City Directories and History: Bull Pond was a plantation of Michael Brown whose 1835 will devised it to his children. The 700 acre place adjoined William D. Flowers and William R. Erwin. Cedar Grove near Martin was a holding of Thomas H. Willingham and came to his son-in-law, Baynard. It descended through the Baynards and Rhodes to Mrs. Mae Rhodes, Josephine R. McNair, and W. Baynard Calhoun.
Cedar Hall was the home of Thomas J. Cater, near Boiling Springs, now owned by Thomas and Martha O’Connor. The elegantly designed original home still stands.
Duck Branch Plantation was the home of Laurens W. Youmans. This large acreage between Allendale and Barton is now the property of several owners, including J. C. Oswald, Jr., Bruce Harter, J. B. O’Neal, Sanders, and several Youmans descendants, including Lilly P. Bryan, and the McDonalds.
Duck Savannah was one of the Richardson Plantations and is now the plantation on which the residence of Joseph C. Oswald, Jr., is located.
Dyches Mill near Baldock was also one of the plantations of Dr. Elijah Gillett, who devised it to his daughter, Lavinia.
Elmwood, owned by Joseph M. Lawton, Jr., known as “Devil Joe” is now a part of Groton.
Erwinton was the home of General James Daniel Erwin. An ante-bellum post office also carried this name. The pre-Civil War home is now owned by Walter S. Montgomery and William and McFarland Cates, of Spartanburg. Other portions of the plantation are still owned by Erwin descendants and others.
Gravel Hill was constructed by Benjamin Lawton Willingham in 1857. The handsome home and most of the land have been owned by descendants of Edward Bryan since about 1880.
Grimlde was one of the tracts owned by Senator Joseph Maner Lawton of Cypress Vale Plantation, now in Hampton County. Under his 1863 will it was devised to two of his sons, Francis A. Lawton and Thomas O. Lawton. This tract was formerly a part of Wright’s Baroney and is today owned by T. Oregon Lawton family, Fairdale Country Club, Zeigler, and others in and near the village of Barton.
Ivanhoe was the home of the Turner and Ruddell families and came through marriage to the late Paul H. Allen. It is now owned by John Winthrop and others and is adjacent to Seminole.
Lacklawn was a holding of Senator Joseph Maner Lawton that was devised to his daughter, Elizabeth, who married her cousin, Edward Lawton. It was later owned by Duncan Sams and is now the property of die family of the late Dr. A. B. Preacher. Lethe was the residence plantation of Robert Mcll- wraith, the Chief Armorer for the State of South Carolina during the Revolution.
Mcllwraith was an intimate friend of Dr. John de LaHowe, of Abbeville. This vast tract at one time had over five water mills and adjoined lands of the Bourdeaux and Juhan families. Many years ago a substantial portion of it came into possession of the Miller family, and this part is owned by the family of Wade B. Warren, Miller descendants.
Levy’s Bay because of its watery topography was never a working plantation, but this large acreage near Barton was granted to Dr. Elijah Gillett in 1813. Under his will his daughter, Lucy J. G. Enicks and her sister, Julia Higgenbotham, and Mary J. Harley inherited portions of it. Mrs. Enicks granted her interest to William P. Gray on April 14, 1817, and in 1837, Mr. Gray brought suit to clear his tide. Richard A. Williams, Benjamin R. Bostick, Jr., Melissa Knight, Thomas Rouse, and Mary Buford made some claim to a portion of the land. The tract is now owned by Edmund Hardy and Thomas Milliken of Columbia.
Mock Orange Plantation was a gift from Benjamin R. Bostick, to his daughter, Mary Harriet. It is now the property of Otis Reeves, Rose S. Montgomery, David Rice and others.
Oakland was one of the Lawton and Maner plantations, now a part of Groton Plantation. Oaklawn was owned by the late Samuel Perry Maner, and the crossroads is the way to Barton and is still called Maner Crossroads. Portions of this tract are still owned by the Maner family, Bruce Harter, Joseph C. Oswald, Jr., and others.
Orange Grove was a holding of Colonel James McPherson that passed through marriage to the Estes family and has descended through the Brookes and Lawton families. The fine original residence was an ante-bellum residence and was burned. (Mrs. I. B. Lawton of Allendale has a photograph of the home.)
Obininanza belonged to Michael Brown, per will in Barnwell records, adjoining lands of David M. Laf- fitte, W. G. Roland and Richard A. Williams and contained over 900 acres.
Richmond Hill was a holding of Dr. Elijah Gillett in 1817 that subsequently came into the possession of the Martin family. This land around Martin Station is now owned by the Johns and other families. , by Huxford. Rose Lawn was the home of the Reverend Joseph Lawton. Mr. Lawton sold lots around his home for the first town of Allendale around 1840. (Later the town moved to the railroad about 1870). The original home constructed in 1836 is owned by Mrs. Don C. Sharpe, a descendant Seminole Plantation was the home of Jacob A. Kittles in 1854. This tract, adjacent to Ivanhoe, was in the hands of descendants until sold to the Winthrops recently. At one time a post office bore the same name.
The Sycamores was the home of the Barker family at the present town of Sycamore. This fine plantation is said to have contained a race track and many other facilities for gracious living.
Vaudause was the property of Miss Laura Allen and part of her marriage settlement to Dr. John Safford Stoney—came from Spanish meaning “bountiful”—now owned by K. J. Oswald, Wilson Johns family, and others.
Wragg’s Baroney was owned by colonial Lt. Governor Irving and subsequently the Wragg family. After the Revolution the largest portion of it became the property of William and Richard Johnson of Wadmalaw Island in 1804, when they paid $14,000 for 3500 acres.
Johnson’s Landing honors these brothers. Parts of this tract are owned by J. C. Oswald, Jr., Hanna, and others.
Wright’s Baroney was owned by Charles and Jermyn Wright prior to the Revolution. Since the Wrights were Tories it was confiscated after the war and sold to the Calhoun family. This tract on the Coosawhatchie near Barton is owned by the Lawtons, Sanders and others.
Willingham Plantation is used on the George D. Sanders’ Coosawhatchie Plantation near Barton and also by Arthur J. Morris on his lands near the Savannah River. —THOMAS O. LAWTON, JR.
(We are indebted to Alexania Easterling Lawton and Minnie Reeves Wilson for permission to reprint this chapter from their book, LAWTON, JR. Allendale on the Savannah)
(Information from: Names in South Carolina by C.H. Neuffer, Published by the S.C. Dept. of English, USC)
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