[Hewat, Alexander] | The earliest history of South Carolina and Georgia

[Hewat, Alexander]

An Historical Account of the Rise and Progress of the Colonies of South Carolina and Georgia. London: Printed for Alexander Donaldson, 1779

2 vol, 8vo (205 x 125 mm). Title-pages; spotting and browning, stray stains, a few stray marks in pencil. Rebound in dark brown half morocco over brown cloth by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, spine with raised bands in six compartments, gilt lettered in 2nd and 3rd compartments and at foot, top edges gilt; boards with very light wear.

First edition of the earliest account of life in colonial South Carolina and Georgia. Hewat, born in Scotland in 1739, lived in Charleston from 1764-1777, where he was a Presbyterian minister. With access to historical documents, he began to work on his history shortly after his arrival. An Englishman, he remained loyal to the King during the Revolutionary War, and as such his property was seized and he was forced to leave the colony in 1777. While not a professional historian, and though his history contains now known as inaccuracies, Hewat benefitted from his first-person experience in the colonies, and his accounts, particularly of slaves and Native Americans, were continually cited. His history became the foundation of fellow Charleston resident David Ramsay’s history, which extensively borrowed from Hewat’s own without attribution.

REFERENCE:

Howes H452; Sabin 31630; Streeter sale II: 1133