Re: Stokes-Williams Relationship
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In reply to:
Re: Stokes-Williams Relationship
Janet Jilote 11/24/02
You mentioned the Stokes families shown on the 1825 Mills Atlas map of Colleton District.One family may have been that of Henry Stokes, not sure if he was still living then.Another may have been William Stokes who had married Benjamin Risher's Sr's daughter Ann.Another of Benjamin Risher, Sr's daughters, Lucy married Peter Stokes.
Just below the Stokes families, can be found Williams and Williams Tavern.That was James E. Williams and his youngest sonJames Allen Williams.The latter was known as Allen.One of James E. Williams' sons, Abraham married Harriet Risher, daughter of Benjamin Risher, SrAllen's daughter Anna married married Dr. Peter Stokes.
Dr. Stokes was a son of William and Ann Risher Stokes.Anna was only 35 when shen passed away in 1865.. She had been preceded in death by 2 children, and was survived by 5 children, 4 daughters and a son, and Dr. Stokes. The son was Dr. Francis Stokes who passed away when he was about 34 years old.I don't know if Dr. Francis Stokes ever married.About 15 years after the death of his wife Anna, Dr. Peter Stokes married Elizabeth Williams a widow.Elizabeth's first husband was Dr. Paul Williams, a Methodist minister, son of Allen Williams, and brother of Dr. Stokes first wife.Dr. Peter Stokes, both his wives, Allen Williams, Dr. Paul Williams are buried in the Williams-Stokes-Connor Cemetery which would be to the left of where the Williams Tavern is shown on the Mills Atlas..
One of the things that is interesting is no Risher is found in the 1820 Colleton Census or on the Mills Atlas of 1825.Benjamin Risher, Sr. passed away in 1812; Benjamin Risher, Jr. passed away in 1810, Ben Sr's oldest son, Francis was either living in what is now Berkley County or over in Georgia, sons John and James had moved over to the Mississippi/Alabama area prior to 1820.Youngest son Richard would have been 28 in 1820 and to the best of my knowledge was still in the Colleton area.
Getting back to the Mills Atlas of 1825, and following the Charleston-Augusta Highway past the Williams Family and Williams Tavern, one notices the Raysor Tavern which is in the general area of today's intersection of US 15 and SC 61.The tavern was owned by Michael Raysor whose wife Eleanor was a daughter of Benjamin Risher, Sr.Some people believe Raysor is a variant of Risher and that Michael Raysor may have been a nephew of Benjamin Risher, Sr.
Briefly on the Campbells.Archibald Campbell who surveyed Walterboro is buried at Pon Pon Chapel near Jacksonboro.Only a few graves are marked.I am not really sure how many people are buried there.Someone mentioned there may be close 200 graves, most unmarked today.Supposedly a number of trees fell in the area of the church yard during Hurricane Gracie which struck the area in the latter part of Sept. 1959.What tombstones that were not damaged during the storm were damaged during the cleanup.I don't know if its true or not but it is believed the destroyed tombstones were used to fill in holes elsewhere.