Scrapbooks (1838, 1850 and 1910-1930) of newspaper articles documenting life in Laurens and Greenwood Counties, S.C., including the Methodist Church, local residents, crimes, deaths, biographies, and local history, including many short biographical sketches written by Sullivan and published in the Laurens Advertiser during the 1910s and 1920s. First scrapbook (1838, 1855, 1856, and 1919-1925) re local news of Laurens and Greenwood Counties of S.C.; newspaper clippings document political campaigns and election returns, 1920; the boll weevil and the cotton crop; biographical sketches of veterans and accounts of events during World War I and Civil War ("Last Shot of the Civil War," re skirmish near Piedmont, S.C., 1 May 1865); registration of women to vote; Sullivan family reunions; photographs and news of De La Howe School; obituaries of prominent South Carolinians; several essays by or about columnist Dorothy Dix [Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer] of New Orleans, including "Do Women Want to be Petted?"; historical sketches published by J.W. Daniel in his newspaper column, "By-Ways of State History," which included anecdotes re Colonial and Revolutionary periods, as well as such topics as need for "Reforestation of the Hillsides, "; weather news, impact of floods, apparent tornado, 24 Dec. 1920, in Laurens and vicinity; meteorological observations on end papers, re sleet, snow and hail recorded Jan.-Mar. 1921. Other topics in first scrapbook include: World War I related features (peace treaty, return of soldiers, ca. 9 Apr. 1919, and news of occupation forces in Germany [ca. 1920]: "Withdrawl Would Bring Keen Regret" among Germans in Koblenz); clippings re local churches, including historical sketches of the Laurens Methodist Church and Warrior's Creek Baptist Church copied from "an old volume published in 1836"; Poplar Spring Church, Friendship Presbyterian Church; and other church related news, including Report of Committee on Public Morals in Upper S.C. Conference, issued by the Pentecostal Holiness Church [ca. 1919]. First scrapbook also notes demolition of McBee's "old Rock Mill" in Greenville, S.C. (published 19 Aug. 1919), re flour mill constructed 1840 by Vardry McBee on the Reedy River; crime stories, most undated, report destruction of moonshine corn whiskey stills at Musgrove and near the Saluda River, and another on Rabun Creek near Hickory Tavern [24 Dec. 1920]; and account of a murder and an apparent lynching: "Clinton Farmer Killed by Negro: Eugene Davis Shot by Eli Blakely; Blakely Afterwads Commits Suicide" [ca. Mar. 1920]; also lists obituaries, retirements, or other events; family names represented include Aiken, Albright, Arnold, Barksdale, Brown, Burts, Culbertson, Donnan, Fleming, Holland, Kirkland, McClintock, Medlock, Taylor, Watkins, Wright, and others. Second scrapbook, 1908-1926, re series of historical sketches of various upstate persons and locales (Laurens County, Greenville County, etc.), written by Sullivan: "The following sketches were written for the [Laurens] Advertiser newspaper commencing May 1906"; includes series titled, "Sketches of Sullivan Township Citizens" including one on the Fork Shoals Library (p. 48); the Laurens District militia and its duties on "slave patrols" ("The Patter Rollers," p. 26). Impact of storms discussed in second scrapbook, which includes a comparison of damages from historic floods of 1852 and 1908 in the area, "the memorable August freshet of 1852 which destroyed so many bridges in the county was surpassed by the freshet of Aug. 25, 1908, by at least 10 feet" (p.32); discussion re keeping of sheep and local wool production; antebellum celebrations of Christmas (p. 52); several anecdotes re American Revolution, including debate over location of battle at Old Cane Brake, fought 22 Dec. 1775 (p. 53); and biographical information re members of the following families: Abercrombie, Bagwell, Bell, Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Machen, Mitchell, Myers, Parks, Pulling, South, Stone, Towns, and others. Second scrapbook also includes in account (p.20) of Benjamin James of Pennsylvania, and his wife Elizabeth Lovern of S.C., who lived near Princeton, S.C., where both worked as shoemakers, although Sullivan recalls that the husband loved corn whiskey, and she loved opium / laudanum. Sullivan writes that she regularly gave him money and requested that he purchase opium for her during his shopping trips to Charleston; includes story about difficulty encountered by Mrs. James when wearing a hoop skirt and vowing to never wear it again. Three additional scrapbooks, 1910-1913 and 1925-1930, also available on microfilm (R.332, available on site); these volumes also document life in Laurens County, S.C.
