"Yamasee Homelands" with Hannah Hoover & "Battle of Beaufort, 1779" with Neil Baxley

We are delighted to have Hannah Hoover share her research about the Yamasee Indians on January 31, 2024 beginning at 2 PM in a BDC@ Beaufort Branch Local History program. We are also delighted that the Hilton Head Chapter of the Archaeological Society of South Carolina has agreed to co-sponsor her lecture.

Hannah Hoover is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Michigan and holds a research affiliation with the South Carolina Institute for Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, she received a BA in Anthropology and Classical Studies from Tulane University in 2018 and an MA from the University of Michigan in 2021. 

Her dissertation research explores community formation in colonial contexts, specifically the emergence of new Tribal Nations amidst the demographic and economic changes of the 17th-century Southeast. 

For the past two years, Hoover has lived in Beaufort while working on her dissertation, tentatively titled “Small-Scale Processes of Native Nation-Building: Archaeological Investigations of early 18^th century Yamasee Towns in the South Carolina Lowcountry.” She has conducted three seasons of archaeological fieldwork at the Yamasee primary town of Pocotaligo, located today on the Mackay Point Plantation, with the assistance of over 50 community and student volunteers, including our own former BDC assistant, Olivia Santos.

Her work has been funded by several granting agencies including the National Science Foundation, the Wenner Gren Foundation, the American Philosophical Society, the Beinecke Scholarship, the Southeastern Archaeology Conference, and the Archaeological Society of South Carolina. 

Colonial surveyors created stunning maps of the natural landscapes of the Carolinas during the 17th and 18th centuries. They also frequently recorded cultural features, including Native American towns, homesteads, mounds, roads, bridges, and fields that dotted the Southeast. The common appearance of such markers on regional maps, property plats, and town memorials affirms that Europeans encountered rich and intricately constructed Native worlds.

The documentary record created by early surveyors and property transactions provide a valuable means for reconstructing Native homelands in the early Carolina colony. When considered alongside archaeology and study of modern place names, we may begin to disentangle local processes of Native erasure and better realize the deep-time connections Indigenous communities continue to hold to their ancestral homelands in South Carolina.

In this presentation, Hoover will focus on Yamasee homelands in the Port Royal Sound of South Carolina. Yamasees were a broadly diverse Native community who settled in the Port Royal Sound in 1685. They formed a strong alliance with the Carolina colony by prominently participating in the regional fur and Indian slave trades. Yamasees are most well known in local and popular history for their 1715 instigation of the Yamasee War against the colony which vastly reconfigured North American geopolitics in its wake. While the causes of war have long been debated, settler encroachment and abasement of Yamasee women and lands certainly played an outsized role in souring their political relationship. Through several case studies, she will explore how some of the earliest settlers of Beaufort County sought out Yamasee homelands in the years after the Yamasee War and ultimately engaged with, erased, and in some cases rewrote Yamasee histories in the process.

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 – "Reconstructing and Reconnecting 18th Century Yamasee Homelands in the Port Royal Sound, South Carolina" with Hannah Hoover. | BDC@ Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott, 2 PM. |  No registration process: First come; first seated. Door opens 30 minutes ahead of the program start time. | Co-sponsored by the Hilton Head Chapter, Archaeological Society of South Carolina.

Hoover credits the resources of the Charleston County Register of Deeds office and the Behan Papers here in the Beaufort District Collection and her ongoing collaboration with Dr. Denise Bossy, Associate Professor of History at the University of North Florida for making this presentation possible. 

Don't forget that there's another local history program the very next day! On February 1, 2024, we host Neil Baxley for a reprise of "Battle of Beaufort, 1779" at the Hilton Head Branch Library. His lecture is co-sponsored by the BDC, Beaufort County Historical Society, and the Beaufort County 250th Committee. 

Though the British Winter Campaign, 1778-1779 in the Palmetto State had mostly gone in Britain’s favor, South Carolina's first land based engagement between professional British, militia, and Continental forces resulted in a Patriot victory - and it was here in Beaufort County! Come learn about the strategy, tactics and significance of this American Revolution battle fought near the MCAS Air Station 245 years ago.  

A native of North Carolina, Neil Baxley spent 4 years in the Marine Corps before joining the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office more than 40 years ago.  In 2013, Col. Baxley was put in charge of Beaufort County's Emergency Management Division.  In his spare time, he studies and writes history. He's given presentations at the South Carolina Archives and at area museums and libraries. He's authored two Confederate regimental history books, Walk in the Light: The Journey of the 10th and 19th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry (2013) and No Prouder Fate: The Story of the 11th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry (2009) and the foreword to Confederate General Stephen Elliott: Beaufort Legend, Charleston Hero by D. Michael Thomas (2020). 

We hope that you will be able to join us for one - or both! programs. 

Highlights of Native American Heritage in the BDC Display Case

I assign BDC staff to create displays for a number of reasons:  1) to get acquainted with the scope of BDC holdings yet 2) explore BDC resources more deeply re: a particular topic or theme 3) to ascertain their creativity 4) learn their writing style; and 5) assess how their brain works. But there's also the dividend to me that I can do other tasks instead of thinking about how to stock the display case on a recurrent basis. While it is true that I too re-discover materials to highlight when I choose a "new" topic to cover, it's good for other staff to explore our holdings. Sometimes my staff "see" connections that I do not. When Jalen arrived, he was assigned the November 2023 display case on the topic of Native Americans. Below is Jalen Lugo's first entry for the Connections blog, edited of course, by me. -- Grace Cordial

My first two months working at the BDC have been quite eventful. I knew about the size of the collection, but I did not begin to comprehend the sheer amount of information it presented. Every day I find, at the very least, 5 items or topics that I never heard about, or had little knowledge regarding it. Whether it be through an event, by Grace informing me, or through my own research I find that the BDC contains a wealth of knowledge that few seem to know of and fewer still take advantage of it.

Most customers who come to the BDC do not visit for the purpose of researching a historical topic such as the Catawba or “Tuscarora” Barnwell, but instead come to research the genealogical side of things. Surprisingly, or at least to me, the BDC contains fantastic sources of information regarding genealogy as well as containing records and historical items from Beaufort District's history. Below, for the Indigenous Peoples month during November, are 11 items that I found the most interesting and were proper for the display case. 

The Catawba Indian Nation of the Carolinas by Thomas J. Blumer attempts to restore the legacy of the Catawba Indians. The Catawba are referred to under different names, many times being used in tandem with Chicora. What made this stand out over other items was that the Catawba are the only federally recognized found in South Carolina. There are nine state recognized Native American tribes found in South Carolina, but the Catawba are the only federally recognized tribe.

Lowcountry SC Ethnohistory: A Guide to Indian and Afro-American Sources by Alexander Moore is a guide to finding sources and items that may help on someone’s journey to discovering the roots of their past. It contains a decent amount of sources that one may use to discover their past, something that is difficult because of the deconstruction of Native American culture and identity and the slave trade. Because of European colonization, the Native Americans were forced to move out of their original homes and areas or face extinction. Those that were brought to the “new world” through enslavement have also lost their cultural identities because of the way Europeans kept track of their enslaved peoples. Most documents, if any, that contain any information on enslaved people is just an inventory because they were considered property, so the most you will discover on these documents is a first name and who their previous masters were.

The Yamassee Indians from Florida to South Carolina edited by Denise I. Bossy contains information regarding the Yamassee Indians from a cultural perspective. Chapter authors discuss who the Yamassee were, what they accomplished, and how they reacted to the continuing discrimination and slave trade the Europeans established which ultimately led to war in 1715.

Lore can be defined in different ways, one being tall tales that are passed down from generation to generation, and another as a way to describe the history of a people or topic. South Carolina Indian Lore by Bert W. Bierer uses the term “lore” to describe cultural identity of the Native Americans, and what made them so important. It contains information on shell mounds or shell middens, pottery, and how they acted together as a people.

Sea Island Secrets, a Journey Through Time: 4000 years of history uncovered in the South Carolina Lowcountry is a DVD. This documentary features shell middens, essentially garbage heaps left by Native Americans. Shell middens are found all through the lowcountry. Famed archaeologist Dr. Chester DePratter and others describe what they discovered while examining the coast and shorelines of South Carolina and Georgia. I chose this item to represent the variety of materials formats housed in the Research Room.

Volumes in Historical Archaeology XXI: The Search for Altamaha by William Green is a report of about enduring signs of Native American activity and habitation that led to the rediscovery of the Yamasee Altamaha settlement.  It also contains initial thoughts and theories of what could be found and where it could be found. I chose this because I love reading about archaeological excavations and discoveries. I even like the repetitiveness of some of the details. It reminds me of Indiana Jones or Drake from Uncharted - archaeologists who, although far-fetched, do their research, complete excavations, and then go out on daring adventures, searching for lost cities and treasure. 

The Indian Slave Trade by Alan Gallay outlines the fall of the Native Americans to the European Slave Trade and how Native Americans initially reacted and handled the situation. What makes this book interesting is that it is totally unbiased with the information it presents and thorough. Not only did Indians participate in the slave trade by selling members of other groups to Europeans; they also were sold into slavery by Europeans. The Indian slave trade has largely been left out of high school and college textbooks. This book helps to rectify that omission.

Scouting the Inland Passage is a map showing passages used by the Indians, landmarks, and trading paths. I selected it for its graphical appeal.

Yamassee Native American Indians: Culture, Heritage & Practices by Bih Mico-Grand Chief Se’Khu Hadjo Gentle outlines the story of the Yamassee, what they accomplished, and who they are. The author argues that atrocities in the past almost wiped out the tribe making it very important for current members to share their traditional knowledge and way of life.  

I opened The Catawba Indians the People of the River by Douglas Summers Brown to the page that has an image of the Catawba Indians attending a Christian church. I don’t understand why the Catawba, or any Indian people, would want to go to the church of the people that stole their land and killed them. Why I find this so surprising is because in Puerto Rico, we are taught about the Native Americans whom the Spanish enslaved or killed. The Spanish tried to convert the Indians into the Catholic Religion but because of their resolve and the idea that someone else chose this for them, they decided that they would rather fight back and die rather than lose their identity to a people who enslaved them and took their resources. 

Indian Arrowheads and Spearheads in the Carolinas by Bert W. Bierer is a field guide of information ranging from Clovis Points (9000 to 17000 years ago) to Nodena Points (400 to 600 years ago). I am fascinated that archaeologists were not only able to find these artifacts but be able to identify them. One would think that with all the time that has passed, these small items would deteriorate into an unidentifiable rock. I am glad that they have not.   

Program Topics in November 2023

Port Royal Harbor and its surrounding islands were among one of the first areas to be occupied by Union forces after the Civil War broke out. Among those troops of occupation were the members of the 79th New York.  Re-enactor Tom Vaselopulos will share a brief history of the Highlanders with a lecture "Kilted Warriors" on Friday, November 3rd  at 2 PM in the Beaufort Branch Library's Meeting Room. First come; first seated: Doors will open for seating at 1:30 PM. People will be admitted until we run out of chairs  and/or reach Beaufort Branch's Meeting Room capacity is part of the Beaufort History Museum's Civil War Encampment.   The lecture will set you up to better enjoy the Civil War Encampment hosted by the Beaufort History Museum in the Arsenal on Saturday, November 4th from 10 AM - 4:30 PM. Jalen and I will be on hand outside the Arsenal with flyers about the BDC's Civil War related materials to distribute.  

A few days later, we turn to the colonial period for a program about the man who stayed behind in the 1660s to live with the Native Americans in order to stake stronger English claims to this area. 

Henry Woodward was one of early Carolina Colony’s most remarkable citizens. In 1666, four years before Charles Town, he lived with the Native Americans in present-day Port Royal—the only Englishman in four hundred miles. His stay was interrupted when he was held prisoner by the Spanish in St. Augustine. Freed by an English privateer, he served as a surgeon on a buccaneer ship in the Caribbean, and after being shipwrecked in a hurricane, miraculously ended up back in Carolina Colony as one of the Colony’s first settlers. Relying on his rapport with the Native Americans, he traded for food, helping the colonists avoid starvation. Surviving political intrigue, personal loss, and physical hardship, he became one of the Colony’s most important figures.

Separating fact from fiction about this enigmatic figure is challenging. The records from 17th-century Carolina Colony are sparse. We know he was the Colony’s earliest explorer and Indian trader but his legacy is tangled. Was he America's first frontiersman or an unlucky pawn of the English Lords Proprietors who owned the colony? Was he a friend or a foe of the Native Americans, or both? The speaker, Robert Lanham, spent five years investigating Woodward’s role in the Colony’s earliest years. In 2022, he published The Red Bird and the Devil, answering these questions while setting forth the fascinating story of one of Colonial America’s forgotten figures.

Robert Lanham is a retired family law attorney and former geologist residing in the South Carolina Lowcountry where Henry Woodward, the protagonist of his book, The Red Bird and the Devil lived 350 years earlier. Robert moved here from Colorado and fell in love with the Lowcountry and its history. His distant grandfather came to the southern colonies as an indentured servant in the late 1600s, the same time as Henry Woodward, sparking his interest in early colonial history. Using skills developed during 40 years of research, writing, and teaching in science and law, Robert published The Red Bird and the Devil, a fresh look at the origin and first decades of Carolina Colony from the perspective of Henry Woodward. 

We are holding two sessions of "Snakebit" over the course of Fiscal Year 2024:

1) The premiere will be on Thursday, November 9, 2023 at the Hilton Head Branch Library, 11 Beach City Road, at 11 AM. We will open the doors at 10:30 AM for first come seating. We will admit folks until we reach the Fire Marshal's limit for the room. Free parking, too! 

2) The reprise will be held in the Spring as part of the Beaufort History Museum/Beaufort County Library local history series.

On December 7, 2023 we have Mary Dorsey of the Samuel J. Bush Post 217, American Legion coming to Beaufort Branch to tell us about the Bush Brothers at Pearl Harbor and what happened to them at and after the "day that will live in infamy." 

After this jammed packed Fall series, the BDC will take a break from coordinating local history programs for the arts-and-crafts programmers to do their thing over the holiday season. Be sure to keep up with any additions, subtractions, or re-scheduling via the Library's calendar of events.