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Surnames/tags: lexington_county south_carolina
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History/Timeline
Lexington county is named for the Revolutionary War Battles of Lexington and Concord in commemoration. Lexington County lies in the Dutch Fork region of the state.[1]
The county was created in 1785, formed from Orangeburg District. Its name commemorates the Battle of Lexington in the American Revolutionary War. [2]
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Map of Lexington County, SC |
- 1718 European settlement of this area began at the time of a British trading post was formed on the Congaree River. This became the town of Granby. when the British established a trading post on the Congaree River, which eventually became the town of Granby. [3]:1735 In this backcountry, the British under King George II created 11 townships to act as buffer for the colonial plantations down in the Lowcountry and to ward off the Native American tribes of the Western areas. This was to encourage settlement and begin the growing of staples such as corn, wheat, tobacco, hemp, flax, beeswax and livestock. The main township was Saxe Gotha, which flourished.[4]
- Saxe Gotha territory was actually most of present day Lexington County. Two important Indian trails cross the area. These old trading paths became highways. Settlers arrived from Germany, Switzerland as well as Pennsylvania and Virginia arrived on these paths. This region is part of the Dutch fork region which encompass Lexington, Newberry and Richland in the area near the fork of the Saluda River and Broad Rivers. [5][3]
- (1) Cherokee Path which followed roughly modern U.S. Highway Number 378.
- (2) Occaneechi Path, today U.S. Highway Number 1
- Saxe Gotha territory was actually most of present day Lexington County. Two important Indian trails cross the area. These old trading paths became highways. Settlers arrived from Germany, Switzerland as well as Pennsylvania and Virginia arrived on these paths. This region is part of the Dutch fork region which encompass Lexington, Newberry and Richland in the area near the fork of the Saluda River and Broad Rivers. [5][3]
- 1730's -Granby was the county seat and leading town for many years. The county's first courthouse was built in Granby, but chronic flooding forced the courthouse to move in 1820 to its present location, establishing the community of Lexington Courthouse. The town grew around Lexington Courthouse.[4][3]
- 1733 Lexington County and its county seat, the town of Lexington, were named for the battle of Lexington, Massachusetts, the first battle of the American Revolution.[3]
- 1730's German, Swiss, and Scots-Irish immigrants settled in the area and established small farms. Cooperation is not a new idea to Lexington people; it is a habit, a social heritage.[3]
- Granby was the leading town and county seat for many years. [3]
- 1735, the colonial government was authorized by King George II to found 11 townships in the backcountry of South Carolina. Purpose was to increased settlers in the region and give it stability with a buffer of townships between the low country plantations and the Native American tribes. One township was Saxe Gotha.. [6]
- 1736 The historic town of Lexington, South Carolina directly descended from the Royal British township, Saxe Gotha. This name "Saxe Gotha" was named by the British, honoring the marriage of the British Prince of Wales to Princess Augusta of the German State of Saxe Gotha.[5]
- 1760 Cherokee Indian War occurred.[5]
- "Regulator Wars" after the Indian caused unrest for the county. The township kept growing and was self-sufficient, thanks to the 1700s farmers' small scale farming that kept the county and nearby counties supplied with the truck farms. [5]
- 1776-1782 American Revolution several skirmishes occurred in the area. The Battle of Tarrar Springs was fought just 1 mile east of Lexington on November 16, 1781.[5]
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Battle of Lexington, SC |
- Nov 16, 1781 - American Revolution - Battle of Tarrar Springs was fought nearby.[4][6]
- 1785 Lexington County was established by the legislature. This act changed Saxe Gotha to Lexington. When the first courthouse in Granby was South of Cayce. [5]
- 1785 a legislative act changed Saxe Gotha township to became Lexington County, honoring the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. [4][3][6]
- 1785 Lexington County was established by the legislature. This act change Saxe Gotha to Lexington. When the first courthouse was built in Granby, it was South of Cayce. [5]
- Slavery Slavery on the Move
- Post 1791 the South Carolina legislature acted again to merge Lexington back into Orangeburg District. [3]
- 1800's the town was named "Lexington Courthouse". for several years this town was only the courthouse and a few houses. Granby had many floods due to other developments clearing upriver land to plant cotton. This interrupted the natural land drainage.
- 1804 - The current Lexington County was made a separate district (county). [3]
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Church St. Historic District, Lexington |
- 1820 Flooding caused by clearing of the lands in the uplands, the river and countryside flooded Granby. Lexington County moved the county seat away from flooding Granby and placed in on a high, healthy sand ridge near Twelve Mile Creek. [5]
- 1861 The Granby community was incorporated as the Town of Lexington. [4]
- 1861 -Town of Lexington Seal features a double oval similar to the seal of the State of South Carolina. The first oval shows different flags under which the Town has flown and the name Saxe Gotha, 1736 original township. The rising sun signifies from the past to the future. The right oval shows the location of Lexington within the state and proclaims friendship and unity. The date, "1861" is near the bottom of the seal, (date the municipal charter was first issued to the Town.[5]
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Thomas Galbraith House. |
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Rawl-Crouch House |
- 1861 Lexington as a town was approved by the legislature. Citizens were lawyers, farmers tradespeople, artisans, 2 churches, 1 carriage factory, doctors, blacksmiths, tannery, a saw and gristmill and 1 weekly newspaper. Crops were mainly corn, sweet potatoes, lumber and cotton. Lexington did market some, but mostly supplied wholesale foodstuffs to the merchants in Columbia..[5][6]
- 1865 the Union Army guarding General Sherman's western flank almost destroyed the town. They burned Lexington courthouse, county jail and St. Stephen's Lutheran Church and most businesses and homes. The strong frugal people did not abandon their heritage, but rebuilt the area. [5][4] [6]
- 1865 Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's troops shelled the city of Columbia from the Lexington side of the Congaree River during the American Civil War. [3]
- 1866-1870's Reconstruction - the local farms and lumber industry stabilized the county economy. [4]
- 1867-69 Columbia to Augusta Railroad was completed.[5]
- 1869-70's Reconstruction years - Crops of the farms with their varied crops and the lumber industry helped stabilize the economy of the area after Reconstruction years. [5]
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Broadus Edwards House |
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Lexington Living places. |
- 1871 - Part of Lexington County was lost to create Aiken County.[3]
- 1890- The town grew due to the Columbia to Augusta Railroad. The Lexington Textile Mill was built adding to the growth of the town. A setback was the bad fires in n 1894 and 1916 on Main Street. Now most of the town's building are built of brick and stand today.[5]
- 1894 and 1916 Severe fires destroyed many of the pre 1894 buildings. The brick buildings of today were built after the fires. [4]
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Guignard Brick Works |
- 1900's Town of Lexington has continued to be the political center of Lexington County. It is one of the fastest growing areas of the nation, has had growth due to the people, and new major highways. [5]
- 1908 Part of Lexington county was split off to form Calhoun County. [3]
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Cartledge House. |
- 1930 Lake Murray was created on the Saluda River in Lexington County. This covered many of the old farms. It offered new recreational opportunities for the county, tourism. [3]
- Lexington County, is one of South Carolina's oldest counties, was first organized in 1785 under an Act of the General Assembly - its present organization dates from an Act of 1804. It was named to do honor to the Battle of Lexington in Massachusetts. The town of Lexington is the county seat. The county is in the west-middle section of the state, across the Congaree River from Columbia.[3]
vais street bridge across the Congaree River.
- The early settlers were almost entirely German, and they possessed many of the characteristics of their forefathers; honesty, industry, economy, neighborliness. Cooperation is not a new idea to Lexington people; it is a habit, a social heritage.[3]
Lexington is located near the fall line, giving it vast possibilities for the development of hydroelectric power. The Lexington Power company's development on the Saluda River is elsewhere described.[3]
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Gervais St Bridge |
- Some manufacturing is done here with value of the output of over $4,000,000 annually. Boxes and baskets, brick, fertilizer and flour, mineral and monuments, cotton goods, and cotton oil are all made in Lexington.[3]
- Similar to many South Carolina Counties, Lexington is primarily agricultural. Small farm owners are the residents. These sturdy small farms raise their own food and feed supplies and in fact truck farms provide the food for nearby Columbia. The Boll weevil did not hit this area since it had other crops.. The name of "Columbia curb market" is actually the Lexington cars and trucks who bring their truck gardens to Columbia. " Lexington County feeds Columbia". General farm crops - cotton, corn, oats, wheat - are grown. Lexington is the leading wheat county of the state.[3]
Adjacent counties
- Richland County - east
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Lexincton Co. in SC |
- Orangeburg County - southeast
- Calhoun County - southeast
- Aiken County - southwest
- Saluda County - west
- Newberry County - northwest
Government Offices
- 1785 -1820 - The county's first courthouse was built in Granby, The nearby river flooded the courthouse so that it had to be moved 1820 to the community of Lexington Courthouse. The community grew around that.
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Lexington county Courthouse |
- February 1865 advancing federal troops destroyed pre-1839 records of the clerk of court; the destruction included deeds and virtually all probate records.
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Lexixngton judicial Center. |
Geography
- Area - Lexington County lies in the Dutch Fork region of the state.
- Size Total area of 758 square miles (1,960 km2), of which 699 square miles (1,810 km2) is land and 59 square miles (150 km2) (7.8%) is water.
- Lakes/Rivers - Lake Murray is the largest body of water. Waterways are Broad River, Saluda River and Congaree River
- Precipitation -Lexington County, SC, gets 48 inches of rain per year. The US average is 37. Snowfall - is 2 inches. The average US city gets 25 inches of snow per year.
- Days with rain - 104.
- Sunshine - 218 sunny days per year in Lexington County, SC.
- Temperature - July high is around 92 degrees, the low is 33..
- Comfort index (based on humidity during the hot months ), is a 29 out of 100, where higher is more comfortable. The US average on the comfort index is 44
- Crops - Lexington is the leading wheat county of South Carolina along with cotton, corn, oats.
- Rivers - Saluda River crosses the upper section
- Fall line of the state divides the state into the piedmont region and the coastal plain. It crosses Lexington County across the middle from Batesburg to Columbia.
- Elevation -500 feet above sealevel, the highest point 660 feet.
- Crops and produce- Fruit trees, peaches, dairies, creameries are commercial value. The "cow, hog, and hen" has long been an important phase of the agricultural economy of the county.
- Annual growing season -225 days
- Mean temperature 63.1°
- Annual precipitation 46.36 inches. make possible almost unlimited agricultural production.
- Trees - one-half the area of the county is in woodlands. Predominating is longleaf pine with shortleaf pine, loblolly pine, oak, gum, and poplar in abundance.
Mineral -Granite is the only mineral of commercial importance, the value of the output amounting to approximately $250,000 annually. The quarry at Cayce
- Lexington has 12 incorporated towns in the county - Batesburg, Brookland, Cayce, Chapin, Irmo, Leesville, Lewiedale, Lexington, Pelion, Swansea, Peake and Summit - contain a total of 9,336 inhabitants. 73.9% (26,340) people live in the open country as farmers.[3]
Protected areas
- Lake Murray
Demographics
In 2000 there were 216,014 people in the county with a population density of 309 people/sq. mi. In 2010 there were 262,391 people in the county with a population density of 375.4 people/sq. mi. The racial makeup of the county was 84.18% White, 12.63% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for a household in the county was $52,205 and the median income for a family was $64,630. Males had a median income of $44,270 versus $34,977 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,393. About 8.5% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.[7]
- As of the 2010 census, the population was 262,391, and the 2016 population estimate was 286,186. Its county seat and largest town is Lexington.
- Public transportation in Lexington County is provided by the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority.
Politics
November 4, 2014, Lexington County residents voted against a proposed sales tax increase. The money generated from this tax would have mostly been used to improve traffic conditions upon roadways and also voted to repeal a ban on alcohol sales on Sundays in the county.
Education
- 1915-1925, the total expenditures for public schools increased from $42,471 to $404,724, or 853 per cent. Schools and equipment, length of term, number and quality of teachers, and enrollment grew. Now, the county has 7 accredited high schools.
- Summerland College, the Lutheran woman's college of South Carolina, is located at Batesburg and Leesville.
Notables
- Revolutionary War heroine Emily Geiger was a resident of Lexington County
- television personality Leeza Gibbons grew up there.
County Resources
Cities
- Batesburg-Leesville (partly in Saluda County)
- Chapin
- Gaston
- Gilbert
- Irmo (partly in Richland County)
- Pelion
- Pine Ridge
- South Congare
- Springdale
- Summit
- Swansea
Communities
- Oak Grove
- Red Bank
- Seven Oaks
Census
- 1810 --- 6,641 —
- 1820 --- 8,083 21.7%
- 1830 --- 9,065 12.1%
- 1840 --- 12,111 33.6%
- 1850 --- 12,930 6.8%
- 1860 --- 15,579 20.5%
- 1870 --- 12,988 −16.6%
- 1880 --- 18,564 42.9%
- 1890 --- 22,181 19.5%
- 1900 --- 27,264 22.9%
- 1910 --- 32,040 17.5%
- 1920 --- 35,676 11.3%
- 1930 --- 36,494 2.3%
- 1940 --- 35,994 −1.4%
- 1950 --- 44,279 23.0%
- 1960 --- 60,726 37.1%
- 1970 --- 89,012 46.6%
- 1980 --- 140,353 57.7%
- 1990 --- 167,611 19.4%
- 2000 --- 216,014 28.9%
- 2010 --- 262,391 21.5%
- Est. 2016 --- 286,196
Cemeteries
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Sources
- ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Lexington_County,_South_Carolina_Genealogy
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington_County,_South_Carolina
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 http://www.carolana.com/SC/Counties/lexington_county_sc.html
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Esclexing/
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 http://www.lexsc.com/329/Lexington-History
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 https://sites.google.com/site/lexingtoncountygenealogy/
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington_County,_South_Carolina
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My third great grandfather was buried somewhere in Montgomery or Bulloch County in Alabama. However I was able to drive out to a graveyard in Montgomery County where there were numerous Corleys buried.
The historian for a Methodist Church that lived on the road where the Derrick family land grants were located had the church register in her procession for the year that my great grandfather passed away. However he was not listed in the membership. That lady was the person who put me in contact with the person from up north that had recently bought the farm where that Corley Cemetery was located. He was very generous in letting me drive and walk to the back of his farm since it had been a year of heavy rain and was very muddy and slippery.
Thanks John
I have direct DNA lines to living residents in Dutch Fork. But, so far no one has been willing to share her parentage. Sara Eliza Derrick was born on 16 Sept. 1817 and passed away on 22 Jan. 1897 in Longview, TX (possibly in or near Mooringsport, LA or Gilmer in Texas). I would appreciate any help in locating Bible Records detailing her parents and birth or any help in locating my South Carolina family history. My Hoyler Family in SC are mostly narrowed down, however there are very few of those relatives left and that name is mostly dying out in SC. However, my Derrick Relatives are still alive as a name ion SC. Sara Eliza Derrick is my biggest brick wall. I would like to know who those old folks were and where they actually lived before I pass away in the none too distant future. I have known of Sara Eliza Derrick since 1986, but the records of her birth and parents have been obscured from view. I would be most appreciative of any assistance in locating where she was born and who her parents were.
edited by John Hoyler
Thank you for the message. I have ancestors from Dutch Fork. I have not worked on them in a while but I will take a look. The South Carolina Library has the Kennedy Room of Local and South Carolina History. You are likely already aware of this. I will take a look at my Dutch Fork research and see if there is anything that might be helpful. I know how frustrating a brick wall can be.
Paula