xt7n5t3g1n8p https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7n5t3g1n8p/data/mets.xml Cherokee County, South Carolina South Carolina Historical Records Survey 1941 Prepared by the South Carolina Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration; Other contributors include: United States Work Projects Administration Division of Community Service Programs, University of South Carolina; vi, 175 pages: illustrations, maps, charts, plans, 27 cm; Includes bibliographical references and index; UK holds archival copy for ASERL Collaborative Federal Depository Program libraries; Call number FW 4.14:So8c/no.11 books English Columbia, South Carolina: South Carolina Historical Records Survey This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. South Carolina Works Progress Administration Publications Inventory of the County Archives of South Carolina, Number 11 Cherokee County (Gaffney) text Inventory of the County Archives of South Carolina, Number 11 Cherokee County (Gaffney) 1941 1941 2015 true xt7n5t3g1n8p section xt7n5t3g1n8p u@mnw _ 1www    
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INVENTORY OF THE COUNTY ARCHIVES
OF SOUTH CAROLINA
No. ll. CHEROKEE COUNTY (GAFFNEY)
{ A <,
I Prepared by
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey
I Division of Commwiity Service Programs
Work Projects Administration
I\l `
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1 Sponsored
by
  The University of South Carolina
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5 Columbia, South Carolina
Q The South Carolina Historical Records Survey
i February l94l‘

 1
IIWENTORY OF TIE COUNTY ARCHIVES
OF SOUTH CAROLINA
No. ll. CHEROKEE COUNTY (GAFFNEY)
'I
Prepared by
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey
. Division of Commwiity Service Programs
Work Projects Administrcxtion
•
Sponsored
by
The University of South Carolina
•
•
Columbia, South Carolina
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey
February 194].
l

 ·¢s
»
Historical Records Survey Projects
Sargent B. Child, National Director
Anne K. Gregorie, State Supervisor
1
Research and Records Section
Harvey E, Becknell, National Director
Milton W. Blanton, Regional Supervisor
William S. Crawford, Chief
  U
Division of Com unity Service Programs
Florence Kerr, Assistant Conmdssioner
Blanche M. Ralston, Chief Regional Supervisor v
Margaret D. Davies, State Director
WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION
_ 0
Howard O. Hu ter, Acting Commissioner
R. L. MacDougall, Regional Director
Lawrence M. Pinckney, State Administrator
I

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F O R E W`O R D
, The Qiszlisri   E12 instr. %‘~rr=?a>T¢s=c .22 §2:¤¤= ¤==r¤1*·¤=+ is Om Of ¤
nu ber of bibliographies of historical materia1s`Eaeparedbthroughout the
United States by workers on the Historical Records Survey projects of
the Work Projects Administration. The publication herewith presented,
an inventory of the archives of Cherokee County, is number ll of the
South Carolina series.
The Historical Records Survey projects were undertaken inizhe win-
ter of 1935-56 for the purpose of providing useful employment to needy
u employed historians, lawyers, teachers, and research and clerical
workers. In carrying out this objective, the project was organized to
compile inventories of historical materials, particularly the unpub-
, lished government documents and records which are basic in the admin-
istration of local government, and which provide invaluable data for
students of political, economic, and social history; The archival guide
herewith presented is intended to meet the requirements of day-to-day
administration by the officials of the county, and also the needs of
_ lawyers, businessmen and other citizens who require facts from the pub-
lic records for the proper conduct of their affairs. The volume is so
designed that it can be used by the historian in his research in un-
printed sources in the same way he uses the library card catalog for
printed sources.
The inventories produced by the Historical Records Survey proj-
, ects attempt to do more than give merely a list of records - they at-
tempt further to sketch in the historical background of the county or
other unit of government, and to describe precisely and in detail the
organization and functions of the government agencies whose records
they list. The county, town, and other local inventories for the en-
tire cou try will, when completed, constitute an encyclopedia of local ·
government as well as a bibliography of local archives.
The successful conclusion of the work of the Historical Records
• Survey projects, even in a single county, would not be possible with-
out the support of public officials, historical and legal specialists,
and many other groups in the com unity. Their cooperation is grate-
fully acknowledged.
The Survey projects were organized`by Luther H. Evans, who served
as Director until March 1, 1940, when he was succeeded by Sargent B.
Child, who had been National Field Supervisor since the inauguration of
the Survey. The Survey projects operate as a Nation-wide series of
, locally sponsored projects in the Division of Community Service Pro-
grams, of which Mrs. Florence Kerr, Assistant Commissioner, is in
charge.
HOWARD O. HUNTER
Acting Commissioner
of Work Projects
‘)

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O
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I
(
{
  `

 I
P R E F A C E
, The Historical Records Survey was begu  on a Nation-wide scale as
part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administra-
tion, and became in October 1956 an independent part of Federal Project
No. l. When Federal projects were terminated on August 51, 1959, the
Survey was continued by locally sponsored state-wide projects as part
of a national research and records program. Under the national direc-
tion of Luther H. Evans, and since March 1, 1940, of his successor,
Sargent B. Child, the Survey has inventoried state, county, city, church,
and, to a limited extent, private records. At present, it is preparing
for publication in a condensed form descriptive lists of the public rec-
ords of local units of government. In each state the counties are num-
bered in alphabetical order, and treated as separate units, each with
• an introductory section‘ giving the historical backgrou d and a descrip-
tion of the present government and records system. All records are re-
ferred to the office of origin, which is carefully described as to
history, functions, and required records. Each type of record is given
a numbered entry showing the comprehensive dates for which it is extant,
the quantity, an interpretation of contents, and details as to nature
of recordings, indexing and location. State, municipal, church, and
other records will be described in separate publications.
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey Project was begun on
March 1, 1956. The University of South Carolina, as official sponsor of
the project, is contributing the offices of state headquarters. Ac-
. knowledgments are due Professor R. L. Meriwether, head of the depart-
ment of history, for access to the proof of his Expansion of South Carp-
line, and for criticism of historical sketches. The SEuthTCaro1ina
project is also indebted to Dr. Leah Townsend of Florence, for the in-
valuable Code of Laws of South Carolina 1952. State Officials of the
Work ProjeEtE`AdmiEiEtratiEE_have atlall times given every possible co-
operation in the administration of the project. U
The initial inventory of the Cherokee County records was made Ju e
. l5—Ju1y 15, 1956, by the unit from Union, Mrs. Maude W. Hedgepeth in
charge, assisted by Millie Crawford and Gladys Lambright. In 1957 an
unsuccessful attempt was made to chock the work with the unit from Spartan-
burg. On April 1, 1958, Mrs. Carrie L. Perry was transferred from Edge-
field to make a resurvey, which was completed on May 15, under the general
supervision of Miss Esther E. Strong, field supervisor. While the editing
was in progress, further work was done by Miss Strong in December 1958;
and by Mr. Hugh Martin of Spartanburg on May 25 and 24, 1959, who drew
the floor plans. After the inventory was in first draft, all offices
, were rechecked during the week of July 24, 1959, by Miss Strong assisted
by Mrs. Perry, Mr. Martin, and Mr. A. M. Owings of Laurens. In 1940,
when the final draft was being typed, the state supervisor, the assis-
tant state supervisor, and the research editors made field trips on
September 9, 24, October 15, and again on January 6, 1941, for spot
checking in the offices of the clerk of court, the judge of probate, the
auditor, the treasurer, and the superintendent of education. Grateful
acknowledgments are due the county officials for their patience, courtesy,
- I

 vi •
Preface
and cooperation in these repeated efforts to achieve accuracy. Discrep-
ancies between the office essays and the housing essay in regard to equip-
ment and bulk of records,  ay be accounted for by the fact that the housing •
essay was written in 1941, whereas the inventory was made in 1958.
The legal research, preparation of essays and records entries, were 2
the work of Josephine Copeland and Roberta Chestnut, research editors.
Checking of forms, citations, and cross references was the work of Vivian
Barnette, research editor, who also prepared the chronological index.
The inventory in manuscript form was reviewed in the National office by
Louise Boynton, Assistant Editor, and further reviewed by Mabel S. Brodie,
Editor in charge of public records inventories. Illustrations were pre-
pared in 1939 by·W} M. Boylston, except the floor plans, which were drafted
by James Mitchell. Final typing of the manuscript was the work of Dora
Duren, Audree Cox, and Floride Theodore,who also cut the stencils of the ’
text. The subject index was prepared by Janice Tribble. Mimeographing and
binding were done by Mrs. Flonie H. Lewis.
The fortyesix separate units of the lnventory pf the Cou ty érphives
of South Carolina are being issued in mimeographed form for free distribu-
tion to State and local public officials and to a selected group of public
and institutional libraries. A list of those already published appears
at the end of this volume. Requests for infornntion should be addressed
to the state supervisor or to Professor R. L. Meriwether as representative 4
of the sponsor.
Vx .. A   •   ,,2  Q
Anne K. Gregorie, State Supervisor
The South Carolina Historical Records Survey
University of South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
February 18, 1941
•
•
O

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
•
A. Cherokee County and Its Records System Page
l. Historical Sketch. ....... ....... .... ..... ..... .. .... ...... 5
2. Governmental Organization and Records System... ........ ... 7
Legal Status of the County. Structural Development of
County Government. General Administration. Registra-
tion of Titles to Property. Judiciary. Law Enforce-
ment. Finance. Elections. Education. Public Health.
Welfare. Extension. Records System.
° 3. Housing, Care, and Accessibility of the Records ...·. ...... l5
' 4. Abbreviations, Symbols, and Explanatory Notes ....... . .... . 18
B. County Offices and Their Records
I. Legislative Delegation .................................. .. 21
II. Supervisor and Board of County Commissioners ............. . 25
Minutes and Reports. Claims and Warrants. Supplies.
Public Works Administration Projects. Roads. Paupers.
° Miscellaneous.
III. Highway Commissions (defu ct).... .......... . ......... ..... 51
IV. Clerk of Court as Register of Mesne Conveyance. ........... 31
Deeds and Plats. Mortgages: Real Estate; Chattel.
Attachments of Real Estate. Liens. Business Registra-
tions. Surety Bonds. Miscellaneous.
• V. Clerk of Court. ......................... . ............... .. 37
County Officers. Registrations; Professional; Busi-
ness; Motor Vehicles. Licenses. Military Records.
Vital Statistics. Alcoholic Liquor. Voters and Elec-
tions. Bond Issues. Fees and Correspondence.
VI. Circuit Court of General Sessions ..................... .... 47
Sessions Cases. Dockets. Executive Clemency. Forfei-
· tures. Minutes and Reports. Jurors and Court Costs.
VII. Circuit Solicitor.... .................... ... ..... . .... .... 53
WIL GmmdJwy ..... . ................................ . ........ . M
II. Board of Jury Com issioners... ............... . ........... . 55
•

 Table of Contents
Page
X, Circuit Court of Common Pleas.. .... ...... ........ ........... 56
Judgments. File Books. Calendars and Journal. Attoch-
ments and Bonds. Equity Records. Estates. Cash Books •
and Checks. Naturalization.
XIQ R.Bf6rGG|lIllllltlIQIIIQIOOIIOIIIOQIOIIOIOOIDOIOIIIIIOIOOIOII  
XII, Judge of Probate.... ................... ........... .... . ..... 65
Transmission of Property: Papers of Record and Indexes;
Transcripts; Real Estate. Accounts. Court Procedure.
Commitments. Marriages. Pensions. Stubs and Receipts.
Alcoholic Liquor.
XIII. Magistrates ............ .. ..................... . .... . .... .... 74
•
XIV. S1-l@I~j·ff|lll|II•|III|•Il\l•|I•·•|lIlII•••Ilt•|\••I•I|¤•I||•III  
Processes. Sales. Tax Executions. Financial Records.
Orders end Warrants. Prisoners. Surety Bonds.
XV-O   Pcljscclncnltll•I|I•O|lI•|IIOlII|IIO|lI•Iu•••••••••l|•|¢  
XVI. Coroner. ......... ......... .... . .... . ............ . .... . .... .. 84
XVII, A.udj.tOr••••IItOOI!lIlIO||I•I•l•|II•lOlIl|•llIII|I|llIO•|IlI•  
Tax Records. Real Property Records. Settlement Records. ,
Magistrete's Reports. Motor Vehicles. Miscelleneous. ·
XVIII. Board of Equalization ..... ........... ...... . .............. .. 95
XIX. Treesurer.... .............................................. . 94
Taxes end other Collections. Reports. Borrowed Money.
Settlement Records. Ledger end Cash Books. File Books.
Bank Records. Agricultural Extension Board. Board of
Cou ty Commissioners. Correspondence.
ml   CollcctorlIIIICUIIOIOI|••lI|I•|••lI•IQIIIIIQDIIIIOOIIIUO   •
XXI. Forfeited Land Commission., .... . ........................... . 109 U
XXII. Superintendent and Board of Education ..... .. .... . ......... .. llO
Minutes. Reports and Abstracts. Ledger and Vouchers.
Borrowed Money. School District Records. School Prop-
crty. Teachers. Attendance Teacher. School Census.
Textbooks. Miscellaneous. Maps. ·
XXIII. Sinking Fund Com ission. ....... .. ........... . .... ........... l22
XXIV. Commission to Appcrtion Indebtedness (defunct). .... ......... 124
XXV. Board of Registration......... .... .............. ....... ..... 124
XXVI. Commissioners of Elections . ................................ 125
C

 O .-5-
Table of Contents
e ' Page
XXVII, County Board of Control (defunct). .............. 126
XXVIII. County Board of Public Welfare .................. 127
•
XXIX. Board of Honor (inactive),. .~............... .... 129
XXX. Service Officer., ..... ...... ......... . .... ...... 150
XXXI. County Board of Health and Health Department.... 130
Reports. Family Service. Maternity Service.
Child Service. Communicable Disease Control,
Correspondence.
XXXII. County Hospital. ........................... . .... 156
° XXXIII. Farm and Home Extension Service....... .......... 157
XXXIV. Agricultural Extension Board. ................... 159
V XXXV. Boxing Commission........ .... .. ....... .. ...... .. 140
XXXVI. Cotton Weigher.. ........... . ............ ........ 140
XXXVII. Game Warden.... ........... .. ........... . ........ 141
XXXVIII. Tourist Camp Board......... .................... . 142
° Cherokee County Officials, 1897——.... ........ ... 145
Bibliography ........................ . ........... 145
Index .
Chronological .... . ...... .. ........ ............ 147
Alphabetical .......... .. ....... . ..... ... .... .. 149
• Publications. .............. . ................... . 175
A Illustrations
Cherokee County Courthouse,. .... ....... frontispiece
Map of Circuit Court Districts, 1791....£acing 5
· Map of Circuit Court Districts, 1800....facing 6
Chart of County Government, 1940........facing 8
Floor Plans of Courthouse. ...... . ...... .facing 14
Map of Cherokee County, 1940............facing 22
Map of Counties, 1940, showing year of origin....end
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(First entry, p. 22)
1. HISTORICAL SKETCH
’ Cherokee Cou ty, created in 1897 from portions of York, Union and Spar-
tanburg counties (Stat. XXII, 588), takes its name from the Cherokee Indians,
the Vcivilized nation" which once held the territory. The county is in the
northern tier of piedmont counties at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
and is bounded by the North Carolina state line and the three parent counties.
The Broad and Pacolet Rivers define part of the eastern and southern bounda-
ries. The area is $75 square miles (U. S. Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth
Census of the United States, I, 985). The population by the 1940 census is
35,257 ~pe;sBns {The State, Columbia, S. C., August ll, 1940). Agriculture
is the chief interest, but there are Cotton mills at Blacksburg, and at
Gaffney, the county seat.
• Although a few white settlers may have entered the region prior to
4 1760, the real settlement came with the tide of Scotch-Irish which rolled
down through the Great Valley from Virginia and Pennsylvania after the defeat
of the Cherokee in the southern phase of the French and Indian War, when the·
South Carolina frontier was pushed to the Indian boundary marked in 1766
(R, L. Meriwether, Expansion of South Carolina, Kingsport, Tenn., 1940,
chapters X and XVI;———-D. D1`vv§1iEtéj‘iH‘St`6‘i·';7'6°f`s¤ut1¤ camiina, N. Y., iam,
4 vols., 11, $4, cls), Apparently tHe—7set:t-l§·`s"vEr`€ i&iY~‘gET§"¤r the Baptist
faith,for as early as 1770 they had organized Goshen or Goucher Creek Church;
and during the Revolution another Baptist congregation in 1777 constituted
Buffalo Church (Leah Townsend, South Carolina Baptists 1670-1805, Florence,
_ S. C., 1935, map). The economiE_inteFest~Ef"the settlers in cattle raising
is still attested by the name of the well-marked Revolutionary battlefield
of Cowpens, eight miles northwest of Gaffney. Here the Americans under I
Daniel Morgan and Andrew Pickens on January 17, 1781, defeated the British
under Tarleton. Another famous Revolutionary battle site is Kings Mountain,
on the boundary between York and Cherokee. The remains of Colonel James
Williams, who was killed there, have now been removed by the Daughters of the
American Revolution to the grounds of the Gaffney Public Library, where a
granite marker, surmou ted by two small cannon and balls, covers the spot.
I
Although still sparsely settled in 1769, the region was included in the
circuit districts of Camden and Ninety Six (J. F. Grimké, Public Laws gf
South Carolina, Phila., 1790, p. 269). Its first representation was in the
District Between Broad and Catawba, in the Spartan District, and in the New
Acquisition (Const. 1776, art. Xl).
After the Revolution, the region in 1791 was included in the circuit
court district of Pinckney, until on January 1, 1800, it was abolished, and
, York, Union and Spartanburg became circuit court districts (Stat. VII, 260,
285, zea).
In 1804 Michael Gaffney built a log house for his family at Limestone
Springs, which eventually became the nucleus of the town now named in his
honor. In 1856 a large brick resort hotel was built at Limestone Springs,
which is said to have been the Saratoga of the South. In 1846 this building
was turned over to Dr. Thomas Curtis, an Englishman, for an institution for
° For abbreviations and explanatory notes see pages 18-20

 - 5 - •
(First entry, p. 22) Historical Sketch
the higher education of women. Around this Limestone College, now owned by
the Baptist State Convention, the town of Gaffney developed. The Gaffney
Race Course near the Springs is said to have attracted many visitors until the •
outbreak of the Civil War (Gaffney Ledger, April ll, 1955, sec. C). Develop-
ment was accelerated after a railroad station was established in 1872 at ‘
Gaffney's Cross Roads. A hu dred building lots were sold on September 7,
1875; and Gaffney City, laid out by John R. Logan, was incorporated in 1875
(Stat. XV, 860). About 1885 the first cotton mill here was built (Gaffney
Ledger, April ll, 1955 sec. C).
Early in the nineteenth century pioneer textile manufacturers had become
interested in the natural water-power of the region, and hauled the necessary
machinery by wagons from Charleston (J. B. 0. Landrum, History of Spartanburg
Cou ty, Atlanta, 1900, p. 160). Deposits of ore, it is said, hadfattracted
iron masters even before the Revolution. In 1822 a small blast furnace was .
erected on King's Creek near Blacksburg. In 1857 at Cherokee Ford on Broad
River the Magnetic Iron Company built four iron furnaces, a rolling mill,
and a nail factory; at the same time the South Carolina Manufacturing Com-
pany erected a furnace near the old Cowpens battlefield. The Nesbitt Iron
Manufacturing Company was chartered in 1856. (Wallace, History of S. Q,.
III, 18-20.) Between Gaffney and Kings Mountain are twenty deposits of
minerals, including gold, tin, copper, and zinc. From a single gold vein a
yield of $1,000,000 has been estimated (Gaffney Ledger, April ll, 1955. 4 .
sec. B). -
The movement for the formation of the county coincided with the consti- _
tution of 1895. After an election on December 8, 1896, Cherokee County was •
established by an act of February 25, 1897, when N. W. Hardin, J. D. Jefferies,
Sr., J. T. Morehead, W) C. S. Wood, J, B. Brown, J. E. Mosteller, and R. P.
Scruggs, were named as trustees to have the boundaries surveyed and marked
and to provide suitable public buildings (Stat. XXII, 588-90). Three officers
were inherited from the parent counties; Dr. John G. Black, then in the senate
from York; Calvin Whisonant, a member of the house from Union; W} G. Austell,
a representative from Spartanburg. At the next election William Jefferies
became senator. Other officers elected were; W} D. Camp, auditor; J. B.
Jones, treasurer; E. Felix Lipscomb, tax collector; J. B. Ross, sheriff; A.J. '
McGraw, coroner; J. Eb. Jefferies, clerk of court; W. F. McArthur, superin-
tendent of education; J. E, Webster, probate judge; N. Lipscomb, supervisor.
(Gaffney Ledger, April ll, 1955, sec. B.)
The first court of general sessions convened on May 51, 1897, with Judge
James Aldrich presiding (Sessions Journal, vol. A., infra, entry 105; The
State, April ll; June 2, 1897). Until a courthouse could be erected, BHS
trustees were authorized to lease the new city hall at Gaffney (1897, Stat,
XXII, 589), whose citizens had agreed upon a $20,000 bond issue for a court- •
house if the vote upon the new cou ty carried. In lieu of the bond issue,
the trustees agreed to take over the town hall for a courthouse. The location,
however, was not suitable because of the noise from the railroad, and in 1928
the board of county com issioners was authorized to sell the courthouse and
lot (Stat. XXXV, 1805). The sum realized, together with a $125,000 bond issue,
was to Ee applied toward a new courthouse (ibid,, p. 1802).
For abbreviations and explanatory notes see pages 18-20 .

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Governmental Organization and Records System - (First entry, p. 22)
Legal Status of the County
The area of 428 square miles claimed originally for Cherokee County .
. proved to be only 575 after the county was organized (The State, October 15,
1896; South Carolina A Handbook, Columbia, 1927, p. 299), Two square miles
were annexed from York in l921_(Stat, XXXII, 24).
The county is more rural than urban in character. Cotton is the major
crop, but the soil is suitable for truck farming, fruit growing, and all sta-
ple crops. The county seat had a population of 6,227 in 1950. The only
other incorporated town is Blacksburg, formerly Black's Station (Stat. XVI,
155), which had a population of 1,682 in 1950. (Fifteenth Census, I, 985.)
• 2. GOVERNEENTAL ORGANIZATION AED RECORDS SYSTEM
Legal Status of the Cou ty
The present constitution under which Cherokee County was created, de-
clares each county an election district and a body politic and corporate
(1895, art. VII, 9).
As an election district, Cherokee County is a unit for primary and gen-
eral elections of public officials (Code 2298, 2510, 2550, 2580). As a body
politic, the county has governmental powers delegated to it by the state,
° for which it is the agent in general administration of local government, the _
building of county roads, the registration of titles to property, the admin-
istration of justice, the enforcement of law, the levying of taxes, the col-
lection of revenue, the operation of public schools, the registration of
voters, the protection of public health, the assistance of dependent social
categories, the extension of agricultural education, and the conservation of
natural resources. As a body corporate, the county is a legal entity with
power "to sue and be sued, purchase and hold for the use of the County per-
sonal estate and land lying within its own limits, and to make necessary con-
° tracts and do necessary acts in relation to the property and concerns of the
county" (stat. xiv, 152).
The constitution permits the legislature to create new cou ties and alter
boundaries, provided that all questions relating to their formation, names,
county seats and boundaries, are first submitted to the voters in the area
affected. hhen one-third of these electors petition the governor, naming the
boundaries, and complying with other requirements for a new county, he orders
an election upon the questions of creating the county, giving it a name, and
° selecting the cou ty seat. If two—thirds of the registered voters in the
area are in favor, the legislature establishes the new county at the next
session. The new county may contain not less than 400 square miles, l/l24
of the state’s population, and $1,500,000 in taxable property. The parent
county may not be reduced to less than 500 square miles, 15,000 inhabitants,
and $2,000,000 in taxable property. It may not be out within eight miles of
the courthouse, and the bou daries must not pass through an incorporated town.
Since 1912 (Stat, XXVII, 841), neither the new county nor the parent may be
O
For abbreviations and explanatory notes see pages 18-20

 -8* I
(First entry, p. 22) Governmental Organization and Records System ·
Structural Development of the County;
General Administration
more than four times as long as the least central width (Code 5028). The .
general assembly may provide for the consolidation of two—Er—more counties.
It can group the counties into judicial circuits and congressional districts.
It can establish or alter voting precincts. (Const. 1895, art. VII, 1-14.)
Each township is a pollin precinct, but places of 5,000 or more inhab-
itants are divided into wards %Code 2295). The constitution declares each
township a body politic and corporate and gives the legislature power to al-
ter boundaries, create new townships, and provide for township government.
When townships issue bonds in their corporate capacity, the county is the
agent of the township for the assessment and collection of taxes necessary
to service them. (Const. 1895, art. VII, 11; X, 15.)
I
Structural Development of Cou ty Government
The first officials of Cherokee County included a supervisor, township
com issioncrs, clerk of court, judge of probate, sheriff, coroner, auditor,
treasurer, superintendent of education, board of education, two representa-
tives and a senator. There were also magistrates, a com ission to apportion
indebtedness, an examining board of pensions, a county board of control which
functioned until 1904 (The State, Nov. 9), a board of registration (Stat.
XXII, 55), a board of equaliEatibn, and a board of jury commissioners. (Stat.
XXII, 588-95.) A special law of 1900 provided for a sinking fund commission
(Stat. XXIII, 515). In 1905 a game warden was authorized (Stat. XXIV, 965). °
In 1912 the office of rural policenen was created (Stat.‘IXVIIT 909). Tomato
club work received its first appropriation in 1914 (Stat. XXXVIII, 781), and
farm demonstration work in 1917 (Stat. XXX, 417); in 1915 a cotton weigher at
Gaffney (Stat. XXIX, 585) was elected. In 1926 the forfeited land commission
was nuthorited (Stat. XXXIV, 920). In 1928 the county board of health and
health department were created (Stat. XXXV, 1799). In 1950 a tax collector
(Stat. XXXVI, 1289), and in 1951 a service officer (Stat. XXXVII, 606) and a
boxing commission (Stat. XXXVII, 148) were provided for. In 1956 the county
hospital board was formed (Stat. XXXIX, 1526). Another special law created ·
an agricultural extension board for soil erosion control (Stat. XXXIX, 1467).
In 1957 tho temporary department of public welfare set up in—l956 was re-
placed by a permanent department of public welfare (Stat. XL, 496). In 1959
a tourist camp board was authorized (Stat, XLI, 402).
Although there has been little basic change in the fundamental plan of
county government since the creation of Cherokee County, there have been two
important developments. The first is the tendency to operate under special
rather than general laws. The second is the increased prestige of the legis- °
lative delegation.
General Administration
The legislative delegation, although a state body consisting of the
senator and two representatives, is now the central factor in county govern-
I
For abbreviations and explanatory notes see pages 18-20

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