Little did Jim and Jeanette Greiner know that when they started Wildwater in Long Creek, South Carolina, they would end up back in the area of Jeanette’s ancestors! Just down the road from the Chattooga River and Long Creek is Pickens County, home of General Andrew Pickens. Jeanette’s grandfather was Andrew Pickens Wade, son of Sallie Sarah Louisa Calhoun and William Todd Wade. This is where it gets confusing. Sallie Sarah Louisa Calhoun is the granddaughter of SC Governor Andrew Pickens, Jr., son of General Andrew Pickens AND the granddaughter of James Calhoun, brother of John C. Calhoun.
The Old Stone Church in Pickens County was built by the Revolutionary War hero Gen. Andrew Pickens and others in 1797. The Pickens family and other pioneers are buried there and it is on the National Register of Historic Places.
John C. Calhoun’s daughter, Anna Marie, married an engineer from PA, Thomas Clemson. Thomas and Anna Marie eventually inherited John C. Calhoun’s property, Fort Hill. When Anna Marie and their 2 children died, Thomas Clemson willed the property to the state of SC where Clemson University & the Calhoun House are located today.
Our family roots run deep in the area and I enjoy learning and sharing the history of our family.
Special Guest Author: Becky Greiner Wise