Are You Interested in Joining a Local History Book Club?

We had unexpected and tremendous success with the Beaufort History Museum / Beaufort County Library local history pilot series. So much so that we're hosting a Season 2 and while the lecture series is obviously going well and is highly popular, some folks want to dig deeper into local history topics. Several people have suggested the idea of a BDC book club as a way to encourage long term residents and newcomers alike to explore the depth and scope of Beaufort District's long and storied history.

Now that the BDC has a staff of 2.5 people, it is within the realm of do-ability to begin a local history book club provided that there is sufficient interest to justify the staff time necessary to make it a successful venture.

Lots of public libraries host book clubs and some of my colleagues here have been conducting book clubs for years. Occasionally they include a non-fiction local history title or two and they've even asked me to go to their club with special collection materials on their topic of the day. Sometimes a community group has asked for information about a particular local history book. In these ways, I've got packages for Tombee: Portrait of a Cotton Planter edited by Theodore Rosengarten, Correct Mispronunciations of Some South Carolina Names by Claude and Irene Neuffer, The Great Sea Island Hurricane by Bill and Fran Marscher and Sea Island Lady by Francis Griswold (which is a historical novel rather than straight history).

Through the years, I've had plenty of authors come talk about their work. Here are just some of the titles and authors that have been highlighted in a BDC@ The Branches program within the past 7 - 10 years are:

• Battle of Port Royal by Mike Coker
• Be Free or Die by Cate Lineberry
• Bridging the Sea Islands's Past and Present by Larry Rowland & Stephen Wise
• Coffin Point by Baynard Woods
• Court-Martial at Parris Island by John Stevens
• I Walked in Santa's Boots by Jack  Gannon
• Jackpot by Jason Ryan
• Last Ferry to Beaufort by Charles Wersler 
• Lowcountry Voodoo A to Z by Carole Longmeyer
• Northern Money, Southern Land edited by Stephen Hoffius and Robert Cuthbert
  
• The Other Mother by Teresa Bruce
• A Place Called Home by Sonny Bishop
• Rebellion, Reconstruction and Redemption by Larry Rowland & Stephen Wise
• Stinking Stones and Rocks of Gold by Shep McKinley
• Yankee Scholar edited by James Hester

Any of these titles would make for an interesting topic of discussion. The range is from drug running to phosphate mining, to voodoo after all. Of course, we would not be limited to just the above titles. There are certainly plenty of potential local history related titles to discuss. There are sufficient biographies, recipe books, personal memoirs, etc. All one need do is stroll by the Local History section in any of our Branch Libraries to get ideas for fruitful reading and thoughtful examination. In fact, if you'd like to suggest a title or two, send the titles to bdc@bcgov.net.

I think that once a month or perhaps even once every other month might work best for a group discussion. There's nothing to say that we'd even have to hold the Book Club outside the BDC Research Room on the 2nd floor of the Library building in Beaufort - or even that we couldn't go all out and do a live session on this Facebook page. If there's enough interest, perhaps we could hold a session at other library locations. There's no reason for anyone - BDC staff or book club participants -- to knock ourselves out and get all stressed. This supposed to be an educational - but fun - program series.  

Before I get too deep into learning how to start a book club since I've never led one, I'd like to know if there are 6 to 12 people in Beaufort County, SC who would be interested in joining a local history book club to start in September. Please send me an e-mail to bdc@bcgov.net if you'd like to be involved.  

Sadkeche Fight Program Coming Soon

South Carolina has seen more than its share of military engagements through time. As the South Carolina Battlefield Preservation Trust (SCBPT) website states "Since the Province of Carolina was chartered in 1663, hundreds of battles representing nearly every regional and national conflict have been fought on South Carolina soil." At present the SCBPT is undertaking an archaeological inventory and some site investigations of colonial and Revolutionary War battlefields. You have the opportunity in August to learn a bit more about a forgotten colonial war in a free lecture co-sponsored by the Beaufort District Collection and the Beaufort Chapter, Archaeological Society.

Historian William Ramsey states that the little remembered Yamasee War (1715-1717) “easily ranks with King Philip’s War and Pontiac’s Rebellion” as a key colonial conflict.Yet compared to these other wars, it remains woefully understudied. “The Sadkeche Fight,” as it has been called, occurred in April 1715, just days after the Yamasee War began. It was a pivotal engagement within the war, marking the first major battle between the Yamasees and the South Carolina militia. In this battle, the militia, numbering 240, defeated a force of Yamasee Indians roughly twice its size. A number of Yamasee leaders were also killed in the fighting, which halted their advance toward Charleston. 

On Wednesday, August 15^th at 2:00 pm Dr. Jon Marcoux of Salve Regina University will give us an update about the search for the Battle of Sadkeche. He is an archaeologist who specializes in cultural and historic preservation and the study of late prehistoric and early historic Native American Indian societies (ca. A.D. 1000-1800). Dr. Marcoux is particularly interested in studying cultural interaction among late 17th-century Native American Indian communities, enslaved Africans and European settlers.

We’ll set up 85 seats in the Beaufort Branch Meeting Room - which should be more than plenty given that we are now in the dog days of Summer and so many of our area residents are away in cooler climes. But if you’re nervous about not getting a seat, please arrive early. We will have staff on hand beginning at 1 pm to start giving out free tickets.

Please note: The archaeological field work and lecture is funded with a grant from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program. 

8 Tips on "How To Ask a Question" at a Library Program

The approach of a library local history program fills me with anxiety. Will the presenter have an emergency that prevents the program from proceeding as planned? Will all the technical equipment work as designed during the presentation? Will enough people show up to make the program worthwhile in the view of the investment of time necessary to plan and coordinate the event? Will enough people show up to meet the Board of Trustees expectations about library programs? But probably what I most worry about - after discovering that the tech check was good - is the Q & A at the end. Occasionally there are some tensions in the room.

There are a lot of people who simply don't know how to properly frame and ask a good question. Some people try to hold the floor for 3 to 5 minutes before they actually get to their question. It is not particularly uncommon to hear a person's personal memoir before the question gets posed. Professor Peter Wood wrote a blog post for the Chronicle of Higher Education on March 30, 2012 that lays out some of the criteria of a good question that I will summarize here:

1. Does your question contribute to the quality of the discussion?
2. Does your question enhance the occasion?
3. Does your question have a single point?
4. Does your question begin with one of these words: Who? What? Where? When? or Why?
5. Is your question direct?
6. Does your question indicate that you have been attentive to the discussion thus far?
7. Is the intent of your question to shame or "call out" the presenter? If your answer to this question is yes, then just don't do it. Wait to ask the presenter in private.
8. Will the answer to your question likely be of interest to others in attendance? (This one often should be kept in mind at family history/genealogy related programs. Trust me. The person most interested in the minute details of your ancestors is you!) 

Please take the time to read Peter Wood's blog post "How To Ask A Question" before the next time you pose a question in a public forum. And remember, your question should contribute to the quality of the discussion at hand. Civility is a good character trait to foster, particularly in a democratic society - though civility does seem to be regretfully absent in these very contentious political times.

Speaking of civility ... Stay tuned this Fall for updates about the Conversation Cafe programs held at some of the branch Libraries. Conversation Cafe's are free, hosted, drop-in conversations in public places among people with diverse views and a shared passion for engaging with others. A minimal set of agreements and a simple process create the shift from small talk to BIG talk. Topics covered thus far: What are your hopes for 2017? ; How do we create community? ; Polarization among people -- what can be done to bridge the divide? ; What is the impact of pain? ; How do we raise moral children? ; What is the role of literature - particularly fiction - in our lives?

Revolutionary War Records

The Revolutionary War in South Carolina had an enduring impact and involved a great

deal of fighting -- more so than in any other British colony. We suggest that you begin

by reading Chapters 12 and 13 of A History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, vol. 1,

1514-1861 by Lawrence Rowland. (Call Number SC 975.799 ROW) that discusses how

the American Revolution unfolded here in Beaufort District.

Establishing your blood ties to a Revolutionary War soldier can be thrilling, time

consuming, and may afford you the opportunity to join a heritage society such as the

Sons of the American Revolution, the Society of the Cincinnati or the Daughters of the American Revolution. There are other fraternal and social organizations that only accept members who can prove through documentary evidence that they are descended from a Patriot or Loyalist.

Materials in the Beaufort District Collection as well as in our branch libraries can help

you work your ancestral line. Here are a few suggestions to get your started:

SC REF 929.3 SOU Sources for the American Revolution at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History compiled by Charles H. Lesser, 2000. http://archives.sc.gov/resources/militaryrecords/Documents/rvwr.pdf

SC 369.135 DAR PT 1 - PT 3 DAR Patriot Index: Centennial Edition Washington: National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Centennial Administration, c1994.

This series covers Patriots whose service has been established through DAR membership applications submitted between Oct. 1890 and Oct. 11, 1990

DAR is now offering the full text of the Forgotten Patriots book (2008) and its corresponding supplement online. These documents can be downloaded for free from the DAR website. The Forgotten Patriots Research Guide

http://www.dar.org/sites/default/files/media/library/DARpublications/Forgotten_Patriots_ISBN-978-1-892237-10-1.pdf

Thomas Heyward, Jr., Signer

SC 929.3 BOC 1998 Revolutionary War Bound Land Grants Awarded by State governments by Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck, 1996.

SC 929.3 BOC 2011 Revolutionary War Pensions Awarded by State Governments, 1775 – 1874, the General and Federal governments prior to 1814, and by Private Acts of Congress to 1905 by Lloyd de Witt Bockstruck, 2011.      

         

SC REF 929.3 STU Stub Entries to Indents issued in payments of Claims against South

Carolina growing out of the Revolution (BDC)

SC 973.3 EDG 2001 Partisans & Redcoats: The Southern Campaign that Turned the Tide of the American Revolution, 2001.

SC REF 973.314 LAM South Carolina Loyalists in the American Revolution by Robert

Lambert, c1987.

SC 973.336 HOU The siege of Charleston by the British fleet and army under the command of Admiral Arbuthnot and Sir Henry Clinton which terminated with the surrender of that place on the 12^th of May 1780, edited by Franklin B. Hough, 1867, reprint ed., 1975. https://archive.org/details/siegeofcharlesto00houg

SC REF 973.337 LEE The Campaign of 1781 in the Carolinas; with remarks historical and critical on Johnson’s Life of Greene. To which is added an appendix of original documents, relating to the History of the Revolution by Henry Lee, 1824, reprint ed., 1975. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015008290218

 

SC 973.343 MOS 2004 African-American Patriots in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution by Bobby G. Moss and Michael C. Scoggins, 2004.

SC 973.345 MOU Memoirs of the American Revolution, so far as it related to the states of North and South Carolina, and Georgia. Compiled from the most authentic materials, the author’s personal knowledge of the various events, and including an epistolary correspondence on public affairs, with civil and military officers, at that period by William Moultrie, (Eyewitness Accounts of the American Revolution series),1802, reprint ed., 1968. https://archive.org/details/memoirsofamerica00mouliala

National Archives

SC REF 973.3457 ERV South Carolinians in the Revolution by Sara Ervin, c1965.

SC REF 973.3457 GAR Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War in America, with sketches of character of persons the most distinguished, in the Southern States, for Civil and Military services by Alexander Garden, Charleston S.C.: A. E. Miller, 1822. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044009732009

SC REF 973.3457 MOS Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution

by Bobby Moss, c1985.

SC 973.353 MOS 2005 African-American Loyalists in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution, 2005.

973.38 JOH 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 Joseph Johnson, 1972 reprint. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx4krm

 

975.7 MCC The history of South Carolina in the Revolution, 1775-1780 by Edward McCrady, 1902. https://archive.org/details/historysouthcar10mccrgoog and The history of South Carolina in the Revolution, 1780-1783 by Edward McCrady, 1902. https://archive.org/details/historysouthcar09mccrgoog

Potential sources of information about the conduct of the War and the people who suffered through it are available on microfilm in our Research Room.

Records of the South Carolina Treasury, 1775-1780. (6 rolls)

Recommended for the significance of this office to the operation of the newly independent colony and funding of the Revolutionary War effort. Printed guide is available in the Research Room.

Accounts Audited Growing Out of the Revolution in South Carolina. (165 rolls)

This is a fundamental genealogical and historical resource for information regarding the

Revolutionary War era. Printed guide is available in the Research Room. Indexed online at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/search/AuthorityTerms/s_descriptions/s108092.asp.

South Carolina Will Transcripts, 1782-1868. (31 rolls)

Recommended because our 4 volume printed work is very limited in scope to the

transcripts. This is a fundamental genealogical and historical resource for the period

covered. Printed guide is available in the Research Room. Indexed online at

http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/search/AuthorityTerms/s_descriptions/s108093.asp.

South Carolina State Plats, Charleston Series, 1784-1860; Columbia Series, 1796-1868. (30 rolls)

Recommended because the Beaufort District courthouse records were burned in 1865,

destroying virtually all of our land records. These plats are an essential source for genealogy and local history as well as a good mine of primary documentation for social, cultural, and economic historical studies. Printed guide is available in the Research Room. Indexed online at for the Charleston series:

http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/search/AuthorityTerms/s_descriptions/s213190.asp

and at http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/search/AuthorityTerms/s_descriptions/s213192.asp

for the Columbia series.

Memorials of the 17th and 18th Century South Carolina Land Titles. (7 rolls)

We have 1 printed volume of memorials to quitrents. This series is far more extensive than the printed volumes available. In certain cases, this is the only surviving record of a particular transaction, containing Proprietary land grants, certificates of admeasurements, wills, leases, and releases. Printed guide is available in the Research Room. Partially indexed at

http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/search/AuthorityTerms/s_descriptions/s111001.asp.

South Carolina Tax Returns, 1783-1800. (2 rolls)

Recommended because this series supplies information about land owners and size of

holdings that census records and deed books leave out for the period covered. Printed

guide is available in the Research Room. An associated series of records is found at

http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/search/AuthorityTerms/s_descriptions/s126061.asp.

Fold3 is offering free access to some of its Revolutionary War related records for a limited time. Please see its website for details.