Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Smallpox and Fevers

The 17th century brought an influx of French Hugenots and Protestants, Swiss, Scotch-Irish and English settlers to Charleston. They were tradesmen and anxious to prosper in a thriving colonial colony. But they also brought with them fevers and smallpox. During the spring and summer of 1732 a number of persons died suddenly from what was reported as fevers, but was probably small-pox. Mr. Brawn, the dancing master, died at a gentleman's plantation in the country. Eleazer Philips, printer, died in Charleston. Joseph Haynes died of small-pox after having been quantined for 20 days. Another season for small-pox in the South Carolina colony was the summer of 1763 when Miss Anne Matthewes, the only daughter of Benjamin Matthewes, died.

Colonial genealogies added to South Carolina Pioneers - Gendron: the descendants of Philip Gendron, one of the first French Protestants to Charleston ca 1685; Huger: the descendants of Daniel Huger (1651-1711) from France to Charleston; and Mazyck: the descendants of Isaac Mazyck (1660-1736), Hugenot, from France.

Jeannette Holland Austin, author of over 100 genealogy books

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