Wildflower beside road in Temperance Hill Community, in Marion County.
Photo by Jo Dickerson, September, 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Updated 5/08 CHAPTER MEETINGS
Directions to Meeting Place

Chapter Notices & News
To Join Our Chapter
Membership Statement

Members' Notices

Past Programs & Older News

2008 ANNUAL TOUR & PICNIC

2008 CHAPTER MEETINGS

January 13: Pee Dee Land Trust
Program about their activities and mission, presented by Jennie Williamson who works with the Land Trust..

Refreshments by Gwen Hendrix.

February 10: Tobacco Families
Reggie McDaniel, Director of the Mullins Tobacco Museum, will present a program on Tobacco Families.

Refreshments by Cathy Cole, Helen Moody, Holly Moody.

March 9: Some of Marion's Men, to be presented by Bob Barrett, Director of the Francis Marion Trail Commission.

(Families of Red Doe Plantation has been rescheduled for the October meeting.)

Refreshments by Hazel Miller and Beth Mullins.

April 13: Lt. Bill Farrow of Darlington, who was one of Doolittle's Raiders - program to be presented by John Griffin, author of books on the Confederacy and on Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Griffin will have copies of his books on display.

Refreshments by James & Margaret Collar.

May 18: Annual Tour and Picnic in Society Hill.
Members and their guests will meet at 2:00 pm at the Society Hill Town Hall, located on Hwy 15/501 just 2 blocks west of Hwy 52. Bring a dish to share.

Society Hill is lush with Pee Dee area history. It is in Darlington County, near the site of the first courthouse of the Old Cheraws District, at Long Bluff on Great Pee Dee River. Long Bluff, and later Society Hill, was a central location for the early Welch settlers who came to the "Welch Tract". Many early family homes and churches are still standing.

MAP (Mapquest)

June 8: The Daniel White Family: YDNA Solves  Mysteries of Lost Family Members. Barbara Copeland, a descendant of Daniel White, will present this program.

The program will be of interest to White family descendants and their connections, as well as to those wishing to know more about DNA and genealogy.

Refreshments by Jerri & Helen White.

July & August: No Meetings.

September 14: Artie Quick will present The Story of Chesley Moody. Long cited as having been shot as a deserter during the Civil War, research has uncovered evidence of Chesley's death in a northern prison.

Refreshments by Joyce Braswell & Betty Edens.

October 12: Families of Red Doe Plantation.
Red Doe is located in Jeffries Township in the part of old Marion County that became Florence County. Red Doe was originally a Gregg family home. This program will inform about the subsequent owners of Red Doe, and the current restoration efforts and activities there. (Previously scheduled for March.)

Refreshments by Cornelia Rogers & Mary Welch.

November 9: TBA

Refreshments by ________.

December 14: Annual Show & Tell Social & Potluck.

DIRECTIONS to MEETING LOCATION

Pee Dee Federal Bank is graciously allowing our chapter to meet in their upstairs banquet room at 106 E. Court Street in Marion. The building is directly across Main Street and the Courthouse Square from the Courthouse, and is quite visible from Main Street. It is the two-storey brick building with the large columns, directly opposite the Courthouse.

There is plenty of parking on the street, or in the bank parking lot in the back. Use the north entrance (toward town). The building is totally accessible, with a ramp and an elevator. We are grateful to the officers of Pee Dee Federal for allowing us to use their facilities.

Pee Dee Chapter members Mary Kirby and Maxcy Foxworth are contributors to a new book on the Myers Family:

"Myers and Neighbors of Jeffries Creek, SC"

by Neil O. Myers, represents over 200 years of cumulative research by a number of Myers genealogists, including Pee Dee Chapter members Mary Kirby and Maxcy Foxworth. It chronicles the family of John Myers, a mid-1700's resident on Jeffries Creek in present Florence County, includes information on the Cusack, Prothro, Burris, Simmons, Nettles, James, McPherson and other local families, and notes other early South Carolina Myers families. It is currently available at Marion County Archives & History Center and at www.lulu.com, and will soon be available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Pee Dee Chapter member Edward L. "Ed" Godbold is the author of a new book about the Godbold family:

“The Hunt for Old John Godbold”

The book documents much of what is known about Old John, dispels some myths about his life and explores the South Carolina political jurisdictions in the middle to late 1700s as they affected his travels and where he lived. A family tree of the first five generations is presented with accompanying details of land transactions, legal proceedings, census data and related families. The 548 page book is indexed and has a laminated soft cover.

For details on ordering the book email egodbold@aol.com
or go to http://www.llumina.com/store/johngodbold.htm.

New Snipes Family Treemaker Website by William R."Bill" Snipes

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/n/i/William-R-Snipes/

Bill has also placed a CD on his Snipes and Related Families in the Marion Archives.
wrs1940@netscape.net

Another family history by our members
Cathie Price Harmon and her father James "Jimmy" Price

The Labon Price Family
of
Banana and Melrose Florida
with History and Genealogy

The book includes wonderful photographs of this family that originated in old Marion District and moved to Putnam County,Florida about 1860. Of primary interest to the descendants of Labon Price and his wife Sarah Ann Smith (a granddaughter of Rev. Moses Smith), still there is much in the book of general interest,including Jimmy's first hand account of cane syrup making in Florida (which is very similar to memories of same in South Carolina), and the marvelous story of how a perfect stranger found the Labon Price Bible in a shop and returned it to the family.

Contact Cathy Harmon for details or you can write to her - members' addresses are in the March-April issue of the Pee Dee Queue.

NEW - MOODY FAMILY OBITUARIES

Helen Moody has compiled two CDs of obituaries relating to the Moody family. Please contact Helen for more information: hbmoody@bellsouth.net.

A MOODY FAMILY HISTORY BACK IN PRINT

Moody, A History of Reverend Tapley Moody Sr., His Descendants and Relatives by Avery T. Moody, Jr. and Elberta M. Wiles Moody, was first published in 1983, and has been out of print for several years. Avery's daughter, Averyl Moody Chapman, recently gave permission for the book to be copied; any proceeds after costs will go to the Pee Dee Chapter. Many thanks to Averyl, and to Dewitt "Red" Moody for his assistance, and to our members Helen B. Moody and Deborah "Jane" Moody Randall for all their work on this project.

This book is of special interest to those with family in the Bermuda, Lake View, and Hayestown areas where legions of Rev. Tapley Moody's descendants still reside. Many hard to find connections and wonderful old family stories are here.

Copies of the bound book (322 pages) are $20.00 and include a new full name index compiled by Helen and Jane. The index can be ordered separately for $5.00; both prices include postage, and can be ordered from Helen Moody, hbmoody@bellsouth.net.

A new book about Marion/Dillon families:

Our Mc's
McCormaig, McCormac, McCormack, McCormick, McDonald, McEachern, McKellar

by Pee Dee Chapter member Mary A. Lewis

Mary's book is indexed and includes abstracts, estate and Bible records, cemetery inscriptions and more, with chapters on the ancestry and descendants of John and Barbara McEachern McCormick, Neil and Catherine McCormick, James and Margaret McKellar, and other related families.

For details on ordering the book email Mary Lewis
or you can write to her - members' addresses are in the
March-April issue of the Pee Dee Queue.

Still available from Carson Carmichael:

Some Carmichael and Weatherly Roots and Branches

by long time chapter member Carson Carmichael, Jr.

Indexed, over 5,000 names, 512 pages, photos, illustrations, family tree, acid free paper, Rev. and Civil War records, will and estate records, full female names (when available) and place names.

More details can be found in the Pee Dee Queue. Or write to Carson - members' addresses are in the March-April issue of the Queue.

The March 12, 2006 program
"Understanding Land Surveys" by chapter member and Marlboro County Assistant Tax Assessor Jeff Dudley. Jeff used slides to give a basic explanation of interpreting and drawing a survey. He also demonstrated the use of computerized drawing programs for drawing surveys. The functionality of GIS technology was also discussed.

February 2006 meeting
S.C. State Senator Kent Williams spoke about "The Williams Family of the Pee Dee." One of the African-American families he descends from was that of Jack Leonard, a former slave. Senator Williams spoke at length about his boyhood in the Knife Island area (near Centenary) of Marion County. He also spoke of the historic St. James A.M.E. Church which his family attends.

At the January 2006 meeting chapter president Jerri S. White presented a program as her ancestor, Mary Simpson Eagerton Wall. In costume, Jerri presented an interpretive and historical portrayal of Mary on the occasion of Mary's 72nd birthday. "Mary" discussed her early life, her parents, issues of the day such as slavery, and the loss of her son in the Civil War. Jerri descends from Mary Wall along two lines, and is well versed in this family history. It was a fascinating study of a 19th Century woman.

November 2005 meeting - Jo Church Dickerson presented the program: "(Maybe) A Mother for Col. Hugh Giles" which explored the maternal origins of one of Marion County's own Revolutionary War heroes and one of our founding fathers, Hugh Giles. The program also attempted to draw lessons about developing and analyzing clues in the search for a female ancestor. Evidence was presented to demonstrate that the parents of Colonel Hugh Giles were almost certainly Abraham Giles and Elizabeth Lewis Fladger, widow of Robert Fladger and daughter of Charles Lewis and Elizabeth Horry.

~ October 2005 Meeting ~

"African Americans at Mars Bluff"

Mrs. Amelia Wallace Vernon presented a slide show and talk about her ancestral home in Mars Bluff Community of Florence County. Her family home is now the site of Francis Marion University. Ms. Vernon discussed her family and the history of the university site which was once a Gregg family plantation. She included information about her struggle to save the two old historical slave cabins which can be visited on the university grounds. She showed photos of old homes in the Mars Bluff area, and clarified Mars Bluff Community as being that area between Great Pee Dee River and the city of Florence, and between Black Creek on the north and Jeffries Creek on the south. Ms. Vernon told how she learned about the historical small scale rice culture in the area through her contact and friendship with African-Americans who remembered a lot of the history of the community, even where many old rice fields were located. She had slides of some old timers she interviewed, of African-American homes with "swept" yards, and of what were once old rice fields. She discussed how many African customs, besides rice cultivation, became part of our southern culture (including the swept yards that most of our grandmothers kept). A fascinating presentation by one of the Pee Dee area's most interesting women.

June 2005 meeting - Chapter Vice President Bettise Baker Davidson shed a great deal of light on her Rowell ancestors of (present) Dillon County. Bettise told of her discoveries about the life and times of her ancestor Jesse Rowell, a grandson of old Volentine Rowell. She also shared copies of documents relating to the Rowell family that she obtained from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

The April 10 2005 program
was by Sam West of Robeson County Historical & Genealogical Society. Sam's program was "Carolina Blue in Black and White" and was about the Blue family who resided near the NC/SC state line, in both states. Sam presented information on the African-American Blue family, and the white Blue family that came from Kentyre in Scotland. He brought photographs of the historical old Blue family cemeteries, both black and white, showing the longevity of members of both families, and gave much more information about cemeteries in the general area around Ashpole Presbyterian Church in Robeson County. A most interesting and compelling program.

MEETING of 13 March 2005
Member Carley Wiggins presented a fascinating and entertaining program on the village of Little Rock (formerly Harlleesville) in Dillon County. Touching on the history, residents, location and naming of the town, we were treated to many anecdotes and stories about the oldest of the Dillon County towns (and one of the oldest in old Marion District). Carley writes a column for the Dillon Herald Newspaper, often touching on some aspect of local history.

At the February 2005 meeting SCGS President John L. Andrews presented a program on The Civil War in the Pee Dee Region. The material was fascinating, much of it gleaned by John from local period newspapers. The program was in the form of John's speaking notes only - there was no handout to share with members (many asked). We encourage John to try to find time to arrange this important paper for publication.

~ January 2005 Meeting ~
An organizing meeting for our chapter - no program. New officers were installed, committees were formed by our new president, Jerri White, and committee members agreed to serve. A 2005 calendar of refreshments and programs was begun. It is exciting that so many new folks are stepping forward to serve on committees and as officers. (Though it is a little disappointing that our refreshments and programs calendar is not full yet.) For a complete listing of the 2005 officers, and other information about the Pee Dee chapter see About the Chapter.

November 2004 meeting - Jo Church Dickerson presented a paper and discussion on the Revolutionary War in what was to become Marion County, entitled The Search for Blue Savannah, Maps, Plats, and Old Stories. The program detailed her recent search for the exact location of the Blue Savannah in Marion County, and examined some aspects of the Revolutionary War Battle that was fought near there. We hope to make this paper available sometime in the future.

October 2004 meeting
Pee Dee Chapter member Sam West - noted N.C. genealogist and also one of the founders of the Robeson County, N.C. Genealogical Society - talked about the controversial Freewill Baptist "Collinites" of Robeson County. Their leader was Rev. Stephen D. Collins, son of Thomas Collins of Marion County. Materials handed out by Sam have been placed on file in the Marion Archives.

June 2004 meeting - For her program, past chapter president Bettise Baker Davidson told the story of her amazing ancestor, Mary Rebecca Baker, M.D., Marion's first female doctor. Bettise has completed a printed narrative about Dr. Baker, which was published in the November-December 2004 issue of the Pee Dee Queue.

Chapter Member Alice Hamburger Sloan presented a fascinating program on the Isham & Mary Hays Watson Descendants' Association at the April 2004 meeting. Her program included family history and data, a history of Antioch Baptist Church, and lots of information about successfully organizing and maintaining a family organization. Alice contributed a number of documents relating to these subjects which are now available in the Marion Archives. Anyone wishing information on these subjects, or on the upcoming 100th reunion of the Watson Descendants, can visit the Watson Reunion website at:
http://hometown.aol.com/familyancestry/myhomepage/family.html

Historical author Richard Côté spoke at our February 2004 meeting. Mr. Côté is well known for his interest in all things historical and genealogical. He is the author of Theodosia Burr Alston: Portrait of a Prodigy; Mary's World: Love, War and Family Ties in Nineteenth-century Charleston; a recent novel: The Redneck Riviera; and has a forthcoming biography of First Lady Dolley Madison. If you missed this fun program, you can find his books online at: Corinthian Books.com

OUR DECEMBER 14th, 2003 MEETING

(Christmas social) was very nearly a disaster - it was cold, pouring rain, and your local officers forgot to make arrangements to have our meeting site opened - we had to call out a kind bank official at the last minute to let us in! But about fourteen hardy, dedicated souls, including a couple of guests, turned out in spite of the awful weather. The dishes people brought were spectacular and delicious. And it was such fun to just sit and chat about our various families and projects. Everyone there seemed interested in continuing this social gathering next year. The camaraderie we experienced really brought home why genealogists need a group and a gathering place. We gain strength and resolve as we continue our search for ancestors, and for new members with whom to share the excitement of community and discovery; and who will hopefully continue our mission to preserve our local history and records.

We urge members who don't live close enough to participate in all the meetings to try to arrange their visits "home" at a time when they can get to a chapter meeting. We would love to see you there. Feedback in the form of letters and emails is a good way to have input and share your thoughts with our 'community.' You can also participate by sending family articles and record compilations for publication in the Pee Dee Queue.

EARLY LAND RECORDS AT SC ARCHIVES -
Dr. Charles Lesser's October 2003 Program Information Online

For those who missed Dr. Lesser's talk about the early land records in the SC Archives, he suggested you might read his descriptive material on those records here. (Click on the 'Series' link at bottom of the index search page.)

Another Pee Dee Chapter winner
2005 SCGS Publications Competition

Best Article in an SCGS Publication
From a Chapter with more than 100 Members:
Jo Church Dickerson for
"Rowell, Carmichael and Related Records: An Abundance of Clues"
published in the Pee Dee Queue, May-June 2005 issue.

Two Pee Dee Chapter members win in
SCGS Publications Competition

Winner, Best South Carolina Family History category:
Mary A. Lewis for her book Our Mc's -McCormaig, McCormac, McCormack, McCormick, McDonald, McEachern, McKellar, published 2004 by Three Rivers Historical Society. (See below for description.)

Winner, Best Article in an SCGS Publication category:
(100 members or more)
Ray E. Timmons for his article The Huguenot Church Register of Pons France which appeared in The Carolina Herald, Vol XXXII No.1, 2004 issue.

CONGRATULATIONS to Mary and to Ray!

~ NEW BOOK AWARD ~
Gwen Hendrix' new book of Abstracts of Conveyances of Marlboro County wins in the 2003 SCGS Publications Contest, in the category of best book by an SCGS Chapter with more than 100 members. This is the second year in a row that a book by our Gwen has won in this category.

Abstracts of Conveyances
Marlborough County, South Carolina (1786-1799)
Marlborough District, South Carolina (1802 - 1808)
Volumes B-1, B, and E-1
The Pee Dee Chapter is proud to announce a new book by Gwen DeBerry Hendrix. Gwen's second volume of abstracts of the Marlboro County deeds has just been released. The new volume includes Marlboro County Deeds that were recorded during various years between 1786-1808. Jeff Dudley's terrific maps of Marlboro County showing the waterways, etc., increase the usefulness of this book. See our Publications Page for more information.

Gwen's first volume of Marlboro County deed abstracts, Abstracts of Conveyances, Marlborough County, SC, Volumes A-1 and AA, won the 2002 South Carolina Genealogical Society award last year for Best Book published by an SCGS chapter with over 100 members.

May 2008 Annual Tour & Picnic

Society Hill, Darlington District/County
(f0rmerly in Old Cheraws District)

Pee Dee Chapter Officers

Contact for Webpage:
Jo Church Dickerson
jochurchd©aol.com

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