Purrysburg, South Carolina
Parish Map 1761-1767 (Map taken from "Georgia Governor and Council Journal" ref: 975.8 N2wmv2)
Across the Savannah River from New Ebenezer,
Georgia is Purrysburg, South Carolina. In 1731, the King of England
granted land on the Savannah River to Swiss colonizer Jean Pierre Purry.
Hundreds of German speaking and French speaking Swiss colonists arrived
with the dream of establishing a silk trade in the new colony. But
malaria and other hardships proved fatal to the European colonists, and
the settlement died a slow death. Other settlers built extensive
rice plantations, some of which now form the Savannah River National Wildlife
Refuge. Purrysburg lingered on at least until the time of the American
Revolution, serving as the first headquarters of the American army under
General Benjamin Lincoln. Today, the river landing and the cemetery
site are still in use.
John Frederick von Holtzendorff (born
1711 in Germany) settled in Purrysburg in 1736. He was granted 200
acres and a town lot there. In 1739, he was granted 250 acres more.
The Census of 1743 shows John F. Holzendorf as a resident of Purrysburg. John
is our 6th great-grandfather.
Purrysburg Township - In 1730, the British Crown instructed S. C. Governor Robert Johnson
to lay out eleven townships to populate and protect the interior of the
province. Purrysburg Township laid out in 1731, stimulated
the settlement of the area but the growth of Savannah caused the town of Purrysburg to
be unsuccessful.
Purrysburg Township -
By 1732, Swiss Protestants led by entrepreneur Jean Pierre Purry had begun
to arrive here and by August of the next year 260 Swiss had settled at
Purrysburg Township. Each settler was provided with a specific amount
of land, tools, livestock, and provisions by the Royal Assembly.
The Purrysburg Memorial Cross
Left to Right: Dave, Lee and Chuck Holtzendorff
The inscriptions read:
THE SITE OF PURRYSBURGH THE SETTLEMENT OF
SWISS AND HUGUENOTS ESTABLISHED HERE IN 1733
ERECTED A.D. 1941 BY THE HUGUENOT SOCIETY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
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