Publisher's Synopsis
As early as 1677, lots were being laid out on Oyster Point, the site of present-day Charleston. By 1680, the town boasted about one hundred houses, a thriving port and the seat of government in Carolina. Its citizens included landed gentry, shopkeepers, indentured servants, slaves and boatloads of refugees seeking religious and political freedom. This is the story of the voyage of the First Fleet of colonists, the settlement of Charles Towne at Albemarle Point, the settlement of James Island and the move across the Ashley River to the present site of Charleston. This volume contains abstracts of the Charles Towne lot measurements made by the Surveyors General of the Province from 1678 to 1698. The names of settlers and their occupations are given, as well as descriptions of the houses, buildings and lots of the town. Histories of many of the first lots provide rich genealogical material about the early settlers. Previously unpublished maps of Charles Towne from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as modern renditions, give a fresh interpretation of the colonial town and its growth. Transcribed, compiled and edited by two award-winning editors, Proprietary Records of South Carolina continues the standard of excellence set in the first two publications of this series.
