William A. Harper ¹

  General Notes:

William Harper, Sr. and Family
Irish Immigrants to Lancaster, 1767


The South Carolina Council Journal lists all the immigrants who came to South Carolina from 1763 through 1773. These have been compiled and published by Miss Janie Revill. (Jane Revill: A Compilation of the Original Lists of Protestant Immigrants to South Carolina, 1763-1773, The State Book Company, Columbia, S.C. 1939).

In December, 1767, the ship, the Earl of Dongegal, arrived at the Port of Charleston, South Carolina carrying a load of immigrants from Ireland. Duncan Ferguson, the ship's master, signed a sworn statement that all those aboard were Protestants.

Among those who came aboard that ship were William Harper and his family. There were, William Harper, age 63 and his wife, Margaret, age 56; John Harper, age 14 and Jane Harper aged 11 years. On the same ship there were five others whom we have been able to identify as sons of William and Margaret. They were, Daniel Harper, aged 20; William Harper, Jr., aged 18 and James, aged 16; also Benjamin Harper, aged 30, his wife Martha, aged 24 and their son, William, aged 4; also Robert Harper, aged 25, his wife, Agnes aged 24, and their son, John aged 6.

All Granted Land in Lancaster

William Harper and his sons who were 16 years of age made application for land grants in Craven County of which present Lancaster County was a part.

According to the law no person under 16 years could be granted land in his own name. William Harper, Sr. applied for and received 250 acres on Wild Cat Creek in Craven County, said land being in what is now Lancaster County. He was granted 100 acres for himself and 50 each for his wife and the two children John and Jane. Each of the boys over 16, not married received 100 acres in his own name, namely, Daniel, William, Jr. and James.

The two married sons, Benjamin and Robert, each received a 200 acre grant, 100 for self and 50 for wife and child.

All grants were in the same Wild Cat Creek section. All the Memorials (titles to the land) were filed in the South Carolina office and all are worded very much alike. William Harper, Sr.'s Memorial for land granted him is as follows:


WILLIAM HARPER: A Memorial exhibited by William Harper to be registered in the S.C. Office, of a Plantation or tract of land contg. 250, situate in Craven County on the Water of Wild Cat, bound on all sides by vacant land. Survey certified January 10th and granted the 13th day of May, 1768 to the Memorialist at the Quit Rent of 3 pounds sterling money per hundred acres to commence ten years from the date he hath hereunto set his hand the 6th day of September 1768.
Wm. Carsen, Dist. Surveyor


The ship, Earl of Donegal, had come into harbor at Charleston in December, 1767, and William applied for his grant in January, 1768, losing no time thus getting settled.

The Memorial for the land granted to William Harper, Jr. is almost identical in wording:

WILLIAM HARPER, Jun., a Memorial exhibited by William Harper, Jun., to be registered in the Office of S.C. of a Plantation or tract of land contg. 100 acres situate in Craven County on the waters of Wild Cat Creek, bound on all sides by vacant land, etc.

With their children around them William and Margaret Harper of Ireland, settled down in present Lancaster County to the job of clearing new ground. They attended old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church. Just when or where William and Margaret died we have no record to date. William Harper, Sr. was definitely too old to take part in the Revolutionary War. There is proof, however, that two of his sons, Benjamin and William, Jr. took active part in the war. There is probability that Robert also served.

Benjamin eventually left the Wild Cat Creek section and moved nearer the Catawba River where he reared his family. Just what happened to Robert we are not sure having done no intensive research on that line. We do know that one Robert Harper lived in Chester County and reared a large family. His will is on file in Chester records. William Harper, Jr., moved into the present Elgin Community, Lancaster County about 1790 and lived there until his death in 1813. Of James we have scant record. The name of a James Harper is on the Tory list of South Carolina Loyalist Exiles. He was mentioned in the Will of his brother, Dr. Daniel Harper, 1791. Neither John nor Jane were mentioned in Daniel's Will but whether that indicates they were deceased by 1791 there is no way of knowing. There may have been another daughter in the William Harper, Sr. family, namely Mary Harper Blair who evidently came over either before or after Daniel. She is name in Daniel's Will which is the only clue we have.




(Memorials, South Carolina Archive, Columbia)


(Report on Loyalist Exiles from South Carolina, 1783, Edited by Robert Barnwell, Jr., South Carolina Archives)

William married Margaret Knox in Ireland. (Margaret Knox was born in 1711 in Ireland and died in Waxhaws, Lancaster County, South Carolina.)

  Marriage Notes:

Reference Number:2761