The mailing station seen underneath structures the core of the country Hampton County people group of Early Branch. However the beginnings of the town’s name stay dubious, Palmetto Place Names, a review gathered in 1941 by the Work Projects Administration, offers two hypotheses to clarify why the town is called Early Branch. The first is that, in 1861, a General Early set up for business at a close-by branch, or spring, during the Civil War. The second is that a man by the name of Early overviewed the land for the South Carolina government in 1806.

Regarding the primary hypothesis, we have been not able to find the presence of any Civil War general with the family name “Early” beside Jubal Early of Mississippi, and there is no record of his having battled close to this area during his vocation. We likewise have been not able to find a fight close to Early Branch in 1861. The closest fight to occur that year was at Port Royal, approximately 34 miles away.

Another hypothesis, presented by Doug McTeer beneath, states that it was really an official in the Revolutionary War for whom the local area was named. We have been not able to check this data either, however, records from the American Revolution are substantially less complete and harder to find.

REFLECTIONS ON EARLY BRANCH

Doug McTeer, a local and long-lasting inhabitant of Early Branch, composes:

“Early Branch was set up in the early 1870s. The Port Royal to Augusta Railroad was being assembled, and sawmill towns grew up along the course. Common War officials Colonel William Stokes and Captain John Henry Steinmeier set up one such sawmill. Stirs up had a home where the Harris family presently lives. Steinmeier had a home where Clark and Daisy resided (the house that consumed.) The sawmill chief, Appleby, lived in the house we live in. [My grandparents] moved into the house when they wedded.

“With respect to the naming of the town, I don’t accept the General Early story is precise. I have seen a guide (undated) that I’m almost certain originates before the Civil War that alludes to the space as Early’s Branch.

“I have heard that the name came from a Revolutionary War official named Early who set up camp there. I accept this is the best bet. I have never heard the tale about the assessor, however, perhaps it’s conceivable.

“Coincidentally, the McTeer’s had as of now been nearby for around 150 years, yet there was no mailing station or any settlement.”