"HISTORY OF SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC" Embracing an Account of Many Important Events, and Biographical Section of Statesmen, Divines & Other Public Men, and the Names of Many Others worthy of Record in the History of Their County, by Dr. John B. O. LANDRUM, Publ. The Print Co., 154 W. Cleveland Park Drive; Station B; Spartanburg, SC; ed 1900. (out of print)

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This volume is illustrated with photographs of landmarks and many portraits. The last chapters are lists: state senators & representatives 1786 to 1900, justices of the peace; the first census (1790); and Confederate soldiers from the county by company with details of those killed & wounded.

There is a name-subject index that hits the highlights, but does not list every name found in the text.

In 1683 the province of present day South Carolina, consisted of three counties: Berkeley, Colletion and Craven. By virtue of the treaty of Gov. Glenn with the Cherokee Indians in 1755, the greater portion of what was called "Up-country" [West half of the State] South Carolina was ceded to the "whites." In 1769, the three counties in this area were divided into seven "Judicial Districts" and the original territory of Spartanburg County became a part of the old District of Ninety-six. In 1785 the county of Spartanburg was officially organized. In 1788 South Carolina entered the Union as the eight state.

Introductory material states that the extreme up-country of South Carolina was settled by emigrants who had advanced from north to south and in front of the eastern settlers. These settlements did not begin until after the ceding of said territory by the Cherokee Indians. As far back as 1736, settlements from the seacoast had progressed westward only about 80 or 90 miles. In 1755 the population of the territory afterwards formed into Spartanburg County consisted of only eight or ten Scotch-Irish families from Pennsylvania who settled on the forks of the "Tygers" River. Soon after, settlers began to pour in from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia and other colonies, as well as from European countries. Many families came directly from Northern Ireland; many were of English extraction and dissenters from the established church of their mother country.

This history reproduces the earliest court proceedings in which are named many of the first inhabitants of the county. Subsequent chapters cover the building of towns, the first churches, schools, political events, the military, businesses, etc. Names of inhabitants abound in this history section of the volume.

There is a chapter devoted to Col. John Thomas, of Revolutionary War fame. He was born in Wales and raised in Chester County, PA.

Another chapter is given over to the family of Charles and Mary Moore, immigrants from the North of Ireland to Spartanburg Co.

Other families featured here are:
Anderson (from PA) Archer (of VA & NC) Barry (originally from Bucks Co., PA) Ballenger (of VA) Blake (of NC) Bomar (from VA) Bowden (of VA) Cannon (of VA) Caldwell (of N. Ireland) Chapman (of VA) Choice (of Irland) Cleveland (of DE) Compton Collins (of England) Dean (of VA) Drummond (of VA) Duncan (of Ireland) Earle (of VA) Farrow (of DE) Fielder (of VA) Foster (of VA) Foster (of NH) Hampton (from VA) Harris (of MA) James (of DE) Jorden (Scotch-Irish) Judd (of MA) Kilgore (of MA) Lanford (of VA) Lipscomb (from VA) McCollough (of DE) McDowell (of N. Ireland & PA) McMillen (of VA) Montgomery (Scotch-Irish) Nichols (of VA) Oeland (of Denmark) Richardson (of VA) Russell (of DE) Smith (originally of Bucks Co., PA) Smith (of Wales/France) Snoody (of Ireland) Thompson (of PA) Turner (of VA) Vernon (Scotch-Irish) Walker (of Denmark) Westmoreland (of VA) White (of VA) Wilkins (of VA) Wingo (of VA) Wofford (originally of MD) Woodruff (of NC) Wood (of VA) Zimmerman (of Germany)
and a host of others too numerous to mention here.
Paul R. Sarrett