White Hall Plantation in Jasper County is well known to HFA members as a residence of Thomas Heyward (1746 – 1809), a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It’s been the site of several reunions, most recently in 2017. Currently the property is managed as a hunting reserve.
Kin Heyward has recently made a short video of White Hall, including aerial views. It can be seen here.
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Cousins,
I am currently working on the genealogies of branches of the family that we have lost contact with. James Barnwell Heyward’s “Red Book” has been a great starting point and I have gotten information from Findagrave.com, but would like to bring the family record up to date on these lost branches. I am currently working on the lines of the descendants of Anne Miles Heyward (1757-1820) who married Thomas Gibbons of Savannah (former Mayor of Savannah), GA). Thomas moved to Elizabethtown, NJ and Anne ended up back in Savannah. Their children were: Anne Heyward Gibbons (married John M. Trumbull), William Heyward Gibbons, Thomas Heyward Gibbons and Hannah Gibbons (died young). Anne and John Trumbull’s descendants include the families of Isham, McAllister, Lathrop, Ripley and Wheelwright.
I’m also working on the line of Maria Miles Heyward (1784-1862) who married William Drayton (1776-1846) of Charleston, SC. This family moved to Philadelphia. Col. Drayton was a member of Congress from 1825-1833 and apparently the move to Philadelphia was a politically motivated one. William and Maria had at least five children and two were known to have children.
The annual Heyward Family Reunion, traditionally observed on the second Saturday after Easter, will not be held this year.
The reason is the nation-wide prohibition of such gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic. When the prohibition went into effect, the HFA board had made tentative arrangements for a reunion site, assuming the reunion date would be April 25. After the prohibition, the board considered holding the reunion or a similar gathering in the fall of 2020. However, because of the uncertainties surrounding the prohibition, nothing is currently planned.
The tradition of the Heyward family newsletter, however, will continue this year and registered family members should expect them to arrive soon in their mailboxes.
The Heyward Family Association’s 2019 reunion took place May 4 at Cockfield Plantation, about 14 miles south of Walterboro, SC and less than a mile from last year’s reunion site at Combahee Plantation.
Leslie Heyward Smodic, HFA president, announced the details of 2019 reunion in the newsletter mailed out last week. The reunion date will be May 4, the second Saturday after Easter, as usual.
Weather was perfect for the 2018 Heyward reunion April 14 at the beautiful Combahee Plantation, south of Walterboro, SC. There was a good turn-out of cousins and the food was delicious.
The map below shows directions to Combahee Plantation, site of the 2018 Heyward Reunion.
This year’s annual Heyward reunion will take place, as usual, on the second Saturday after Easter: April 14, 2018.
The location will be:
Combahee Plantation
829 Combahee Road
Yemassee, SC 29645
Heywards gathered at the White Hall plantation for their annual reunion on April 29. For those who missed the festivities near Ridgeland, SC, some pictures and notes are posted below.
White Hall plantation, site of this year’s Heyward reunion, is an important place in our family’s history. It was once the home of Thomas Heyward, Jr (1746- 1809), signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Close by is another plantation site of equal family significance, Old House. It was the residence of Thomas’s father, Daniel Heyward (1720 – 1777). Guests at the 2017 reunion can easily check out the Old House site. Continue reading
