A picturesque community in the Upstate's piedmont landscape, the city of Laurens possesses a rich heritage and unique small-town character and charm. Since its founding in the latter part of the eighteenth century, the city, named for Revolutionary War hero and distinguished South Carolinian Henry Laurens, has grown and developed into the county's primary crossroads, serving not only as the county seat, but a center of social activity, from circuses to Chautauquas. This volume, with over 200 black-and-white photographs and postcards, captures the Laurens of yesteryear, a time measured by the sound of railroad whistles, hoof beats on dusty streets, and the early noisy stirrings of automobiles. Covering the many elements of everyday life in Laurens--the academic, industrial, spiritual, and social--this visual history takes readers on a remarkable tour through the area's past, showcasing early schools, such as the Laurensville Female College and the "old" Central School; turn-of-the-century textile mills, such as the Laurens Cotton Mill and the Watts Mill Plant; a wide variety of churches, including Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian denominations, to name but a few; and early residences and businesses that make up the Laurens Historic District.

In the years following the Revolutionary War, Americans delved deeper into their new homeland and found an unequaled grace in the landscape of what is now known as Laurens County. Named after Henry Laurens, a famed war hero and South Carolina native, the county is nestled in the state's piedmont region, with short distances to both the mountains and beaches. Small-town charm lingers in the area, even as the county's towns grow to include extraordinary opportunities in business, the arts, and education. In this volume of vintage, black-and-white photographs, readers are fortunate to experience a Laurens County of a different era. The rhythmic patter of horse hooves and squeak of wooden wagons meant people were hard at work, and the ringing of a bell called students to a one-room schoolhouse. The landscape encompassed patchworks of farms and bustling mill villages before the region found the conveniences of modern technology. Some of those who fashioned the area into its present state-where pride in culture and heritage stand at the forefront-take center stage in this pictorial history. Laurens County will spark the memories of those who lived its history while illustrating the tales with images for future generations.

This book was written to aid families with ancestors from Laurens County, South Carolina, to jumpstart their genealogical research. Although the focus is on sources of particular relevance to African Americans, the book also contains information relevant to slave-holding families. Also, the background information at the beginning of each section will be of general interest to those families from South Carolina who are researching their African ancestors. In addition to practical advice born from the authors genealogical research and formal studies, the book includes information and compilations regarding the following topics: Free Persons of Color in Antebellum Laurens Slaves in Will Transcripts (17821860) Legislative Papers (17821866) Comptroller General Tax Return Books (18661868) 1869 SC State Population Census 1860 US Census Slave Schedule and Matching African American Surnames in the 1870 US Census Excerpts of Freedmen Bureau Records Grave Markers at Five African American Churches

This reprint edition of MILLS' ATLAS has an especially prepared history and introduction to these maps as well as considerable history about Robert Mills, the man and architect, prepared be Mr. Gene Waddell, formerly Director of the South Carolina Historical Society, Charleston. These maps, originally 23 29 in size, have been conveniently reduced in size to 11 17 and folded to fit into an exquisitely gold-stamped simulated leather cover for book shelf or coffee table. The Districts for which maps are included are: Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort, Charleston, Chesterfield, Chester, Colleton, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Georgetown, Horry, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, Marion, Marlborough, Newberry, Orangeburg, Pendleton, Richland, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union, Williamsburg and York.

This volume contains abstracts of the South Carolina Journal Petitions for Land, South Carolina Colonial Surveys, and Memorials of Land Titles, with chains of title, marriage data, and many lost pieces of information that will assist researchers in this area of Laurens County, SC. These land deeds present new research aids to follow the out-migration of families-including many of the earliest land transactions, powers of attorney, and last will and testaments-as deeds of gift to family members are found. Ordinarily, Rabun Creek marriages went unrecorded and are difficult to locate, but they also show up in these deeds as dower rights and prior marriages. Complete with name and place indexes, this pioneering work identifies thousands of ancestors with connections to Rabun Creek prior to 1848.