Greetings to all Nathan Center researchers:
In an attempt to obtain more in-depth of knowledge about the Nathan Center, reportedly
born in VA, who came to Richland County, "about twenty years before the
Revolution", I did a line by line examination of the book, History of Richland County
South Carolina by Professor Edwin L. Green. The following is submitted in the hope that
it will be of benefit to someone:
1. The Will of Jesse Goodwyn was witnessed by NATHAN CENTER on 11 May 1767.
2. Land record of John Taylor, 150 acres, 15 May 1771, on Main Road from Weavers Ferry to
Camden, on Little Creek, next to NATHAN CENTER.
3. Land record of William Tucker, 250 acres, 10 August 1770, on Mill Creek, next to John
Thomas and NATHAN CENTER.
4. On page 152, Town of Columbia established on part of the land owned by NATHAN CENTER,
son of Nathan Center, and brother-in-law of Thomas Taylor. Nathan Center was paid for 223
acres. See 1786 map, which illustrates that the CENTRE [sic] land was near the bank of
the river. This was possibly the plantation that Nathan Center who died in 1783,
mentioned in his Will.????
5. Land records of John Cook, 28 April 1772, 50 acres, located at the head of Back Swamp,
next to NATHAN CENTER and John Taylor.
6. On page 175, James Taylor is mentioned as Commissary under Sumter, and on the same
page, under the subtitle of Nathan Center, it also mentions that NATHAN CENTER was
Commissary with James Taylor.
7. Same page 175, author mentions that NATHAN CENTER, migrated from VA to SC locating in
the low ground below Columbia twenty years before the revolution.....his descendants lived
mostly above Columbia.
8. WILL of NATHAN CENTER, Box 14, No. 147, Will dated 21 December 1782, filed of record
16 January 1783. Has wife, Martha, daughter, Elizabeth, son Nathan, son, John, and son
William.
9. on page 215, it mentions the Will of William Howell, found in Will Book A, page 68-69,
dated 20 June 1776. Will was witnessed by NATHAN CENTER. The Will stipulated that
Howell's daughter, Grace, was to get the Mill Pond tract previously bought from
NATHAN CENTER.
I am further researching the notes and manuscripts of Professor's Greens, all 1500
plus documents, and perhaps will find something informative to share in the future.
If the American Revolution began on 17 April 1775, and ended in 1783, we cannot help but
ask ourselves, was the death of NATHAN CENTER, [reportedly, a Major], caused someway by
the war.
At least, this book has help to determine that Nathan Center arrived in South Carolina by
1767.
Have a good day!
Wanda Gray