Madison

Many families in Madison County came from Pennsylvania to the 96th District of South Carolina. An example is the Revolutionary War application of Robert Carithers who enlisted during the Siege of Ninety Six which last 28 days led by Major General Nathaniel Greene. Carithers participated in several skirmishes with the Tories by whom he was wounded in the thigh at the Siege of Ninety-Six. The Revolutionary War applications for Pensions by the soldier, as well as his spouse or other family members, provide details that might not otherwise be discovered. Since so many of the Scotch-Irish and Germans took the old wagon trail from Pennsylvania to South Carolina, Pennsylvania is a good place to begin the research. However, one must consider the history of that era when people left Europe with large groups of people, like religious congregations, and traveled to America seeking freedom. The 96th district was created in 1769 and included the current counties of Abbeville, McCormick, Edgefield, Saluda, Greenwood, Laurens, Union, and Spartanburg counties; much of Cherokee and Newberry counties; and small parts of Aiken and Greenville Counties. Carithers must have resided in Abbeville County because that is where he married. Irrespective of the circumstances, one must research the following counties in Pennsylvania: Burke, Burks, and Lancaster as well as the South Carolina counties.