SCOTS-IRISH ORIGINS
The cumulative evidence, as described elsewhere on this site, is pretty persuasive that a "clan" of Kerleys settled in central South Carolina in the mid-1750's. The next, logical question, however, is: where did these Kerleys come from? I have not been able to answer that question definitively, but my best guess is that these folks were Scots-Irish who immigrated here from Northern Ireland. The primary basis for this belief are statements made by one of the earliest Kerley genealogists, an interesting woman named Marina Blatherwick.
Marina first started researching Kerley genealogy in the 1870's when some of the grand-children of the original Kerley immigrants were still alive. In her letters in the early 1900’s Marina stated, simply in passing, that her father (a Kerley) always believed that the Kerleys were Scotch-Irish. The term “Scotch-Irish” (or more accurately "Scots-Irish") is purely an American term. It is used to denote those immigrants who came to America from Northern Ireland, but who had Scottish ancestry. In Ireland and Great Britain these people are called Ulster Scots. These people were originally lowland Scots (not the Highland Scots of clan and kilt fame). In the early 1600’s these Scots migrated to Northern Ireland (Ulster) and developed a community there. They were and are distinct from the persons we typically call Irish, the original inhabitants of Ireland.
Marina's (and her father's) use of this term "Scotch-Irish" in the later part of the 1800’s is certainly entitled to some respect. But, more importantly, Marina's assertion is consistent with documented immigration patterns. Throughout the 1730's and 1740's, the government of South Carolina strongly encouraged citizens of northern Ireland to move to that state. The South Carolina colonial government was worried about Spanish and Indian invasions and the possibility of slave insurrections. They wanted to get as many white settlers into the interior of the state as quickly as they could. See generally, Dickson, R.J., Ulster Emigration to Colonial America, 1718 -1775 at 49. So, they offered prospective settlers a variety of incentives, including paying the costs of passage, free land and cheap rent.
At this time, things were difficult for the average person in the north of Ireland, with the primary problems being poverty and religious persecution. So, the enticements offered by the colonial government in South Carolina struck a positive chord with many Scots-Irish. Starting in the 1730's they began moving to South Carolina. And, after settling in here, they began to write back to their friends and other family in the north of Ireland telling them of the "great privileges and indulgences" being offered in South Carolina to emigrants. Id at 50, 53. This led to even more emigration. Members of the Kerley clan, I suspect, were among the folks who were enticed by these stories and decided to pack up and move to South Carolina.
During the 1750's, when the Kerleys relocated, there was little direct movement from northern Ireland to South Carolina. Most of these Scots-Irish settlers did not enter at the port of Charleston. Most of them sailed to Philadelphia. Id at 224. But, there are records showing a fair number also landed at Baltimore. Id. That fact is important because sometime in the 1870's Marina interviewed a fellow named Daniel Kerley who was related to the original immigrants (probably William's great-grandson). And, Daniel told Marina that the Kerley family originally landed in Baltimore before the Revolutionary War. So, this piece of Kerley "lore" is certainly plausible.
In the 1750’s, many of the Scotch-Irish immigrants who landed in Maryland and Pennsylvania traveled inland down the front of the Appalachians and settled in North and South Carolina. So, after entering at Baltimore, the first Kerley family most likely would have taken the King's Highway down to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and then picked up the Fall Line Road. The Fall Line Road went down through Virginia, North Carolina and through all of South Carolina. See, Dollarhide, William, Map Guide to American Migration Routes. It is interesting to note that this road passed directly through Camden, South Carolina, and through the area where the initial Kerley settlements in South Carolina were. So, after making this rather arduous trek down the East Coast, the first Kerley family (presumably headed by a guy named William) appear to have just decided to "pull off the road" when they got to the Rimini area.
Further support for Marina's statements comes from the fact that the area around Rimini where our Kerley clan settled was one which was settled by Scots-Irish. Scots-Irish first started settling "the thinly settled, but less exposed district north of the Santee" as early as 1732. See, Meriwether, Robert L., The Expansion of South Carolina, 1729 - 1765, at p. 33. This area, the north side of the Santee, continued to draw Scots for many years after this initial settlement. Id. Moreover, most the settlers in this area of South Carolina came from other colonial settlements and they got there by coming down from the Valley of Virginia. See, Gregoire, Anne P., The History of Sumter County, South Carolina (1954) at 14-15. In fact, in 1749, one of these settlers asked the governor of South Carolina for some land for the purpose of establishing a Scotch or Presbyterian congregation in this area. He indicated in his request that there were several families from Virginia and Pennsylvania settled there and that many others were planning to come to South Carolina. The governor approved this request, and the land was surveyed, but the congregation was apparently never established. (Merriwether at 109).
Marina also mentioned that “our people were Presbyterians.” This, too, is consistent with historical patterns. The "vast majority of the north Irish emigrants to the American colonies were Presbyterians." Dickson at 25.
Although I believe that the Kerleys left from Northern Ireland to come to America, I have no idea of the precise location from which they left. The "majority of emigrants to colonial America left the north of Ireland through five ports: Newry in county Down, Belfast, Larne and Portrush in county Antrim, and Londonderry in the county of that name." Dickson at 98. But, we have no record whatsoever indicating from which of these ports our Kerley clan may have departed. Maybe some day someone will be able to track this down.
Transcripts of some of Marina's letters can be found here: Marina Blatherwick Bio and Letters.