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DANIEL
HEYWARD, eldest son of Thomas and Nester, was born of James Island,
July 20, 1720, and seems to have lived there until his father's death.
Shortly after this, he set out for what was known as Indian Land in
Granville County. He was the first Heyward rice planter, and in
connection with this industry acquired a large number of Negro slaves.
His home plantation was known as Old House, not many miles from the
present town of Grahamville. There he planted an avenue of live oaks
and built his house on a bluff facing the marshes and rice fields of
Hazzard Creek, which flows into Port Royal Harbor. From 1759 he begain
to acquire large tracts of land and cypress swamps along the Colleton
County side of the Combahee River, which he obtained partly by direct
grant and partly by purchase from persons and estates holding former
grants. These lands, in particular the swamps, he proceeded to mold
into rice fields, damming the banks of the river and creeks, clearing
the cypress forests, and ditching and leveling the lands for river rice
planting. In Charles Town he built the house on Church Street now known
as the Heyward-Washington House and owned other property both in that
city and in Beaufort. In Saint Luke's Parish, Granville County, he
served as a justice of peace and took part in some expeditions against
the Indians. At the time of his death he was possessed of some 25,000
acres of land and a great body of slaves, said to have numbered between
900 and 1000. He died October 4, 1777, and is buried at Old House.
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