The Birth of Laurens County, SC

THE BIRTH OF LAURENS COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA
Copyright © 2003 By Gene Brooks Home

In 1663, Charles II of England granted a vast tract of land South of Virginia to eight British lords. The land was named Carolina in honor of the king, and soon the land was divided into counties. Craven County was one such county. It covered an extensive region of most of future South Carolina and parts of future North Carolina. In 1719, the People of Carolina threw off the rule of the Lord's Proprietors, and the government and 7/8 of the land was ceded to the king.

Many years passed. The boundary between North and South Carolina was set. Massacres by Indians had occurred. Up Country and Low Country people's problems were put away in 1776 to join together and defend their right to Secede from the British Government. After a bloody First American Revolution, the victorious Secessionists settled down to establish their own government, "freed from sectional conflicts, which [had] interfered with the pursuit of the general welfare" (from Jefferson Davis' Inaugural Address as Provisional President, February 18, 1861.)

Enter the future Laurens County area. On March 12, 1785, the General Assembly passed a bill declaring the boundaries of Laurens District to "begin at Island Ford, thence up Saluda River to Indian Boundary, thence along said boundary to Enoree, thence to O'Dell's Ford, thence along the old road [(Pearris Wagon Road)] to the beginning." A group of justices, headed by Major Jonathan Downes, were authorized "to build and keep in good repair at the charge of the county one good and convenient courthouse with necessary jury rooms and one good and sufficient county gaol together with a pillory, whipping posts and stocks."

In choosing a name for the county, a colleague of local Revolutionary hero Major Jonathan Downes proposed the name "Downes District," but the motion was set aside at Downes' insistence. Major Downes instead suggested to name the county after his friend Henry Laurens, one-time President of the Second Continental Congress. An interesting side note is that the name Hereford County was given on first reading of the bill to establish the county, but the name was changed to Laurens before the bill passed. Hereford was considered by individuals because of their memories of Hereford, seat of Herefordshire, England.

The first permanent settler to future Laurens District was John Duncan of Aberdeen, Scotland. He arrived on the continent at Pennsylvania and appeared in 1753 upon the rolling hills of Ninety-Six District, from which Laurens District was formed. After settling on lands bordering the creek named for him, he returned to Pennsylvania and talked families into coming to South Carolina to live. Today, Laurens County has 714 square miles, with over 52,000 in population. In contrast, the 1790 Census showed a population including freedmen and servants at 9,337--the most populated area in the Up Country except for Newberry County which beat us by only a few hundred.

WAS IT A COUNTY OR A DISTRICT? The governmental divisions in the state remained counties until 1799 when the General Assembly designated the territorial divisions as districts and parishes-- thus Laurens District. In 1865, however, the Radical or Carpetbag Constitutional Convention changed the name back to county, and county it has been since. Therefore, 1785-1799 Laurens County 1799-1865 Laurens District 1865-Now Laurens County

ORDER IN THE COURT! Quoting from Foy, Edna Riddle, LAURENS COUNTY SKETCHBOOK, p. 14:
"The first recorded court held in the county convened at the residence of John Rodgers on June 13, 1785. . . . The courts had jurisdiction only in cases of debt, estate settlements, larceny, bastardy, 'land piracy,' and the supervision of roads and bridges. The whipping post was a well-known means of punishment. A notation from Mr. Crews states that one of the columns supporting the portico roof of the courthouse served for the public whipping post."

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