My Ancestral Home

 Log 21695

Myrtle Beach, SC

We spent last night in historic Georgetown, the third oldest city in South Carolina, located in Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Black, Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw, and Sampit rivers. My great x 5 grandfather Thomas Jasper Samford was born in Virginia in 1758 and migrated to South Carolina, spending part of his life along the Great Pee Dee River (which doesn't sound appealing as a place to swim). He was the fourth generation of Samford's born in America dating back to James Thomas Samford who was born in England in 1624, but was married and died in Virginia. 

Born just 12 years after the American colonies declared independence, Thomas Jasper's son was named Thomas Jefferson Samford. He was born in what is described as "Marion District on Big Pee Dee". He migrated to Wilkinson County, Georgia where his son, my great x 3 grandfather William Flewellyn Samford, was born in 1817. William Flewellyn ultimately moved to Auburn, Alabama where he died in 1894. This series of migrations from England to Virginia, to South Carolina, to Georgia and ultimately to Auburn, Alabama explains how I became a member of the fifth generation in a row in my family to attend Auburn University, and is an example of what I would call evolutionary improvement.

We followed the Intracoastal Waterway past the mouth of the Great Pee Dee and through the Waccamaw River all day today from Georgetown to Myrtle Beach. We had an easy day cruising through beautiful remote territory. We have continued to look for opportunities to get back out into the ocean, but the weather has not cooperated whenever we had the chance. 

When last I wrote, we had anchored Wednesday night in Mosquito Creek. Thursday we made it to Isle of Palms outside Charleston where we had a great dinner outdoors on the deck at Coda del Pesce with our friend Dakota Willimon. Then Friday it was on to Georgetown and tonight here we are, planning a dinner of fresh shrimp from Georgetown on the aft deck. We have had light rain off and on for two days but it has been easy cruising. Tomorrow we should make it into North Carolina where we fully expect a dramatic change to cooler weather. We will keep you posted.

The Lovely Laura Lee and The Devine Dakota Willimon