156 SO. CA. HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL MAGAZINE
December 1855 transferred to the Episcopal Church of St. Pauls, Summerville, and by the vestry and churchwardens of that Church conveyed in February 1857 to John R. Stall for Joseph W. Davis and became a part of the Dorchester plantation." (See page 65a,also page 8 of References)
OAK GROVE. (p. 156)
This plantation contained 350 acres, composed of several of the subdivisions of the Dorchester grants, and was owned, some-time prior to 1785, by Stephen Cater, whose Executors conveyed it in that year to Peter Horlbeck. He added 50 acres purchased from John Postell, Sr., and after the death of the former the 400 acres were acquired by Thomas Baas. Mr. Smith states:
x x x "The Oak Grove property was well known in the locality for its fine live oaks and the lands were reported to be the best in the limits of the lines of the Dorchester grants which contained in the part away from the river a good deal of infertile pine land. During the ownership of Thomas Baas he added to the plantation lots 15 and 16 and part of lots 13 and 14 so that the plantation aggregated 557-1/2 acres."
PRIOR'S TAVERN. (p. 157)
This tract consisted of 100 acres, being two of the Dorchester subdivisions. One was allotted to "the Rev. Joseph Lord the Minister who came with the Dorchester settlers from Massachusetts." The other was allotted to John Simmons, who seemingly transferred it to Daniel Chastaigner, whose Executor, Isaac Porcher, Jr., conveyed it to the said Rev. Joseph Lord. Mr. Lord returned to Massachusetts and, in 1721, conveyed the two lots to Thomas Osgood, Jr., whose son, Rev. John Osgood, who had removed to Midway, Georgia, transferred them to John Edward, and they were afterwards acquired by Seth Prior, who, according to Mr. Smith:
x.x x "established a tavern on the roadside long known as Priors Tavern, which continued to be kept until the advent of railroads, and the decay of travel on the public roads rendered such places of entertainment unprofitable. According to Mrs. Poyas, Seth and Sam Prior two of the descendants still kept it as late as 1830. In 1882 the remains of the old tavern and its out buildings, could still be seen on the north side of the public road but they have since all disappeared.”
It may have been operated even later than 1830, for the Minutes of a Meeting of the Commissioners of the Dorchester Free School, at which dinner was served, show that it was held on February 28th, 1842, "at Prior's."
Mr. Hutchinson, in his "Reminiscences," hereinafter referred to, refers to this tavern as "Puryears, (called Prior's) twenty-two miles from Charleston, made famous by Gilmore Simms in his novel of 'The Partisan'.'
This statement is evidently an error, as, in the inscriptions on tombstones in the burial ground around the ruins of the Parish Church of St. George's Dorchester, the name is spelled "Prior" (see "Tombstones," page 278), and it appears several times in the old records and is always spelled "Prior."
BARRON HEATH OR ROSE HILL. (page 158)
This plantation contained about 479 acres, consisting of several of the Dorchester subdivisions, and belonged, in 1717, to Robert Miller, who was either among the first members of the Dorchester settlement, who came from Massachusetts, or was early connected with them. In 1717, he obtained a grant for the acreage above referred to. He owned another nearby tract of 544 acres. Title passed to his son Robert Miller, afterwards to John Perdriau, and in 1787, through his Administrator, to Benjamin Waller. In 1789, title passed from him to Morton Waring, and in 1803 from him to John Rose ("Deacon Rose of the Congregational Church"). After the acquisition by him, it was known as "Rose Hill." Mr. Smith states:
z x x "The swamp or creek through a part of the property and which debouches into the Ashley River at the site of the old village of Dorchester and there had the Indian name of Boshoe or Bosua Creek became known as Rose Creek and the public road running along Rose's property to the main Dorchester Road became and is still known as the Rose Creek Road."
See "Tombstones," page 297.
SUMNERS. (page 159)
This was a small plantation, composed of certain of the Dorchester subdivisions. originally allotted to Joseph Sumner and William Way, and increased during the ownership of the subsequent