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W. Y.
Dillard Spartanburg
Herald and Journal
Generously contributed by Nancie
O'Sullivan
Source: Spartanburg Herald and
Journal
Sunday, March 26, 1939
BELMONT ESTATE NEAR CROSS ANCHOR ONE OF SECTION'S NOTED
HOMES Fine Old Union County Home Has Been in
Hands of DILLARDS Since 1848 This
is the story of a country boy, a youngster who from the first
showed determination and ability, who came to Spartanburg
in 1876 at eighteen years of age started to work as
a clerk in a general store at $18 per month, and
finally became owner of the firm. He is ARTHUR
JEFFERSON DILLARD, now past eighty-first milepost in
life, but who still works six days a week, and has a smile for
everyone. This is also a mirror of the
man's background, giving his family connections and
a brief history of " Belmont " in Union county,
where he first saw the light of day on February 1, 1858.
Today MR. DILLARD , known to his host of friends as "
Jeff", is a representative of a Charleston
Fertilizer Company. 600 ACRES "
Belmont ", the family estate , has been in the possession of the
DILLARD'S since 1848. It is located near Cross Anchor,
a quarter of a mile over the Sptbg. county line, and
was completed in 1840. The present occupant of the
home is DOUGLASS DILLARD, a nephew and a son of the
late W.Y. DILLARD... The DILLARD'S take much
pride in the historic nature of the place...in 1790
it belonged to Judge JOHN FAUCHERAUD GRIMKE of
Charleston... In the present house there is a
hand-carved pine slab, now badly eaten by termites,
which bears the following inscription: " J.L.
LAMBRIGHT- G. PHILLIPS- GEORGE MILES- 1840." A large cedar tree
that shaded the GRIMKE'S house, still stands.
A deed shows that MR. LAMBRIGHT bought the present house in
1840...in turn THOMAS GREGORY purchased the house
from MR. LAMBRIGHT, lived there about 7 years and
then sold it to ' JEFF DILLARD, and whose last
resting place is in the Belmont graveyard. MR.
GREGORY moved west and MR. DILLARD lived and died in the home.
At his death, his children fell heirs to the property.
Later a son, W.Y. DILLARD bought the interests of
his brothers and sisters. In 1885
W.Y. DILLARD was married to MISS KATE GREGORY of Cross
Keys. MR. DILLARD was one of the two
Confederate veterans living in Union county for the
past 10 years, and was 89 years old at his death. Up
until his death he was unusually active and had a keen
and alert mind. Today the house has 5 rooms on
the first floor and 4 on the second...five
generations of DILLARDS have lived in the present
house. MR. DILLARD'S parents were natives of
Laurens county. His father died at the age of 65 and
his mother passing in her 82nd year. When he was
18 years of age , in 1876, MR. DILLARD , accompanied
by his father, came to Spartanburg to seek work..there were about
65 business houses, a bank, 2 hotels, 2 weekly papers
and a book store. On salesday, said MR. DILLARD,
there may be seen almost a hundred wagons
congregated in the Public Square, loaded with cotton
and other products. In 1895 MR. DILLARD, C.F.
THOMPSON and W.E. BURNETT bought and operated
Fernwood Farms. For 17 years they operated the farms,
producing cotton and corn. This property consisted of 1, 400
acres. In 1915 the store went out of
business and MR. DILLARD started selling
fertilizer. MR. DILLARD'S wife died in
Spartanburg on Sept. 13, 1938, after 55 years of
happily married life. His children now treasure the
letter that MR. DILLARD wrote to his wife's father, asking her
hand in marriage, and the reply MR. THOMPSON made to MR.
DILLARD. MR. DILLARD has five
children living and one , ARTHUR, deceased. Those
living are MRS. A.R. CHISHOLM, N.J., SAM B. DILLARD SR,
Sumter, JAMES H. DILLARD, Asheville, MRS. P.J. O'CONNELL, N.Y.,
and A.J. DILLARD, N.J. , all are
natives of Spartanburg. Mr. DILLARD philosophy of
life is simple... " I feel that I have lived a
full and happy life. I have had many misfortunes but
I have also had much more happiness than I sometimes
feel I deserve. I was blessed with a good Christian and
noble wife, and she was a devoted mother to our children. We
were blessed with six children, one of whom has
passed on and my wish and hope for those who remain
, is that they will do even better and progress
further in life than did their father, but that in
doing so, they will play the game fair, and always lay their cards
face up on the table ". ----
{ there is a photo of MR. ARTHUR J. DILLARD and the home
but it's not very clear.} nancie o.
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