Dear Editor:

I am the unofficial historian of Cherokee County and I

wish on behalf of the Friends of the Cherokee County Public Library to express our appreciation for you establishing your business in our county.

The library is attempting to raise funds to purchase a microfilm reader-printer. Normally, we have three readerprinters which are used daily by our local citizens and visitors from other areas of the country. However, because of budget cuts we have at the time, only one machine which works until it becomes hot and then it will not respond until it cools. The other two machines are beyond repairing. We desperately need a new machine.

During the 10 years of military occupation following the War Between the States, 50 percent of the population of South Carolina sold their property and moved westward in search of cheap land. A large portion of this migration settled in Texas. Yearly, people come here in search of information about their forefathers. A few weeks ago, some Texans arrived and fortunately, I had extrapolated the data they sought. By supplying maps of cemetery locations, burial permits, and directions to the second-oldest Baptist church in South Carolina, which is in this county, they made contacts with dozens of their cousins. They had expected to stop two days but remained in the county for a week. They left declaring they would return with others from Texas before the summer ends. We would be very embarrassed if the people come to search our records and we do not have the necessary hardware of them to use.

We have in our library microfilm copies of The Carolina Spartan, The Yorkville Enquirer, and The Gaffney Ledger, all of which are the earliest newspapers of the county. Also, we have the microfilm copies of the Draper papers. This series contains letters written to Draper by the grandsons of the veterans of the Revolutionary War, Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens. We have other microfilm too numerous to list in this letter. All contain valuable information about the people and events of Cherokee County.

No contributions will be too small. Please send your check to Cherokee County Library, 300 East Rutledge Ave., Gaffney, S.C. 29340. On the bottom of the left of the check, write “Reader-Printer.” A receipt will be returned to you. Since gifts to non-profit organizations are tax-deductible, this gift can reduce your federal income tax.
Yours,
Bobby G. Moss, Ph.D