New (and New to Us) Materials in April and May 2019

Over the past two months we have added a number of new and new to us items into our Research Room. Because our major charge is "to acquire, preserve, maintain and make accessible a research collection of permanent value that records the history of this area," we survey current and past literature to build our materials. We have biographies and other nonfiction books, maps, video materials and archival collections about local history including Gullah traditions, natural history, archaeology and genealogy as well as other topics relevant to Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper counties.
Recent arrivals are:

Testing Archeological Sampling Methods at Fort San Felipe 1983 by Stanley South, Research Manuscript Series 190, Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina, X0, 1984 covers the fourth year of archaeological testing on the site. Archaeologists confirmed two fortified houses and two wells inside the Fort. (gift)

Indians and Artifacts in the Southeast by Bert. W. Bierer, Bierer Publishing Co., 1985 includes new illustrations and data which supplements the earlier editions of this title. (gift)

DNA testing is on everyone's mind, particularly now that current technology is allowing law enforcement to close some cold cases with DNA and family tree research. I wrote about DNA genetic testing in late 2017 but Genetic Genealogy Basics, by Angie Bush, 2nd edition, 2019 in the Genealogy at a Glance series explains the differences in testing protocols, what the tests can confirm, what the tests cannot confirm, and descriptions of the five major testing companies far better than I can. The flyer will be shelved in the public area of the Research Room in order that those who are considering paying for a test can understand the fundamentals of the process and results. (purchase)

South Carolina Antiquities, Journal of the Archaeological Society of South Carolina, volume 40, 2008 contains three articles about sites in Beaufort County: "Prehistoric Settlement and Land Use in the Sea Islands: Archaeological Investigations at a Multi-Component Interior Site on Port Royal Island, South Carolina," by Brad Botwick; "Postbellum Life on Hilton Head Island: The Frazier Cabin Site," by Patrick H. Garrow; and, "Archaeologically Testing the Tabby Point Ruin: Callawassie Island, South Carolina" by Stanley A. South. (gift)

The Flag of the State of South Carolina by A.S. Salley, Jr., State Co. Book Store, 1938, originally cost 25 cents to purchase. Alexander Samuel Salley, Jr. was the first secretary of the State Historical Commission in 1905 and spent the next 45 years of his life dedicating to preserving, organizing and sharing South Carolina's documentary heritage and advocating for the archives field. This booklet examines and discusses the origins of the Palmetto State's flag. (rediscovered in the storage room)

Major Butler's Legacy: Five Generations of a Slaveholding Family by Malcolm Bell, Jr., University

of Georgia Press, 1987 documents the contributions and influence of the family sired by the third son of an Anglo-Irish baronet Sir Richard Butler, Pierce Butler and South Carolina heiress Mary Middleton in the mid-18th century. The Butler holdings in Beaufort District included The Euhaws Plantation, Coosaw Island Plantation, and Brewton Plantation. Pierce the sire became a political and economic powerhouse, staunchly defending the institution of slavery at the Constitutional Convention by insisting on the inclusion of the 3/5th clause; Pierce the grandson was a reprobate, squandering his inheritance with poor management, and a bad marriage to and very public divorce from famed English actress Frances Kemble who appalled slavery. Other descendants included author Owen Wister. (gift) 

Before the Bridge: A Memoir of Hilton Head Island by Kay Sconyers Moore, Yawn's Publishing, 2015 describes what it was like to be a child in the first house, called "Pioneer", on North Forest Beach in 1951. She reminiscences about the days before development and illustrates her memoir with family photographs. (purchase)


Prison War Camp World War II, Hampton, South Carolina Arrived early Fall 1943, Departed early Spring 1946 compiled by Mildred Bowers Rivers, includes Addendum by Hampton County Historical Society, 2015. The addendum created by the Hampton County Historical Society as part of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II is actually longer than original document. It includes oral histories, photographs and diagrams of the camp, the soldiers who served on some of the area farms, along with some updates about later uses of the structures.  

Affordable housing has long been an issue for Beaufort County. We decided to keep Affordable Housing for Hilton Head: A Report to the Town Council of Hilton Head, November 1, 1996 because of the endurance of the topic. A similar document is Wild Horse Court Phase II: Affordable Housing for Moderate Income Families: Single Family Residential Development, 1996. These items are  among the documents transferred from Hilton Head Island Branch to the BDC.

Island Personalities (Who Just Happen to Be Single) by Nancy Stephens is a curious little book - sort of a Match.com -- from the early 1980s.

Proceedings of Workshop on Soft Shell Blue Crabs, 22 September 1979 by David M. Cupka and W.A. Van Engel includes transcriptions of panel discussions about the crustacean situation.

Population and Economy, City of Beaufort, 1970 documents the transition of Beaufort during the tumultuous 1960s. This has lots of statistical data.

Added to the Archives on 22 May, a study of the St. Helena Island Cemeteries compiled by Dr.  Sandra Kehoe-Fortuna. On 30 May we received an additional small deposit of items from Molly Gray. 

We've also processed lots of posters, archaeological reports, and rediscovered maps, plans, DVDs and other items in the storage room.