People
Posted by
Mark Woodard
If I were to mention
the year 1690, and the name Daniel Axtell, would you know who I
am talking about? You would probably say yes.
Daniel Axtell owned Newington Plantation here in
Summerville. But that's not the right answer.
You see Daniel Axtell came from
England in 1680, and died here
about 1684. His son, also named Daniel
Axtell, was following his parents, coming from
England
to Carolina.
But in 1680 he died on the voyage and was buried at sea.
So, who was this Daniel Axtell?
Daniel Axtell arrived here in
1690. He came from Marlboro
Massachusetts. His
parents were Henry and Hannah Axtell. He was
born on November 4, 1673. When he came to
Carolina, he became part owner of a saw
mill here in the Summerville area. They dammed the
creek, to get enough water, to run the saw mill.
The dam went from where the
Summerville Catholic
School is, on
Gahagan Road, across the expressway,
to Gum Street.
They say the dam held back over 10 feet of water,
enough water to power the saw mill
Things went well for Daniel
here in Carolina.
He met the daughter of William Pratt, whose name was
Thankfu Pratt. She was the one Daniel could
see himself, spending the rest of his life with.
Daniel asked Thankful to marry him, and she said yes.
They were married on May 12, 1702.
Daniel and Thankful Axtell started their family within the next
year. There first child was a girl, Elizabeth.
She was born April 28, 1703. Another
child, a boy they named Daniel after his Dad, was born October
24, 1704. In all, Daniel and Thankful Axtell
had 10 children, five boys and five girls. In
1707, Daniel and Thankful Axtell left
Carolina and returned to
Massachusetts.
The big question was, did
Daniel Axtell, part owner of the saw mill, know Daniel and
Rebecca Axtell, of Newington Plantation?
The answer is yes. Daniel never got to
meet his uncle Daniel of Newington who had died in 1684.
Lady Rebecca Axtell in her will dated April 5, 1720,
says” I give unto my kinsman Daniel Axtell of
New England, Three Hundred (300) acres of land and
to his son Daniel, Two Hundred (200) acres.”
Daniel Axtell died in January, 1735.
He was 61 years old at his death in
Massachusetts.
Thankful Pratt Axtell was two weeks short of being 66 when she
died in
New Jersey, on September 28, 1749.
In life, Daniel and Thankful Axtell enjoyed
each other, their children and their grandchildren
Mark D. Woodard
Summerville Tours
{843} 817-8618
