Continuing to
Build a Home
| Even after the backcountry had local courts, Matthew continued to work for a better community. He served as a church warden for St. Mark's Parish in 1770-71. He was named a Justice of the Peace and appointed a collector for the poor tax. From 1773 to 1774, Matthew served on three Grand Juries in the court system he and the other Regulators fought to have. Matthew, Mary and the other members of the Singleton family were concerned about more than their own home. Their actions show that they were also concerned about their community. Matthew's public activities, supported by his wife and children as well as other members of the High Hills area, increasingly showed a man interested in building a stronger community. One of the ways that the Singletons tried to make their neighborhood stronger was through representation in the colonial legislature. They knew that if more backcountrymen were represented politically then the interior of South Carolina would get more churches, free schools, and better laws for the good of their families. Unfortunately, once again events in the colony were about to take Matthew away from his family. The year was 1775 and relations between the British Crown and the colonial legislature were about to erupt into armed conflict. |