Elizabeth Poyas, Wife of James Poyas

I found a mention of Elizabeth Poyas when I was looking at a record for Samuel Fickling. I revisited that and took a couple of screenshots. I thought the record was about Elizabeth Poyas, the Octogenarian Lady, but the date seemed off.

Different date, different Elizabeth Poyas. Fascinating account.

Know all men by these presents that I Elizabeth Poyas Late of Charles Town in South Carolina at present in London Wife of James Poyas Have made ordained constituted and appointed and by these Presents do make ordain

Constitute and appoint Captain William Coward of London Mariner my True and Lawful Attorney Giving and by these presents Granting unto my said Attorney full power and Lawful Authority for me the said Elizabeth Poyas in my name and for my use to ask and Receive of and from Joshua Ward Esquire of Charles Town aforesaid his Executors or administrators all such sum and Sums of money as he now hath or shall or may hereafter have in his or their hands or custody due owing payable or belonging to me the said Elizabeth Poyas and upon receipt thereof from Time to Time to Sign Seal Execute and Deliver in my Name a behalf any acquittance or acquittances or other Sufficient discharges in due form of Law and I the said Elizabeth Poyas do hereby promise to ratefy and confirm all and whatever the said William Coward shall Lawfully do or Cause to be done in the premisses by virtue of These presents In Witness Whereof I have hereunto Sett my Hand and Seal the Seventh day of October One thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Eight

Elizabeth Poyas  L.S.

Sealed & Delivered

In the presence of

William Coombes

Richd Maitland

The Within named Richard Maitland maketh Oath that he was present and did See the Within named Elizabeth Poyas sign seal and as her Act and deed Deliver the Within Instrument of Writing or Letter of Attorney to and for the uses & purposes therein Mentioned that William Combes was Then present with the Deponant Subscribed her name and Witness to the same

Given the ninth day of

February 1769 Before me

Jno Remington    Recd 9th Febry 1769

Her husband James made it all clear when he wrote his will. Unless I have completely misunderstood his verbiage, his wife enjoyed the social and financial benefits of marriage to him without actually living with him.

13 Xs

No. 42.

In the Name of God, Amen. I James Poyas of London Merchant, do make, ordain and declare this my last Will and Testament, in manner and form following, first and principally I commend my Soul to its Almighty Creator, in the humble hope of its future Happiness, through the Merits and interession of Jesus Christ my Merciful Redeemer; And as for my Body I desire it may be interred privately and without shew or ostentation in Greenwich Church Yard, but if attended with any difficulty, wherever else my Executors hereafter named shall appoint. As to the Worldly Interest and Estate, that it hath pleased God to bless me with, I will, dispose and order the same in manner and form following. First, I direct and order that all my Just Debts shall be duly paid and discharged, and also my Funeral Expences. Secondly, Whereas by a certain Indenture or Deed of Seperation, executed in Charles Town, South Carolina, and dated the 20th January 1767, between my then Wife Elizabeth Poyas and myself, I have given, made over and granted for the considerations therein mentioned, to the said Elizabeth Poyas, a Lot of Land in King Street, Charleston, particularly described in said Deed and also my Negroes Lucy and Clarissa with sundry pieces of plate and Household Furniture mentioned in a list or schedule thereto annexed. And have moreover bound myself, my Executors and Assigns to grant and pay her a Yearly allowance of Four hundred pounds Current Money of South Carolina (or equal to Fifty seven pounds three Shillings Sterling) for her Maintenance and support, during her natural Life, which allowance was regularly paid to her, while she remained in South Carolina by my Attorney there: But having thought proper

604

to follow me to England (where however she has continued to live seperate and apart from me ever since her arrival, and having as I conceive by subsequent acts of Molestation forfeited her right to the said Allowance, except in Carolina, where alone it could be understood to be payable, though I did for the sake of quiet consent to and actually did pay the same in full up to the Month of July 1779, and until the miseries of the American War disabled me to pay her more than at the rate of Forty pounds per Annum which she has continued to receive until the 20th January last 1796 when I paid her Fifty pounds instead of Twenty pounds then due, and agreed by Letter to augment her said Allowance or Stipend in future at the rate of Fifty pounds instead of Forty pounds p. Annum, which she accepted, and hath been paid her ever since, Yet as her misbehaviour and ingratitude previous to our seperation and the troubles she hath occasioned me since have much embittered my life though I sincerely forgive her as a Christian, I do hereby declare and my Will and intention is that the before mentioned Settlement by the Deed of Seperation is meant by me to be in lieu of full satisfaction for and barr of all Dower, Alimony, Interest and Customary others part or parts of my Estate which she might have claimed, had she continued a Dutiful Wife, by any right, Title or Custom whatever. And it is my further Will, Order and intention, that if upon my demise, or at any time hereafter, she the said Elizabeth Poyas should claim or demand the Arrears that may be due upon the Settlement aforesaid, and should not be content with the Stipend or Allowance of Fifty pounds per Annum last mentioned payable in England instead of Carolina in lieu there then the said arrears, and the original allowance if insisted on shall and may be paid to her hereafter in Carolina only, and not otherwise. Thirdly in consideration of the Services rendered me by my beloved Nephew John Fabre late Merchant of Charleston, but now my partner in London, I give and bequeath to him the said John Fabre and to his Heirs forever, the Sum of Five hundred pounds Sterling, clear of all Duties and Deductions whatever, besides an allowance of the full usual Commission of Merchants, for his trouble in settling my remaining concerns and as one of my Executors. Fourthly, Item, I give and bequeath unto my Namesake James Poyas the Son of my late half Brother John Ernest Poyas my Watch, and the Sum of Fifty pounds which I direct may by payable to him in Charleston where he resides, clear of any Deduction. Fifthly, Item, I give and bequeath unto the Ministers and Elders of the French

605

Church, in Threadneedle Street London, the Sum of Fifty pounds in Trust to be disposed of at their discretion to the poor and necessitous of the said Church or to be appropriated to any of their Charitable Funds as they shall judge most proper. Sixthly Item I give and bequeath unto my good and worthy Friends Doctor William Hamilton of New Court old Broad Street London the Sum of Fifty pounds clear of all duty or deduction, in grateful rememberance of the Friendship he has shewn me and to my Daughter in particular. As to the payment of the Legacies and Bequests before mentioned, I will and order that the same may be as soon as all my just Debts and Funeral Expences shall be fully paid and satisfied and not before. Seventhly, Whereas by a Settlement made about the beginning of October 1795 in contemplation of a Marriage then agreed upon, and which has since been duly solemnized between Mr. Joseph Higginson of London Merchant and my only Daughter Elizabeth Poyas, I have covenanted and agreed that the Sum of Five thousand pounds Sterling should be paid to the Trustees therein mentioned in twelve months after my decease, for the intents and purposed recited in the said Deed of Settlement, I do hereby ratify and confirm the same, and after payment of the said Sum of Five thousand pounds, and of all my Just Debts and Funeral Expenses, I give, devise and bequeath all the rest, residue and surplusage of my Estate in whatsoever it may consist either in England or America, unto Doctor William Hamilton of London, and to my Nephew John Fabre also of London Merchant, their Heirs, Exeutors and Assigns, Upon the special Trust and Confidence, that the said William Hamilton and John Fabre, do lay out and invest the same, that that is whatever the proceed or amount of the said Residue or Surplusage of my Estate may be and as it may be collected and realized, in manner following, that they put out the same to Interest either upon real Security or in the purchase of American or British Funds as they shall think most advantageous and secure, and that the Income or Interest thence arising shall be paid unto my only and beloved Daughter Elizabeth Higginson, for her sole and peculiar use as she may choose to employ it during her Life, upon her own receipt or order notwithstanding her Coverture, and from and after her Decease, the same shall devolve, go to and be fore the use of the children of child of her Body, that may be then alive, towards their Maintenance and Education

606

until they attain the Age of Twenty one Years, if Sons, or be Married, Daughters, when the principal is to be equally divided among them for ever; But if it should please God that my said Daughter Elizabeth Higginson should die without issue Then I will and ordain that one half or Moiety of the principal of proceeds of the Residue and Surplus aforesaid shall be disposeable at her discretion by her own Will and Testament, and that the other half of Moiety thereof, shall go to , devolve and be disposed of as follows: one fourth part to my said Nephew John Fabre and to his Heirs forever and the other fourth part to and between the children and Issue of my late Sister Sarah Mackenet in South Carolina, that may be them alive in equal Shares or to the Survivor of them, and the Issue of such Survivor, leaving it in charge to my said Nephew John Fabre to execute this part of my will as soon as convenient after the contingency above mentioned may happen. Lastly I do hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my Son in Law Mr. Joseph Higginson of Aldersgate Street London Merchant and my Nephew John Fabre of London Merchant, to be joint Executors of this my last Will and Testament, written with my own Hand, having previously annulled and destroyed all others heretofore made. In witness whereof I the said James Poyas have hereunto set my Signature and Seal done and Date in London, the tenth day of October in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety six.

James Poyas  L.S.

Signed, Sealed and Declared by James Poyas as his last Will and Testament in the presence of us.

Charles Beard

Timothy Chisman

*****
Proved in the prerogative Court of Canterbury, June 20th, 1799. — October 1799. Qualified John Fabre Executor, before Charles Lining Esquire O.C.T.C

Examined

17 Co. Sh.

C. L.

My mother told me before I got married that there were worse things than not getting married.

Samuel Maner: His Claim Growing Out of the American Revolution

There is an old story that says that Samuel Maner and his brother William hid horses and slaves in the area of Black Swamp in the province of South Carolina during the Revolution, and that they served with Francis Marion. There is no evidence to support this claim.

I would personally ask why the said slaves didn’t get on the said horses and ride into Georgia and on to Florida?

There is, however, an account stored at the SC Department of Archives and History supporting Samuel’s service and the fact that he was an express rider for Governor Rutledge.

You can find this same account at the SCDAH website. Your search term can be Maner, Samuel.

Here’s a screenshot to the collection:

Here are screenshots of the contents.

…riding express for Gov. Rutledge…

There are also very good accounts at the Heritage Library and Wade Pecans. (Order some pecans while you are there – they are delicious!)

Do you know about the Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage in Ridgeland? There will be a presentation about Francis Marion in February 2020. I am confident that the Maner boys will not be mentioned.

I am also confident with all these facts and resources that we can stop talking about the Maner boys serving with Francis Marion.

Because an express rider for 8 months for Governor Rutledge is an unbelievable feat of strength and skill. In my imagination, I am transported through time to another era. Do you see a young man with an official missive on a fast horse riding in the dark of night through dangerous territory? I do. These people are in my brain.

Kingsley, Maner, Lawton: Following the Trail

Zephaniah Kingsley is the beginning of the trail. He was a British Loyalist lost his property in St. Peter’s Parish because of the confiscation act in 1782.

Samuel Maner bought part of that property.

Somehow part of the property went to Catharine Maner who married William Henry Lawton.

We went there for a little look-around.

I wanted to head over to the section where the slave cabins were. We found that the trees were more massive than the ones at the plantation house that was burned in 1865.

The old steps of the big house

A storm was blowing in from the southwest.

He is a normal sized person, not a toddler. How big around must this tree be? Twenty-five feet? More? Less? I suspect I will want to go back to measure it.

One of several enormous cedars had split away from the main trunk, impeding further access.

We walked over to another large cedar, and Leslie pointed out a butterfly that was flittering by, and then she rested in the tall grass next to the tree.

I looked next to it on the ground.

The ground had been recently harrowed, and things can pop up that have been hidden for a long time.

My friends that know of such things say that this shard is probably from 1770-1840ish. Other friends say that this type of thing could be found in the general area of the slave cabins, because the slaves would be given items from the main house that were no longer in use.

It’s about 1.5″ long and is most probably from the edge of a plate.

From Kingsley? Or Maner? Or Lawton?

John Robert of Robertville, Part Three

What is one to do after a stressful work day? One scrolls through the “South Carolina Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980”, on ancestry.

This record set has searchable names that have been extracted. However, and that is a big HOWEVER, not all names in the document are extracted.

So I started with one of the starting places where I had already located Basil Cowper and his wife Mary about a third of the way along, and I’m swiping left on the iPhone when my eye caught Samuel FICKLING.

Now, Samuel Fickling might not mean anything to most of you, and it wouldn’t have to me a few years ago. I actually have to mentally walk backwards in time to get to Samuel Fickling. There are so many people in various family trees that I research that I have to start at one point and trace my way around to get to the person I want. It is as if I have to surround myself with these people to get comfortable with my thoughts. Sometimes I trace my finger in the air, drawing an invisible tree with the relationships.

To get to Samuel Fickling, I have to start with Joseph Lawton who married Sarah Robert. No one is really sure how they met. He was from Edisto Island, and she was from French Santee, if my memory serves me correctly. Sarah’s brother was John Robert, the subject of several previous posts. Sarah and John’s father was a Robert and their mother was a Jaudon. Joseph, Sarah, and John all ended up in the area we know as Robertville.

I’ll start with Joseph whose mother was Mary Stone Grimball Lawton Fickling. Mary SGLF was lastly married to Samuel Fickling, most probably the same one in the document. Mary’s 2nd husband was William Lawton of Edisto Island; they were the parents of Joseph who married Sarah Robert. Mary’s 1st husband was Paul Grimball. See how these people are all interlinked? I know, I know, sometimes I need pencil and paper to draw it out, too.

How can I be sure that Mary SGLF’s 3rd husband Samuel Fickling is the same Samuel Fickling that is mentioned in the court document?

*RELATIONSHIPS*

South Carolina

Know all men by these presents that I SAMUEL FICKLING of Granville County in the province of South Carolina Planter for and in consideration of the sum of Eleven hundred and fifty pounds Current money of the said Province to me the said SAMUEL FICKLING in hand well and Truely paid at and before the Sealing and delivery of these Presents by ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT of the County & Province aforesaid the Receipt whereof I the said SAMUEL FICKLING doth hereby Acknowledge and myself therewith to be fully satisfied and paid by these Presents I the said SAMUEL FICKLING hath Granted Bargained Sold and delivered and by these presents Doth in Plain and open Market Grant Bargain Sell and deliver unto the said ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT the following Ten Negroe Slaves Viz Will, Adam, Harry, Pompey, Cuffee, Walley, Lucy, Tom, Hannah, and Will, formerly the property of PAUL GRIMBALL Deceased together with their issue and Increase unto the said ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT their Executors administrators and assigns to their only proper use and behoof To have and to hold the said Bargained Premises unto the said ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT their Executors Administrators and assigns for and during the Term of years that I the said SAMUEL FICKLING shall ever be hereafter Intitled to the said Negroes during which Time I the said SAMUEL FICKLING doth hereby warrant and forever defend the said administratos and assigns in witness whereof I the said SAMUEL FICKLING hath hereunto Set my hand and Seal this fourth day of February in the Year of our Lord one thousand Seven hundred and Sixty Nine.

SAMUEL FICKLING  L.S.

Sealed and delivered in the Presence of

JAMES ROBERT & JAMES JAUDON

South Carolina

Berkley County

Personally appeared before me JAMES FORD on who being duly sworn on the Holy Evangelists of God Almighty God made Oath he was present and saw SAMUEL FICKLING sign Seal and duly Execute the within Instrument of writing for the uses and purposes therein mentioned and that he the deponent together with JAMES ROBERT subscribed their names as witnesses to the same.

Sworn before me this

7th February 1769

GEORGE MURRAY

*****

South Carolina

Know all men by these presents That I SAMUEL FICKLING of Granville County in the Province of South Carolina Planter for and in consideration of the sum of one thousand Five hundred and fifty pounds Current money of the said Province to me the said SAMUEL FICKLING in hand well and Truly paid at and before the Sealing and delivery of these presents by ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT of the County and Province aforesaid the Receipt whereof I the said SAMUEL FICKLING doth hereby acknowledge and myself therewith to be fully satisfied and paid by the presents I the said SAMUEL FICKLING hath Granted Bargained Sold and delivered and by these presents Doth in plain and open Market Grant sell Bargain and deliver unto the said ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT the following Negroe Slaves being my own property Viz Tom, Harry, Abram, Jany and Mary To have and to hold the Said Negroes, Tom, Harry, Abram, Jany and Mary together with their Issue and Increase unto the said ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT their Executors Administrators and assigns to their own proper use and behoof forever And I the said SAMUEL FICKLING for myself doth covenant promise, grant and agree to and with the said ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT in manner and form following That is to say that I the said SAMUEL FICKLING my Heirs Executors and administrators the said prebargained premises unto the said ELIAS JAUDON and JOHN ROBERT their Executors administrators and assigns against all and every person and persons whatsoever shall and Will warrand and forever defend by these presents In Witness whereof I the said SAMUEL FICKLING hath hereunto set my hand and seal this fourth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty nine

SAMUEL FICKLING  L.S.

Sealed and delivered in the presence of

JAMES ROBERT and JAMES JAUDON

South Carolina

Berkley County

Personally appeared JAMES JAUDON who being duly sworn on the holy Evangelists of Almighty God made Oath he was present and saw SAMUEL FICKLING sign Seal and duly Execute the within Instrument for the use Intents and purposes within mentioned and that he the Deponent together with JAMES ROBERT Subscribed their names as Witnesses to the same

Sworn before me this seventh of February

1769. GEORGE MURRAY

(There’s the start of another document at the bottom right of the page which mentions Mrs. Elizabeth Poyas, wife of James Poyas. I’ll have to go back to ancestry and screenshot the following page to see what the documents have to say about Mrs. Poyas. We have some Poyas followers here.)

Samuel Fickling would have been an old man when this document was executed. John Robert would have been about 27 years old. The Elias Jaudon (sometimes written Jordan in the document) could have been John Robert’s cousin or uncle; I can’t be sure which at this point. Paul Grimball is reported to be deceased about 1750, and I find it remarkable that the slaves are still reported as his original property 19 years later in 1769. This might require another timeline.

These slaves were originally the property of Paul Grimball, the 1st husband. How did they end up the property of Samuel Fickling, the 3rd husband? Why is there no mention to William Lawton, the 2nd husband? Did ownership skip by him? Once again, due to the customs of the time, women are not mentioned in the document, but we know that the common element is Mary SGLF.

And the slaves?

Will, Adam, Harry, Pompey, Cuffee, Walley, Lucy, Tom, Hannah, and Will are mentioned in the 1st part of the document.

Tom, Harry, Abram, Jany and Mary are mentioned in the 2nd part of the document.

All we have left of them are their names.

John Robert of Robertville, Part Two

Y’all remember that occasionally I bust out with some thinking, and I get wrapped up with research. (I hope you will forget about the experiment of dyeing yarn with food coloring.) This theory concerns John Robert and his early days. Why don’t we know more about his early days? We believe he was born about 1742. I found the plat in 1782 where he gets property in what became Robertville because of the confiscation act, that property being part of the forfeited estates of Zephaniah Kingsley and Basil Cowper, 2 Loyalists with property in St. Peter’s Parish.

Leslie and I were having a discussion about John Robert and his service to the Patriots during the Revolutionary War. I went to the DAR website to see what I could find out. There wasn’t much, just that his name was on a jury list. That didn’t seem like a lot of service for a young man of that era, so I went to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

But first I started a time line with info from “Our Family Circle” by Annie Miller. Then I added to what I found on the SCDAH site, and what a blockbuster that was.

• 1766, Oct 7 – Royal Grant of 250 acres, Saltcatcher River, Colleton County
• 1768, December 31 – John Robert of Saltcatcher’s enters caveat against William Coachman’s obtaining administration of Estate of William Gould late of St. Peter’s Parish 
• 1769, January 20 – William Coachman did not appear; John Robert gets letters of administration on the Estate of William Gould
• 1769, April 11 – 300 acres on Saltcatcher, Prince William Parish
• 1769, July 4 – Colonial land grant (S213019, Vol 18, P 361 – from SCDAH online records)
• 1769, September 18 – 300 acres at Saltcatcher (S111001, Vol 8, P 507, Item 4 – from SCDAH online records)
• 1770, May – Col. Isaac Hayne records that John Robert & Elizabeth Dixon moved to Indian Lands (SC H M Vol II, pg 93)
• 1771, May 18 – John Robert has royal grant of 250 acres in Prince William Parish
• 1771, December 23 – John Robert has royal grant of 500 acres in St. Helena’s Parish
• 1778, June 28 – John Robert is Rev. War soldier is Capt. Blake’s Co (SC H M, Vol 5, p 19)
• 1779, September 16 – October 15 – served in SC Militia, private
• 1779, 1780, 1781 & 1782 – Provided sundries for Continental militia
• 1780, February 11 – 1780, May 12 – Footman in Capt. Joseph Darrell’s company
• 1780, March 1 – May 12 – SC Militia, private
• 1780, April 20 – Provided corn & bacon
• 1780, May 12 – 1781, July 1 – Prisoner of War; General Lincoln surrenders at the Siege of Charleston
• 1781, May 16 – Provided 1 steer
• 1781, July 18 – Provided 1 three-year-old steer for use by Capt. James Cone’s detachment
• 1781, September 20 – 1782, February 12 – military service
• 1781, December 10 – Provided 4 four-year-old steers for use by General Greene’s army
• 1782, June – 1782, July 4 – 30 days military service
• 1782 & 1783 – Provided provisions & forage for Continental use. Hunting and driving cattle. Providing oats & rye
• 1783, April 10 – Provided 7 beeves, beef, & clean rice

Y’all, he was a prisoner of war for over a year. I wondered why he was captured, and when I googled the date of May 12, 1780, I found that it was because of the Siege of Charleston. General Lincoln surrendered, and those people went to prison.

Go have a look at the file. It is 29 pages and an amazing time capsule.

The Letters of ROBERT MACKAY to His Wife

Because I’ve gotten wrapped up in the family tree of Basil Cowper, I found this reference to Robert MacKay. Robert married Eliza McQueen, the niece of Basil’s wife Mary Smith Cowper.

I found this dandy volume on Amazon.

Is it MacKay or is it Mackay? Is it pronounced M’Kay or is it Makkie? I seriously don’t know.

Inside my book is a newspaper article from 1949. It has been in the book so long that it has left a shadow on the pages.

July 21 – 1949

Around Town

By SARAH VIRGINIA GARDINER

SCORES OF LOVE LETTERS WRITTEN DURING thrilling times, all tied with blue bows, now turning dark with age, and packages of other romantic letters with bright red ribbons, they too turning dark with the coming and going of generations, will be the interesting highlight for Colonial Dames in the early Fall…..

*****

THE AUGUSTA CHAPTER OFF Colonial Dames is particularly interested in the letters of long ago, and so will we, when we find that an Augusta man wrote them.

They will take book form and will be rolling off the press early this fall. They are being published under the auspices of the Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America.

“The letter of Robert Mackay to His Wife”, is taken from letters written by Robert Mackay, who was born in Augusta in 1772, son of an enterprising Scottish merchant and a New England mother. Robert lived here in Augusta until about 1795, then moved to Savannah, where he became a prominent merchant, member of the city council and a figure of importance in social life in the community.

The first part of the book centers on the romantic courtship, followed by interesting accounts of Savannah, telling of the period when Savannah was the seaport and commercial center of the state and was a city of about five thousand persons and the fourteenth largest city in the nation.

In this period he tells of the gradual emerging of an influential group of merchants and factors who lived in opulence, in the fine old Regency dwelling, now landmarks in the coastal town.

*****

OTHER LETTERS WERE written from England and other South Atlantic ports and also some from the extreme north.

The famous collection of his letters were given to the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames by the late Mrs. Frank B. Screven and the late Miss Phoebe Elliott. Those who have had the thrill of reading a few of his letters, tell us they are particularly significant in their portrayal of the thoughts and the very way of life led by a true Southern gentleman of the early nineteenth century.

*****

He mentions Oatland Island, a Smith property near Savannah, which means a field trip is in order. Eliza’s mother Anne Smith McQueen died at Oatland Island in 1809 at the home of her sister Jane Smith Bourke (Mrs. Thomas Bourke).

The book mentions the death of their firstborn child Robert in 1804 at age 4. None of the online family trees on ancestry show this child, so I’ve added him to the one I made.

Robert died young while in New York. Eliza didn’t remarry. Good night, friends, we’re thinking of you.

Henry Martyn Robert: his biography

Leslie and I had the pleasure it of meeting the biographer of Henry Martyn Robert. He is Dr. Len Young, and he and his wife Peggy met us in Robertville.

Len sent us a copy of the biography. You can get your own copy on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Henry-Martyn-Robert-Writer-American-ebook/dp/B07WSFMNJF/ref=nodl_

It is available as an ebook or softcover.

I know very little about Robert’s adult life, but have a bit of knowledge about the Robert families and the Robertville area. There is a reference to the Maner brothers that family lore and legend says hid horses and slaves in the swamp during the Revolution for Francis Marion. I would argue that the slaves got on the horses and went to Georgia.

At any rate, the S.C. Dept. of Archives and History has a record for Samuel Maner without mention of Francis Marion. He was an express courier for Governor Rutledge. The story of the association with Francis Marion seems to be repeated due to a reference by a Mrs. Poyas, also known as The Ancient Lady. She is worth a google search for her story is also interesting.

This is the only biography for Henry Martyn Robert. Seems impossible, but there it is. My copy will go right next to his Rules of Order that I got back in the day at college in 1974. I didn’t know then that I would someday meet his cousin right here near his birthplace, but life has a way of connecting things.

So go, get your copy!