We're here in South Carolina enjoying a break from winter in Minnesota. Last week I visited the Heritage Library, a genealogical resource located on Hilton Head Island. Some of the library's specialties include African-American  research and Civil War history.

I was impressed by the Irish "presence" on the library's bookshelves. For example, books with Irish subjects took up nearly 10 times as much space as books on German topics! I was also happy to see many years' issues of The Septs (the IGSI journal) there on the shelves. Many of these journals had apparently been donated by a local IGSI member and library volunteer. I learned there were several migrations of Irish into South Carolina. In the early to mid-1700s, most were Scots-Irish (also called "Ulster Presbyterians") who came from northern Ireland. The colonial government of South Carolina offered free land to Protestants to encourage settlement. During the Revolutionary War, Scots-Irish soldiers took part in every battle in South Carolina and are often credited with turning the tide of the American Revolution in the South. The first U. S. census (1790) showed 40% of the South Carolina population reporting either Scots or Irish descent.

If you have ancestors who lived in South Carolina, the Heritage Library of Hilton Head would be a pleasant and productive place for research. For more information about the library, check their website: http://www.heritagelib.org/.