1727/8 by Herbert, John
Call Number: SPEC COLL F 272 .H55
Publication Date: 1936
Correspondence of Mr. Ralph Izard, of South Carolina, from the year 1774 to 1804; with a short memoir. by Izard, Ralph
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 249 .I98
Publication Date: 1844
A sketch of the life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion, and a history of his brigade, from its rise in June 1780 until disbanded in December, 1782, with descriptions of characters and scenes not heretofore published. Containing also an appendix with copies of by James, William Dobein
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 263 .S7 J2
Publication Date: 1821
Traditions and reminiscences, chiefly of the American revolution in the South : including biographical sketches, incidents, and anecdotes, few of which have been published, particularly of residents in the upper country by Johnson, Joseph
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 209 .J67
Publication Date: 1851
Recipe Book of Eliza Lucas Pinckney, 1756 by Pinckney, Eliza Lucas
Call Number: SPEC COLL TX 715 .P65x
Publication Date: 1936
The history of the revolution of South-Carolina : from a British province to an independent state by Ramsay, David
Call Number: SPEC COLL E263.S7 R17 Vol. 1 and 2
Publication Date: MDCCLXXXV 1785
An Order Book of the Third Regiment, South Carolina Line, Continental Establishment, December 23, 1776-May 2, 1777 by Salley, A.S.
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 263 .S7 S62
Publication Date: 1942
Colonel William Hill's Memoirs of the Revolution by Salley, A.S.
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 263 .S7 H64
Publication Date: 1921
Documents relating to the history of South Carolina during the Revolutionary War by Salley, A.S.
Call Number: SPEC COLL E263 .S7 S548
Publication Date: 1908
Journal of the Commissioners of the Navy of South Carolina October 9, 1776-March 1, 1779, July 22, 1779-March 23, 1780 by Salley, A.S.
Call Number: SPEC COLL E 263 .S7 S35 vol. 1
Publication Date: 1912
Narratives of Early Carolina, 1650-1708 by Salley, A.S.
Call Number: SPEC COLL F 272 .S16
Publication Date: 1911
- The discovery of New Brittaine, 1650
- Francis Yeardley's narrative of excursions into Carolina, 1654
- A relation of a discovery, by William Hilton, 1664
- A brief description of the province of Carolina, by Robert Horne, 1666
- A relation of a voyage on the coast of the province of Carolina, by Robert Sanford, 1666
- Letters of early colonists, 1670
- A faithful relation of my Westoe voyage, by Henry Woodward
- Carolina, or a description of the present state of that country, by Thomas Ashe, 1682
- An account of the province of Carolina, by Samuel Wilson, 1682
- Letters of Thomas Newe, 1682
- Journal of Elder William Pratt, 1695-1701
- Letter of Edward Randolph to the Board of trade, 1699
- Reverend John Blair's mission to North Carolina, 1704
- Party=tyranny, by Daniel Defoe, 1705
- The present state of affairs in Carolina, by John Ash, 1706
- A new description of that fertile and pleasant province of Carolina, by John Archdale, 1707
- From the history of the British Empire in America, by John Oldmixon, 1708
Warrants for Lands in South Carolina, 1672-1711 by Salley, A.S.
Call Number: SPEC COLL F272 .S69
Publication Date: 1910-1915
A Relation of the voyage of the colonists : who sailed from the Thames, in August, 1669, via Kinsale, Ireland and Barbadoes, visiting Port Royal, and finally settling on Ashley River, where they founded Charles Town. by Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of
Call Number: SPEC COLL F272 .R44x
Publication Date: 1887
Minutes of the vestry of St. Matthew's Parish, South Carolina, 1767-1838 by St. Matthew's Parish (Orangeburg, SC)
Call Number: SPEC COLL BX 5980 .S25 A3
Publication Date: 1939
The Minutes of St. Michael's Church of Charleston, SC, from 1758-1797 by St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Charleston, SC)
Call Number: SPEC COLL F 279 .C4 S22x
Publication Date: 1950
Register of St. Philip's Parish, Charles Town, or Charleston, SC, 1754-1810 by St. Philip's Church (Charleston, SC)
Call Number: SPEC COLL F279 .C4 C4682
Publication Date: 1927
Letters of Eliza Wilkinson: During the Invasion and Possession of Charleston, SC, by the British in the Revolutionary War by Wilkinson, Eliza
Call Number: SPEC COLL E263 .S7 W6
Publication Date: 1839

Microfilm and Microfiche Collections

This section contains a list of microfilm and microfiche in the manuscript and special collections section of the archives holds for the early settling of South Carolina for the 1600's to 1700's.

Accession 607 - John Paul Jones Papers
John Paul Jones (1747-1792) was a U.S. Navy Captain during the Revolutionary war. The John Paul Jones Papers consists of 1776 list of U.S. navy captains, “A Plan for the Regulations & Equipment of the Navy” (1777), originals and typed transcripts of letters (1777) to Benjamin Franklin et. al. in Paris, Secretary of the Navy Joseph Hewes (1730-1779) and A. Livingston, and notes (1794) on expense of building, fitting and maintain a frigate for the U.S. Navy.
Accession 608 - Charleston Siege Journal
The Charleston Siege Journal consists of a microfiched copy of an anonymous diary of a member of the Corps of British Engineers, Capt. James Moncrief (1741-1793) commanding, in the British Army during the March-May siege for Charleston, SC during the American Revolutionary War. The British siege of Charleston marked the beginning of the major British efforts to focus on the southern theatre to put down the rebellion. The diary was found among the papers of Lt. John A. Wilson (1789-1833) a prominent American Surveyor and engineer. His father, James Wilson (d. 1798), served in the Royal Engineers under Capt. Moncrief and is the possible author of the diary.
Accession 668 - Arthur Middleton Papers
The papers relate to the life and career of Arthur Middleton (1742-1787) of Charleston, SC who was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, state legislator, Revolutionary leader, and member of the Continental Congress. The collection contains correspondence and memoranda regarding both public and military affairs in Charleston and Philadelphia, and such issues as the Currency, the national debt, motions made in Congress, naval and army defenses. Notes in code about the deliberations concerning the Declaration of Independence.
Accession 774 - Ball Family Papers
The Ball Family was established in South Carolina in 1698 with the arrival of the emigrant Isaac Ball (ca. 1675-1751). His first wife was Elizabeth Harleston (d. 1720). His son, Elias Ball (1709-1786), married Lydia Chicken, the widow of Capt. George Chicken (d. 1746), who was the son of George Chicken (d. 1727). Members of the Ball family owned numerous plantations in the Berkeley County area. John Ball (1760-1817), son of Elias Ball (1709-1786), owned Kensington, Comingtee, Strawberry, and other properties; among his children were: Isaac Ball (1785-1825); William James Ball (1787-1808); and John Ball (1782- 1834), who married first Elizabeth Bryan, and secondly, Ann Simons (1776-1840). William James Ball (1821-1891) was the son of Isaac Ball (1785-1825). The Ball family was related to the Harleston family through several intermarriages; the Bond family was related to the Harlestons and Balls through the marriage of Sarah Harleston and Dr. William Read (1754- 1845), who was the son of James Read and Rebecca Bond (1730-ca. 1786). *Historical Note is a copy of the Note produced by The South Carolina Historical Society which contains the originals as Ball family papers, 1631-1895, SCHS 1134.00.
Accession 805 - Peter Manigault Letter Book
The Peter Manigault Letter Book Collection consists of microfiche copies of bound volume of letters written by Manigault from October 1763 through May 1773 most while served in the South Carolina House of Commons. Peter Manigault (1731-1773) was a Charleston, SC Lawyer, legislator, and planter born to the wealthy merchant Gabriel Manigault (1704-1781) and Anne Ashby Manigault (1705-1782). Peter Manigault studied law at London’s Inner Temple, and was called to the British bar in 1752. Manigault served in the South Carolina House of Commons in 1755, and again from 1766 to 1773. Late in 1773 he left South Carolina for England for health reasons, resigning the speakership of the South Carolina House of Commons and died later that year on November 12, 1773.