The Singleton's
Decision
| Matthew (1730-1787) and Mary James (1735-1784) Singleton migrated to South Carolina in the 1750's. Accompanied by their daughter Ann (1750-1798), the family left Virginia in a wagon column along with Mary's father, Sherwood James. When the family arrived in South Carolina, they settled in a sparsely inhabited area known as the North Briton Tract. This area, originally held open for settlers from Scotland, attracted many families from Virginia. The Singleton's applied for their first land grant in 1753. This grant was for 300 acres of land near Shank's Creek in an area known as the High Hills of Santee. When the Singleton's first migrated to the High Hills, there were no stores or mills as there had been in Virginia. Matthew and Mary had to make do with items they brought with them and with material they found in the land around their home. They used the bounty of the land to build their first house, plant their first crop of wheat and rice, and raise their children. For all the hardships encountered by the Singleton's and other early European settlers, the opportunity offered to them through land ownership was worth the frugal life they found in South Carolina's backcountry. While the work was hard, for those able to clear fields, build houses and mills, and survive the disease-laden environment, the future was bright. The land was rich, merchants were willing to extend credit, and new settlers were a ready market for the output of the newly built saw mills and grist mills. |