The Proprietary Period - Dataw Historic Foundation

Alexander Hamilton’s Unexpected Beaufort Connection

Bill — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 16:49:49 +0000

The theme this week is a SMALL WORLD. In the years leading up to our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, Beaufort was a thriving shipping port. One of the prominent merchants operating along the bay in Beaufort was Peter Lavien (1746 - 1781). He moved to the town in 1765 from Sankt Croix, then under Danish rule. (Today St. Croix is part of the US Virgin Islands.) The small world connection I discovered involves his younger half-brother. The brother eventually also moved to the Colonies from Sankt Croix but landed in Boston in 1772. Today, I'm going to tell you a bit more about the families of both brothers.

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Natasha Boyd visits Dataw Island

Bill — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 13:26:06 +0000

The Event Natasha Boyd, the author of Indigo Girl, was the guest speaker at the Dataw Historic Foundation Author’s Luncheon in early April organized by Rosemary Patterson, DHF Publicity…

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Enslaved People of South Carolina & Datha Island

Bill — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:58:38 +0000

Declaration of Independence in America Led to Riches in Beaufort

Bill — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 01:22:24 +0000

William Sams fled with his family to the Beaufort area from Charleston in 1783. He left Charleston because of the Confiscation Acts of early 1782. They likely picked Beaufort due to family connections. As our past DHF president John Colgan might say, it was the second time the Sams were on the wrong side of history. But similar to the first time, this move was a blessing in disguise. The following 80 years would bring great wealth to Beaufort, South Carolina, and the Sams. This short article is about how we won our independence from Great Britain, seen through the lens of local South Carolina's concerns and consequences.

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Lower Coast American Indians

Bill — Tue, 31 May 2022 16:00:49 +0000

Like all of the United States, the Lowcountry was inhabited by indigenous peoples when Bonum Sams II (1663 ~ 1743) and John Barnwell (1771 - 1724) immigrated here in 1681 and 1701, respectively. Long before William Sams (1747 - 1798) bought Datha Island in 1783, the conflicts between Europeans and American Indians had played out here in the Lowcountry. The American Indians were gone from this corner of South Carolina. It may surprise you to know that nineteen American Indian tribes lived in our area at one time. We are reminded of the American Indians by the river/estuary names even today.

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John Barnwell (1671 – 1724)

Bill — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 04:31:13 +0000

Barnwell was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Alderman Matthew Barnwell and Margaret Carberry. Matthew Barnwell was killed in the Siege of Derry in 1690 as a captain in James II’s Irish Army, which attempted to restore the last Stuart king to the English throne. The family seat, Archerstown in County Meath, was forfeited as a consequence of these events. John eventually took flight for North America in 1701. (Rowland) He became a colonist in the territory then called Charles Towne in the colony of Carolina. His timing coincided with the emergence of the rice culture and the associated prosperity.

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Bonum Sams II (1663 – abt 1718)

Bill — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Everyone has heard that William Sams and his wife Elizabeth Hext Sams bought Dataw Island in 1783. Both William's paternal and maternal grandfathers emigrated from England to territory in or near "Charles Towne in the colony of Carolina" in the late 17th century. They both were seeking a fresh start, but their circumstances could not have been more different. Bonham (Bonum) Sams II came as an indentured servant; he is the subject of this week's article. On the other hand, Colonel John Barnwell was Irish, came from a long line of government officials, and was not an indentured servant. More on him next week.

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Products of Datha Island

Bill — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:00:19 +0000

The theme this week is “Products of Dataw Island.” Some time back, the Dataw Historic Foundation published a series of short articles about our history. I’ve republished two of these below that address what was grown on Dataw, as early as the mid 1700’s

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What’s in a Name?

Bill — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 12:00:48 +0000

This week is about what NAMES can reveal. As an amateur genealogist, I know that names can provide clues to a person’s past but can also present a brick wall. Discovering the ancestors of William Artman Riski is much easier than John Smith. Sometimes a naming pattern can provide us leads that we might otherwise overlook. This week I investigated the names of the seven sons born to William and Elizabeth Sams and found several surprises, including a British tradition.

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Long Line

Bill — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 12:00:40 +0000

The theme this week is LONG LINE. Many of the ‘Datha Sams’ followed a journey over the generations away from Beaufort. Some left to pursue their dreams elsewhere (e.g., Edward Sams to GA and FL), others were pushed out by the Civil War and chose not to return. A few returned after the war and stayed, creating a long line of living in Beaufort. The long line in South Carolina began before William and Elizabeth’s purchase of Datha Island in 1783. It extends back to ancestors born in the U.S. in the 17th Century.

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Oak Island Chain of Ownership

Bill — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 20:13:12 +0000

download

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THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DATAW ISLAND – CONCLUSIONS

Bill — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 02:53:45 +0000

THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DATAW ISLAND ARCHITECTURAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT THE SAMS PLANTATION COMPLEX This report documents architectural and archaeological data recovery that has been conducted at five historic…

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THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DATAW ISLAND section 4 of 4

Bill — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 02:44:53 +0000

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THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DATAW ISLAND section 3 of 4

Bill — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 02:37:10 +0000

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THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DATAW ISLAND section 2 of 4

Bill — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 02:25:08 +0000

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THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF DATAW ISLAND section 1 of 4

Bill — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 02:03:40 +0000

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Dataw Island Chain of Title (1682 – 1983)

Bill — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 00:13:53 +0000

The following Chain of Title lists all of the documented owners of Dataw Island from 1682 up through the purchase of Dataw Island by ALCOA South Carolina, Inc. in 1983.

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The Sams Family of South Carolina; South Carolina Historical Magazine 1963

Bill — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 20:54:06 +0000

This two-part article from the South Carolina Historical Magazine is one of the finest genealogical sources on the Sams Family. It was published in 1963 and authored by two of William Sams' gggranddaughters. It begins,

"Bonham Sams, II, the progenitor of the Sams family of South Carolina, was baptized 2 February, 1663, in St. Mary's Parish Church, North Petherton Parish, County of Somerset, England, as "Bonham Sam, son of Thomas Sam" and his wife, Mary Bagge, also of this parish. He was the third generation of his family known to have worshiped here in the faith of the Established Church of England. In St. Mary's ancient church- yard are buried his parents, also his grandparents—Bonham Samme, I, and his wife, Mary Shutte.

Bonham Sams, II, was the only one of his father's sons to leave for the New World. His brothers, Thomas, Edward, Daniel, William, and Roger, are buried in England; and from available records it appears that
the male line of descent died out in England by 1735."

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