Beaufort

The town of Beaufort was founded in 1711. It was the perfect agricultural landscape for indigo and rice. Exports to England helped to build a prosperous economy in the region. In 1769 it became a county, taken from the parishes of St. Luke, St. Helen, St. Peter and Prince William. Thomas Hayward Jr., a rice planter, was one of the signets of the Declaration of Independence. The Heyward genealogy is available to members of South Carolina Pioneers.Net