Submitted by Mary C. Stephens
The Ann Fulmore Harllee Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy held their annual Lee-Jackson luncheon at Twin Lakes Country Club on January 10, 2015. Special guest for the occasion was Linda Wolfe, Director of the Pee Dee District UDC. The meeting was called to order by Mattie Stirckland who asked the blessing before everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch of chicken salad, fresh fruit and a dessert of cheesecake.
Following the meal, the members participated in the club ritual which was closed with prayer by Phyllis Hagan. Mrs. Strickland reminded everyone of the Pee Dee District meeting which will be held at North Myrtle Beach on January 31, 2015.
The speaker for the afternoon was Carley Wiggins, a local writer and historian. Mr. Wiggins has written over 550 articles for The Dillon Herald and has published three books. His writings have pertained to facts and events of Dillon County and old Marion County. He has also included biographies of many local people, as well as other human interest stories.
Mr. Wiggins bought to everyone’s attention many interesting facts about the Harllee family who settled in South Carolina in the area now known as Little Rock sometime in the late 18th century. Most of the information about the Harllee family is available because of William Curry Harllee’s, Kinfolks, and W.W. Sellers’, A History of Marion County.
The ancestor of this family was a Peter Harley in England. He was advised to change the spelling of his name because of his political views. After that, he became a member of the British Navy where he remained until age sixty. He retired on his pension and settled in Virginia. At age 61 he married Jane Leake who was 45 years old and they had four children. Peter Harllee died shortly after the close of the Revolutionary War and his family was left impoverished.
Peter’s son Thomas moved with his mother and siblings to South Carolina. Finding himself without resources other than his youth, health, and energy, W.W. Sellers said that Thomas became the “architect of his own fortunes”. His education was limited to being able to read and write, but he had great mechanical skills and he became engaged in a profitable boat and flat-making business. Because of this, he was able to acquire a great deal of property which he owned until his death. He engaged in farming and stock-raising and owned the only store between the Marion Courthouse and Cheraw. He spent a great deal of time educating himself which was of a great advantage to him in his later years. Among his other accomplishments, Thomas did surveying for the state, represented the Marion District in the legislature, served as Clerk of Court and Probate Judge.
Thomas Harllee, Sr. married Elizabeth Stuart of North Carolina and they had ten children, nine of who lived to adulthood. The surviving children raised larger families, and it would take far too long to list all of their accomplishments, but a few of the facts are well worth mentioning.
Peter Harllee, the fourth son of Thomas Harllee, Sr., married Ann Fulmore of Robeson County, North Carolina. Ann Fulmore Harllee is the one for whom our local UDC chapter is named. Peter lived on inherited land on the east side of the river from Harlleesvillve (now Little Rock). After Peter’s death, his second son, Andrew T. Harllee, lived there with his sisters. The local SCV chapter is name for Andrew T. Harllee.
William W. Harllee, the sixth son of Thomas Sr., became a general and practiced law in Marion and later became president of the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad. His two daughters, Lizzie and Florence, taught school in Florence at the time the city and railroad were being established. Because of his position with the railroad, Mr. Harllee named the city for his daughter Florence.
William Curry Harllee, who is responsible for the writing and publication of the three volume Kinfolks, was the son of John W. Harllee and grandson of Peter. He retired in 1933 as a general after an extended military career. It has been said that he traveled over 60,000 miles to compile his book. He died in 1944.
Even though there are no known citizens of the name Harllee in the immediate area at this time, their descendants are of great number. From the earliest arrival at Harlleesville, this family has extended throughout the United States and possibly the world.
The Harllee Family Cemetery is located a few hundred yards to the left in the woods before crossing Harllee’s Bridge over the Little Pee Dee River.
There among other family members can be found the graves of Thomas Harllee and his wife Elizabeth, Peter Harllee and his wife Ann and Captain Andrew T. Harllee. The local SCV chapter which is named for him has painstakingly cleaned and maintained the cemetery and has made it a worthy memorial to his family who played an important part in our local history.
