JACOB JEFFCOAT

JACOB JEFFCOAT, progenitor of the Jeffcoats in this country, a soldier in the Kings Army (King George II), was born in England circa 1725 - 1735, died presumably in Craven County before the 1790 South Carolina Census. Jacob's name first appeared in the country on the pay roll of Captain Musgrove under Colonel Chevilette. He and twenty-one others deserted on an expedition to Fort Prince George October 1759 - January 1760 (Ref. S. C. Archives Folder #4). The others who deserted were Anthony Parks, John McDuff, John Postman, Daniel Plummer, Charles Wells, Abraham Bailey, Willoughby Winchester, James Boyenton, Oliver Sorker, James Mays, Thomas Penny, Randal Harsey, Patrick White, Alec White, John Lindsey, Patrick Hogan, Thomas Price, James Burton, Magnus Armounty, and Thomas A. McClary.

Fort Prince George was a fort built in Cherokee County, Northwestern section of South Carolina, in what is now Oconee County. A fierce battle was founght here in the year of 1760 and the Cherokees were driven into the mountains fighting desperately as they went, leaving behind the smoking ruins of their homes and fields. A full account of this battle and of the events that let up to it may be found in a great little South Carolina History book by Mary Simms Oliphant.

The following paragraph is taken from the instructions King George II issued to the Provincial Governor at Charles Town:

"Each father of a household can rest assured that he will be given this land. . that for each person or headright that he may bring into this country with him, be it young suckling child, adult manservant and or maidservant. For each headright he will receive fifty acres of land. He may search out where ever it please him best in the Province, which is more than fifty-six miles wide and the length of this Province of South Carolina has not yet been found out.

(- - - - - - - - -Land grant and plat of Jacob)

The granting of three hundred acres of land to Jacob indicates a family of six. Notice, the land was on Fork Creek, a branch of Lynches Creek, John Reynolds land bounding on the southwest. (so the Jeffcoats had neighbors.) At the time he was granted this land, there were only three counties in the State - Berkley, Collecton, and Craven County, which became extinct.

A map made in 1774 shows Jeffcoat as the name of a family on Lynches River as it does key families all over the state. It is said to be the one in use by the British during the Revolution as their official field map of the colony during military action here.

1769 - Seven Judicial Districts were formed: South and West of the Camden District, the large Orangeburg District was formed - extending to the Savannah River.

1785 - Four Counties were laid out within Orangeburg District: Lexington, Lewisburg, Winston and Orange. These were all abolished in 1791.

1800 - Barnwell County was formed from the part of Orangeburg District formerly called Winston County.

1804 - Lexington County was formed from Orangeburg with roughly the same territory as the former county of the same name.

1871 - Aiken County was established from parts of Orangeburg, Edgefield, Barnwell, and Lexington.

1785-1786 - William and Samuel were granted land on Big Pond Branch, where Aiken, Lexington and Orangeburg Counties come together.

* A fact that may be of interest is that a family may have lived in the back country of South Carolina at this time without legally laying claim to any land; therefore there is no proof as to when Samuel and William actually settled on Big Pond Branch. Proof of this statement is shown in Elijah's land plat and grant of 1806. There were about twenty-five acres of cleared land, and a house built when the land was surveyed for him July 9, 1806, and granted August 28, 1806.

Orangeburg District 1790 Census

Dell S. Jeffcoat, author of "Seed of Jacob", a Jeffcoat history, was inclined to believe the second Samuel mentioned above is the son of William who must have died before the Census was taken. The 1800 Census shows three Samuels - Samuel, Sr., Samuel, Jr., and the Samuel who moved into Barnwell County before the 1810 Census. There was a John and William granted land on the South Edisto in the early 1800s.

There were nine Jeffcoat families in the 1800 Census which states only the father's name. There are two of these, Richard and Daniel, of whom no information is apparently available. Richard had four young sons and Daniel three.

The hundred acres Samuel settled on must have been just a place for his huge family to live, while he searched for the land he really wanted. But this was where the family built their Meeting House and Place of Worship. His sons were granted land all around the area from Glacier Br. (Salem Br.) Orangeburg County, to deep within Lexington County.

(Samuel's second Land Grant)