South Carolina Genealogy

Spartanburg History Hub: What makes Spartanburg SO interesting?!
Thursday, November 17, 2011 – 7:00 pm – Barrett Room, Headquarters Library

The Spartanburg History Hub is a network of individuals and organizations committed to Spartanburg County history. The History Hub is managed by the Spartanburg County Historical Association and meets one Thursday each odd month except July. Locations vary. 7:00-8:00 pm

This month…
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The public is invited to picnic Victorian style among the headstones in Spartanburg’s historic Magnolia Cemetery Saturday, Oct. 22, at high noon. Pack a picnic lunch and a blanket or chairs and visit with historians Martin Meek and Frazer Pajak, who will share great tales, myths and true stories about Spartanburg’s family, friends and complete strangers at rest there. Magnolia Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in the city of Spartanburg and many of Spartanburg’s founding families are buried there. The Spartanburg County Historical Association will provide music, stories, and water and soft drinks for purchase. On behalf of the nonprofit organization, donations will be accepted and appreciated. For more details, please call 596-3501 or email njefferies@spartanburghistory.org.

Unfortunately this may be too late, but these first two events take place October 15th!

Celebrating the Seays: A Seay Family Reunion & Genealogy Day

October 15, 2011, 10:00-4:00
106 Darby Road, Spartanburg, SC; seayhouse@spartanburghistory.org or 864-596-3501
Donations encouraged. Picnics welcome!

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Hear the muskets fire! Feel the cannon roar! See the American Revolution come to life during FestiFall at Walnut Grove Plantation! Late in the War for Independence, William “Bloody Bill” Cunningham, a Loyalist militia captain and deserter of the American cause, attacked Walnut Grove Plantation, killed three Patriot soldiers, and sparked a skirmish with local militia. At FestiFall, experience a re-enactment of this raid on Walnut Grove by Captain Cunningham and his desperate band of Tories. Witness the brave heroine, Kate Barry, warning her husband Andrew and his Patriot troops of the attack. Although her valiant actions can’t save the three soldiers killed by Cunningham, they do save the Moore family home from being burned by its attackers. Be transported back to colonial days and relive the saga of our struggle for independence!

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Lunch & Learn Spartanburg
Lamar Nelson: Native Americans in the South Carolina Upcountry
September 23, 2011; 12:30-1:30

Join us for an enjoyable and educational hour as Mr. Lamar Nelson shares artifacts and stories about Native Americans in the South Carolina Upcountry. Mr. Nelson is a member of the South Carolina Archaeology Society and is proud of his Native American ancestry. Mr. Nelson will share his many years of discoveries of artifacts and information pertaining to the rich Native American history of our region. As a traditional Native American hunting ground, Spartanburg has many artifacts that teach us about the system in which the first peoples of our area lived. Come listen and ask questions. Mr. Nelson has spent many years uncovering and researching our Native American history.

1st Floor Conference Room
Lunches Welcome; Limited seating
$5.00
Spartanburg Regional History Museum
Carlos Moseley Building
Chapman Cultural Center
200 East St. John Street, Spartanburg, S.C. 29306
864-596-3501, njefferies@spartanburghistory.org

Dr. Melissa Walker – From Plume St to the Polls: Women’s Suffrage in SC

September 22, 2011; 7-8 pm

Dr. Melissa Walker will share From Plume Street to the Polls: The Women’s Suffrage Movement in South Carolina. She’ll talk about how a group of South Carolina women from the 1910s organized a statewide suffrage movement in a state that was actively hostile to their efforts. Dr. Walker holds the George Dean Johnson, Jr. Chair of History at Converse College and is the author of numerous books on Southern and Women’s History. Please bring any upcoming history related events, announcements and projects. The meeting opens with a time for networking and sharing.

The Spartanburg History Hub is a network of individuals and organizations committed to Spartanburg County history. It is managed by the Spartanburg County Historical Association and meets one Thursday each odd month except July. Send your email to us to be added to our electronic Spartanburg History Hub mailing list.

• Free; Chapman Cultural Center, Moseley Building 1st Floor Conference Room
• 864-596-3501 or scha@spartanburghistory.org

Event Time(s)
7:00-8:00 pm

Passing along the latest event news from Walnut Grove Plantation:

Roebuck, SC, September 6, 2011 — For one final time this summer, bring the family, gather ‘round the fire, toast marshmallows, and hear exciting stories of the Upstate’s past! The Spartanburg County Historical Association’s summer Friday Campfires Series wraps up this Friday, September 9 at Walnut Grove Plantation. Mark Anthony from the South Carolina Sons of the American Revolution will present his wonderful and fast-paced history of the American Revolution through its flags. “Mark regularly presents his program in area elementary schools, so the evening will be one for the entire family,” says Zac Cunningham, director of Walnut Grove Plantation. “He usually gives the history of nearly 40 flags in about 30 minutes, which means the flag he’s talking about is constantly changing. This fast pace and the changing visual keeps everyone, especially younger kids, interested.”

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Saturday at The Seay House
August 20, 2011
10:00-4:00

Join us this Saturday at The Seay House, Spartanburg’s oldest home. Located at 106 Darby Road just off Crescent Avenue, this home showcases the dwelling of a local farmstead managed and maintained by three maiden Seay sisters in the late 1800s. Come relax for an hour or two on this historic property! Visit www.spartanburghistory.org, email seayhouse@spartanburghistory.org, or call 864-596-3501 for more information.

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Woodruff, SC, June 16, 2011 — “Just after independence, the young United States experienced amazing changes,” says Zac Cunningham, director of Walnut Grove Plantation and Historic Price House. “The frontier moved west and areas once considered the frontier, like South Carolina’s Backcountry, became fully-settled. New roads and transportation methods, like the steamboat, tied the country together as never before. The cotton gin sparked the first cotton boom. People’s lives were drastically changed and so was the natural world around them.”

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Once again we’re getting the word out for the Spartanburg History Hub. This looks like a REALLY special event!

Many of you joined me at the Headquarters Library in March for a Chautauqua preview with Pres. Lincoln. Well, the full festival starts this weekend. See the overview below and visit http://www.greenvillechautauqua.org/ for more details. This is a great opportunity to “meet” famous people without leaving your hometown!

Chautauqua starts at the Headquarters Library in Spartanburg on Saturday, June 18, featuring John Muir. The program starts at 2:00 p.m. with period music. Other featured performances are also scheduled: Albert Einstein (Monday, June 20), W.E.B. Dubois (Tuesday, June 21), Frances Perkins (Wednesday, June 22), and Mark Twain (Thursday, June 23). All of these performances begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Barrett Room at the Headquarters.