Colonial South Carolina Genealogy

Every now and then a little nugget of gold turns up in the genealogical searches that we all do. This one is for all of the William Pope of Hilton Head and Port Royal, the Smith family of Port Royal, South Carolina and the Samuel Green of Hilton Head, South Carolina descendants. I stumbled across the entry in an old New England Historic Genealogical Society volume (vol. 16, April 1863 pp. 172-3.) I have quoted the entry exactly as it appears in that volume:

“Genealogy from the Camp at Port Royal, S.C. Communicated by John L. Sibley, Esq.

The following Family Record is copied from vol. 1 of Macknight’s Harmony, 4to, Lond. 1746, found in irresponsible hands at Beaufort, S.C. on the 12th of November, 1861, and deposited 20th November, 1861 [sic], in the Library of Harvard University, subject to the call of the owner at any time, by Capt. Charles Henry Davis (H.U.,1825) the second in command of the U.S. naval forces at the capture of Port Royal, 7th November, 1861. The record is somewhat imperfect, from the wear of the leaf:

….Smith, b. April 28, 1691; …Smith, b. May 10, 1699, d. Dec….; they were married May 27, 1714. Roger Moore, b. Aug 24, 1694, d.__; Catharine Rhett, b. Dec. 14, 1705, d. June 11, 1745; they were married Oct. 10, 1721. Thomas Smith, b. Nov. 7, 1719; Sarah Moore, b. Sept 7, 1728; they were married Aug 2, 1744: Roger Smith, b. Aug.4, 1745; Tho. Smith, b. July 5, 1748, d. Jan. 17, 1748/9; Benj. Smith, b. Nov. 23, 1749, d. April 19, 1750; William Smith, b. March 26, 1751, d. June 1__, 175__; Sarah Smith, b. Aug. 22, 1752, O.S., 2nd Sept, N.S.; Peter Smith, b. Nov. 14, 1754, N. S.; Benj. Smith, b. Jan. 10, 1757; Rhett Smith, b. Aug. 13, 1759, d. June 21, 176__; James Smith, b. Nov. 2, 1761; Polly Smith, b. Feb. 7, 1764; Ann Smith, b. Sept. 26, 1765; Rhett, b. Aug. 23 1767; d. Sept 7, 17__.

At the same time with the above volume, Stephen Minot Weld. Jr. (H. U., 1860), of Jamaica Plain, Mass., 2d. Lieutenant, who witnessed the storming of Port Royal, among other printed matter, placed in the library a portion of a 4to Bible, London 1761, which on the day after the landing was taken from the house of William Pope, Senior, the house which was occupied by Gen. Drayton and his staff, and used as a hospital. It was the first house on which the US flag was raised and became the headquarters for Gen. Sherman and his staff. The fragment contained the following family record:

Samuel Green, b. Sept. 7, 1727, m. 27th Jan., 1752 Sarah Norton, d. 27 July 1770, and his wife 5th May, 1765; Mary Ann, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Green, b. 28th Oct 1752; James, b. 2d Nov., 1754; Samuel, b. 13th June, 1756, d. 25th Dec.,1776; Sarah b. 6th Feb., 1759; Mary Ann, b. 14th Aug., 1761; Susanna, b. 8th Nov., 1763; Samuel Green and Catharine Campbell, m. 1765, Sept 20th; their daughter Catharine, b. 10th Feb., 1768, d. 8th Sept. __.”