This cemetery is located 5 miles east of Clinton near Newberry line in Laurens County, South Carolina. This church was organized in 1764.

"About the year 1763 or 1764, Messrs. Joseph Adair, Thomas Erving, William Hanna, Andrew McCrory and his brothers, united in building a house of worship.

"Duncan Creek Church is situated in Laurens district, on the waters of Enoree, a branch of Broad river. It was principally composed of emigrants from Ireland and Pennsylvania with their descendants, some of whom settled here as early as 1758. The original settlement was made three years before Braddock's defeat, by Mr. John Duncan, of Aberdeen, Scotland, who first immigrated to Pennsylvania, and thence removed here and settled on the creek which bears his name. He was the highest settler by ten miles in the fork between the Saluda and Broad rivers, and the only man at this time who had either Negro, wagon, or still, in this part of the world. His nearest neighbor was Jacob Pennington, living on the Enoree below. "About the year 1763 or 1764, Messrs. Joseph Adair, Thomas Erving, William Hanna, Andrew McCrory and his brothers, united in building a house of worship. In 1766 they were visited by Mr. Duffield, Mr. Fuller, and Mr. Campbell. Mr. Duffield was probably George D. D., who was licensed by the presbytery of Newcastle in 1756, and was sent by the synod of New York to Carolina in 1765, and was afterwards settled in Carlisle and Philadelphia. Campbell was James Campbell, who joined the South Carolina presbytery in 1758, and became pastor of the Bluff church in North Carolina. Afterwards they were visited by Rev. Hezekiah Balch, licensed by the presbytery of Newcastle in 1768-9. Mr. Balch advised the people to choose elders. This was done. Andrew McCrory, Joseph Adair, and Robert Hanna, were elected, and ordained by Mr. Balch. James Pollock and Thomas Logan having come into the bounds of the congregation a short time before, the former from Pennsylvania and the latter from Ireland, on producing certificates of their membership and ordination, were chosen elders of this church. The communion was also administered, the number of communicants at that time being about sixty. "The manners and dress of these first settlers must have been quite primitive. Their dress was as follows: hunting shirt, leggings, and moccasins, adorned with buckles and beads. The hair was clubbed and tied up in a little deerskin or silk bag. At another time they wore their hair cued and rolled up in a black ribbon or bear's-gut dressed and dyed black. Again it became a custom to shave off the hair and wear white linen caps with ruffles around. The women's dress was long-eared caps, Virginia bonnets, short gowns, long gowns, stays, stomachers, quilted petticoats, high wooded heels. There was little market for produce except to the new settlers. Trade was carried on in skins and furs. Deer and beaver skins were a lawful tender in payment of debts. Winter skins were 18 pence sterling, Indian-dressed skins $1 per pound.

(Testimony of James Duncan, son of the first settler.)

(Source: "History of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina" by George Howe, 1965, Volume I, pg. 335-336.)

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photo courtesy of friend and fellow researcher, Gerald McCrary

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The following historical excerpts were taken from the South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research:

The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Volume XII
Fall 1984 Number 4
EARLY ELDERS OF DUNCAN CREEK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH LAURENS COUNTY, SC

While the early records of Duncan Creek Presbyterian Church (near Clinton, SC) were destroyed by fire in 1844, a record of the first elders was kept and recorded in the book beginning in 1844 and going through 1891. A copy of this record may be seen at the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, Montreat, NC, as well as a copy kept by the church itself. Only the names of the earliest elders are published here.

"These were the first Elders ordained by Revd. Hezekiah Balch, before or during the war"

Andrew McCrery
Joseph Adair Sen
Thomas Ewing
Robert Hanna ordained in Pennsylvania
James Polock
Thomas Logan ordained in Ireland
These six, first bench of Elders

These six Elders were ordained in October 1788, by Revd. Joseph Alexander.

Thomas McCrery
Joseph Greer
Samuel Laird
Robert Long
James Craig
Robert Bell

The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol 13

Hazel Crowson Sellers of North Carolina in her book on Old South Carolina Churches says that John Duncan was joined by his friends Joseph Adair and Robert Long, both of whom were Revolutionary War soldiers, and that Hezekiah Balch held services at Duncan Creek as early as 1752. Joseph Palmer, a minister, is also said to have been a friend of John Duncan, and was so popular that when he went to Indiana in 1828 a number of the old friends followed him.

The present building at Duncan Creek is said to be the third erected on the lot, having been built in 1842, and the earliest known grave is that of Susannah Long, dated in 1776. A number of soldiers went from this church to fight in the patriot's cause.

Am Flag Denotes Revolutionary War Veteran

Con Flag Denotes Confederate Veteran of the Civil War

FINNEY, John R.  (Confederate)
Sept 27, 1844 - July 9, 1881, C.S.A.

FINNEY, Mary A., his wife, and dau. of T.D. & E.J. Young
Sept. 6, 1846 - July 27, 1867

MCCRARY, S.C. Troops, Revolutionary War (American Rev.)

MCCRARY, Edwin
April 7, 1811 - Feb. 13, 1873

MCCRARY, Maria A., his wife
Oct. 26, 1822 - April 20, 1867

LEAKE, T.D.
Jan. 4, 1850 - June 21, 1919

LEAKE, Lou Finney, his wife
Aug. 18, 1850 - April 26, 1899

FINNEY, John                     
Sept. 10, 1808 - Aug. 1, 1891

FINNEY, Lucinda                   
June 11, 1812 - March 30, 1881

FINNEY, Mary S., daughter of John and Lucinda
Feb. 25, 1836 - March 25, 1886

FINNEY, Isaac W.
Sept. 30, 1835 - Nov. 4, 1877

FINNEY, Sallie E., his wife
July 11, 1840 - March 23, 1879