Early Land Grants and Landowners on Wadmalaw Island S.C.
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Delivery by turf and twig
Marion Chandler, retired staff member of the S.C.
Department of Archives and History [SCDAH], was the first to help your writer
with the meaning of this term. He stated that in the era in which this term is
found in the ancient deeds, an actual sampling of dirt from the ground being
conveyed was taken to the buyer to show good faith.
On September 30 & October 1, 1771, Christopher and
Elizabeth Wilkinson [the younger of the two couples with
these names] conveyed 1,141 acres on Wadmalaw Island in St. John’s Parish to
William Smelie [a.k.a. Smilie]. The land came from two different grants
located on or near Bear Bluff and the North Edisto River. Part of the
conveyance consisted of the 200 acres originally granted to John Jones
on January 15, 1694/5. The other part of the conveyance
consisted of a portion of land that was originally contained in a 2,700-acre
grant to Joseph Morton on March 29, 1700.13
Witnesses to the 1771 conveyance were Morton Wilkinson, Andrew Slann, and
Isaac Rippon.14 The following
illustration shows the general area in which the smaller tract of 200
acres was included. (p2)
On February 10, 1821, Mark L. Williams purchased 70 [a.k.a.
75] acres from James Leghorn, administrator of the estate of Isaac Youngblood.
James Leghorn stated that the land was sold to him by the Court of Equity, but
gave no physical description for the tract.454
[Mark L. Williams had purchased the adjoining property to the south from Dr.
John King who had purchased it from John McCullough or his heirs. He had
apparently also purchased the 250 acres south of that from Peter Bennet’s
heirs.]
Other records show that Mark L. Williams was the trustee
for the June 25, 1838 marriage settlement of Sarah Ann B. Chaplin and Samuel
J. McKendree, but no relationship was stated to either person. Sarah put her
slaves in the trust.455
Please see more about Mark L. Williams in the Williams
Family section of this publication. (p201)
On December 18, 1787, John LaRoche
[#2] of Wadmalaw Island wrote his will mentioning his wife Mary [nee Waight]
who was to have 1/3 of his slaves and livestock and her choice of his
plantations. His friend Joseph Eddings was to have his
double barrel gun; his friend James Freeman was to have
3 cows and calves. The poor of the Parish were to have the interest from £30
sterling annually until his children reached the age of 21. His son James
was to have his pistols at age 18. He also mentioned a daughter
Sarah. He nominated his brother James LaRoche [#4], Joseph Edings, and
James Freeman as his executors. He asked them to enclose
100 feet of land with brick or tabby work to be used as a burying ground
at his old plantation and directed that it should never be sold. He
wrote a codicil in which he mentioned his two cousins James LaRoche Wells
and Robert Wells, sons of John and Abigail Wells,
giving each a female slave and child after his decease. (p 400)
