Person:Preserved Ford (2)

The Spanish built Fort San Felipe on Parris Island in 1566 and made the new settlement there, known as Santa Elena the capital of La Florida Province. In 1576, under attack from Native Americans, Santa Elena was abandoned, but the fort was rebuilt the next year. The English also posed a threat. A decade later, after Sir Francis Drake had destroyed St. Augustine, the Spanish decided to concentrate their forces there. With the withdrawal from Santa Elena to St. Augustine in 1587, South Carolina was again left to the Native Americans until the English established the first permanent European settlement at Albemarle Point on the Ashley River in 1670. King Charles II had given Carolina to eight English noblemen, the Lords Proprietors. The proprietors' first settlers included many Barbadians, and South Carolina came to resemble more closely the plantation economy of the West Indies than did the other mainland colonies. By 1708, a majority of the non-native inhabitants were African slaves. Native Americans, ravaged by diseases against which they had no resistance, last significantly threatened the colony's existence in the Yemassee War of 1715. After the colonists revolted against proprietary rule in 1719, the proprietors' interests were bought out and South Carolinabecame a royal province. During its early colonial years under the rule of the Lords Proprietors the area now known as Marion County was a part of Craven County (1682-1769). Craven County extended northward from Seewee Creek (present-day Awendaw Creek),the northernmost border of the Proprietary County of Berkeley. (See map.) Throughout the colonial period (1682-1785), the Anglican Church parishes served as election districts but the jurisdictional courts were in Charleston, hence records were filed in Charleston. Marion County researchers should examine Anglican Parish records for the Parish of Prince Frederick (est. 1734). (See map.) In 1769,when Craven was subdivided, the segment of land later known as MarionCounty was placed in Georgetown District, which extended from the NorthCarolina line to the Santee River. (See map.)

In 1785 Georgetown District was divided into the counties of Winyah, Kingston, Williamsburg, and Liberty: Winyah became Georgetown County Kingston became Horry County Williamsburg became Williamsburg County and Liberty County became Marion County. Prior to 1785, all records were filed in Charleston and copies are generally available at the SouthCarolina Archives in Columbia (SCDAH). Between 1785 and c. 1800, however, records for Marion County were filed in Georgetown, and there isa gap in the records for this period as the Georgetown Courthouse wasburned. In 1798 when courthouse districts were created in South Carolina,the name "Marion District" was first used, honoring General Francis Marion of Revolutionary War fame. Marion County was created in 1798fromGeorgetown District, one of the original districts created in 1769.

1. ↑ In 1685, most of South Carolina was Craven County. See research notes.