Carolina1670

Colonial History of South Carolina

Abstracts of the Records of the Secretary of the Province 1675-1695

The first volume of the series Proprietary Records of South Carolina, titled Abstracts of the Records of the Secretary of the Province, 1675-1695, was published in the spring of 2005. This volume includes abstracts of the records kept by the Secretary of the province of Carolina, extensive footnotes about individual settlers and an in-depth introduction.   The growth of the colony, the building of towns and the role the Secretary of the province of Carolina played in preserving the public records are discussed.  Also included are color illustrations of the original pages, a 1685 map of Carolina showing home sites of many of the colonists and a comprehensive index.  This book was awarded the “Best South Carolina Genealogical Book in 2006” by the South Carolina Genealogical Society.

The settlers who inhabited South Carolina in the second half of the seventeenth century led lives that few in the Palmetto State today would recognize. Their land sat on the margin of a vast, largely unexplored continent and the events and transactions that figured prominently in their daily lives reflect a frontier milieu that is both fascinating and historically significant.  This book offers an intriguing look into the inner workings of the fledgling colony. Family relationships, marriages, surnames and the death dates of many colonists are made available to a wide audience for the first time here. Included is information illuminating the lives and social histories of master, servants, slaves, Indians and women.

Estate records, ships’ manifests, inventories, apprenticeships and indentures are all represented. Settlers from other early American colonies, as well as from the West Indies, England and Europe are mentioned. This primary source material is a boon for historians and scholars, and a treasure for descendants and other readers alike. Editors Susan Bates and Cheves Leland, through their exhaustive research, offer genealogical data that  sheds light on the history of many lines and families. Nowhere else can readers find such a wealth of information and insight into the personal lives of the first settlers of what would become South Carolina.

View A-J of the Index of Abstracts of the Records of the Secretary of the Province 1675-1695
View K-Z of the Index of Abstracts of the Records of the Secretary of the Province 1675-1695