Andrew Baskin¹ 
1730s — ~1800

Andrew Baskin (my third great grandfather) is the earliest proven ancestor in my Baskin line.  He was born in either Ireland or Virginia between 1730 and 1740.  He moved to South Carolina around 1760.

Andrew was a Regulator in South Carolina.  The regulator system in the western sections of South Carolina sprung up in response to a need for law and order.  The existing state government was headquartered in Charleston, and nearly all resources were devoted to the eastern/coastal section of the state.  In response to deteriorating conditions, regulators were elected by the local inhabitants and served as leaders/coordinators for political, legal and police activities.

Andrew Baskin married Mary Marshall in about 1759.  Some records indicate that the marriage took place in Augusta County, Virginia; but I now believe it's more likely that their marriage took place in South Carolina—most likely in Lancaster District.   Andrew and Mary have the following children, all of whom were born in the Lancaster district of South Carolina:

• Isabella (1760-1842; married Hugh McCain)
• a daughter, name unknown (about 1763 - about 1793; married Clement Stewart)
• John (1766-1850)
• James (1770-1852; my second great-grandfather)
• William (1772-1830)
• Margaret (about 1774 - about 1848; married John Coffey)

The South Carolina state Constitutional Ratifying Convention was held in Charleston in May of 1788.  Although the final vote was in favor of ratification—149 in favor, 73 against—Andrew was one of the 73 voting against ratification.  This is not particularly surprising, as the Back Country of South Carolina voted heavily against ratification of the Constitution.  Some records indicate that Andrew was personally in favor of ratification; but that he followed the dictates of his office and voted in accordance with the wishes of the people from his district.

Augusta County, Virginia

The first record of Andrew Baskin is Nov 15, 1752 in Augusta Co, when he was appointed one of 22 (probably young) men to "clear and keep in repair a road from James Givins Mill to the road over Woods New Gap at the foot of the mountain." Andrew must have lived in the part of Augusta shown in this map'

AB bought by John Pickens 1740
A sold to Anthony Strother 1753
B sold to William Baskin 1747
sold to George Crawford 1765
C sold to James Lessley 1740
D sold to James Lessley Jr 1762
E so1d to John Pickens 1749
sold to William Be11 1754
F land to Widow Baskin 1749/54/59
land to Thomas Baskin 1761

title must have gone to Thomas about 1759, year he was married (first of William's sons to be married)

The next record or Andrew Baskin is Mar 21, 1753 when he with John Pickens and Robert Craven witnessed a deed from John and Sarah Stephenson to Archibald Houston. This may give a clue as to same of Andrew's relatives. Robert Craven, a justice, probably wrote the deed. Stephensons were not neighbors. Was Andrew related to Pickens or Stephenson? The land of Pickens adjoined both Widow Baskin and William Baskin. About 1754/55 Andrew Baskin and John Pickens went south to the NC-SC border. In 1764 John Pickens applied for land near Andrew Baskin before moving to Abbeville Co., SC where there are other Baskins. Andrew is a Pickens, but not a Baskin name.

Other Baskins

The Baskin Family originated in Ireland. In 1734, William and John Baskin were living in Chester Co., PA. In 1754, these Baskins were in (now) Perry and Dauphin Counties, PA: (probably sons of John) James with two sons, William with three, Francis with one, Thomas. In Augusta Co., VA were these in 1754: • William, with six sons, Andrew (single), widow of Robert. By 1774 the Baskin distribution was: • PA: James, William, and Francis were dead, Thomas was gone or dead • VA: Charles, son of William • SC: o Kershaw County: Andrew o Abbeville County: James, William, Hugh (sons of William of VA, other sons of William dead or in Virginia) John, son of William of PA o Charleston County: William, minor son of Thomas, who died 1770, leaving sister, Elizabeth Stephenson of PA. (Could Andrew have been related? Note: Stephenson in Augusta Co., VA)

The relation of Andrew to the other is unknown. He may have been a nephew of William of VA. If he was son of Robert, who was dead Feb 28, 1749, the name Robert is not found in his children or grandchildren. The estate of Robert was administered by William Baskin, settlement Nov 29, 1750 in Augusta County. William Baskin and John Pickens were together in PA, VA and SC. They, with their neighbor, James Lessley, petitioned for land in South Carolina in 1746. (See page 10, Raymond Bell)

South Carolina

The first record of Andrew Baskin is in the Hanging Rock section near the Kershaw-Lancaster county line, where on Dec 2, 1761 he had surveyed 150 acres on the south prong of Little Lynches Creek. (See map) The land had been taken out Nov 6, 1755 in the name of William DeLoach and acquired by Baskin before 1761. He was married in 1759 or earlier for his daughter, Isabella, was born Oct 20, 1760. Andrew's wife was likely Mary Marshall. Her father appears in the Augusta County records, when he received money "on Bigham's account" from the John Trimble estate. It would be interesting to know why. John Trimble had been killed by the Indians in Augusta County about 1763.

Andrew Baskin was one of a group of Regulators who were pardoned by the Crown Oct 31, 1771. (Vol PP, p46, SC Archives, Misc Records). Richard M. Brown has written an informative book on the South Carolina Regulators (Harvard Univ. Press, 1963). He lists 121 Regulators who "were ambitious Back Country property holders determined to end the lawlessness, to discipline the lower people, and to establish an orderly society." This movement was strongest 1767-69, just before legal courts were established. A substantial number of the Regulators rose into the leading man category. Andrew Baskin was one. He had enemies as men of affairs do. "In 1790, Robert Dumville accused him of extortion and neglect of duties as magistrate. The case of State v. Andrew Baskin was placed on the docket, but in the April 1791 term the Attorney General entered a nolle prosequi and the matter ended." (Brown)

Baskin was granted additional land near the 1761 tract in 174 (100 acres) and in 1785 (640 acres). He helped pay for this land by using money obtained for military services. This land was likely in Kershaw Co, just southeast of the town of Kershaw. The record of the deed of the part sold in 1797 is in Kershaw County. He sold the land east of the creek to his son, James. His son John, got the land to the west. A third son, William, was granted 150 acres in Lancaster County in 1794, likely on the waters of Bear Creek, Baskins Creek in south-central Lancaster County may have been named after William. At William's death in 1830 he owned 980 acres. He had bought 680 on Little Lynches in 1814 and 150 on Bear Creek in 1815.

Revolutionary Period

Andrew Baskin's Revolutionary record is fairly complete:

• Service October 1779 - December 1780 (Digital Copy)

40 days service done under the command of Col. John Marshel from Oct 10, 1779 to Nov 18. Following as a horseman at 20 pounds per day... 40.0.0

23 days service done under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Eli Kershaw at ten pounds per day... 111.10.0

60 days service done under the command of Colonel John Marshel as horseman at 20 pounds per day from Nov 1, 1780 to Last day of Decr, following... 60.10.0

Total 112.0.0 old currency, 15.18.06 New currency

Certified by John Marshel, Coll.

15 Dec 1780 Recd of Mr. Andrew Baskin, for the use of a Detachment of Troops, under my command, at Grey's Mill, in Camden Dist. The quantity of 40 Bu corn. John Marshel, Coll. Militia

17 Mar 1781—At another time when Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter was present with his Brigade – and my Regt. In Co., there was Recd for the use of the Brigade from Andrew Baskin the quantity of 50 Bu of Corn at Grey's Mill. John Marshel, Coll. Militia

6 Oct 1783—I had from Andrew Baskin 300 lb of Pork for the use of Coll. John Marshel's Reg in the Year 1781. Daniel Ayres

The above papers are dated Aug 28, 1784 Camden Dist and Jan 8, 1787 Lancaster Co. Lancaster was formed form Camden in 1785. On Feb 17, 1787, Andrew Baskin received a certificate for 15.18.6 for militia duty on foot and horse. He stated that he used this toward the purchase of 640 acres in three tracts (Mar 29, 1787). He and Josiah Evans also supplied General Gates' army with five head of cattle.

Later Years

In 1785 Andrew Baskin became one of the first justices in the new county of Lancaster. He also served as road commissioner. He was a member from the District East of the Wateree to the SC convention which met to vote on the adoption of the US Constitution. On Jan 19, 1788 he voted against the calling of a meeting in May. On May 23 he voted against the adoption. In his district the vote was nine to one against. The state vote was 149 to 73 for adoption. Brown says Baskin stood to gain by voting for the Constitution because he held $224.24 in depreciated currency. He held to his convictions and voted against the Constitution, as did most of the Back Country men.

On Apr 5, 1790 he registered his stock mark in Lancaster County. "Swallow fork and under keel or fish hook in each ear. Brand on horses AB for Cattle A only." Andrew must have lived on his 1761 land in Kershaw County until about 1797. Kershaw was formed from Lancaster in Feb 1791. In 1797 when he sold land he was in Lancaster, so where he likely died—possibly at his son Williams. The 1797 deed was recorded Nov 12, 1800. He appears in the court records of Camden and Kershaw every year from 1787 to 1797. The last record of Andrew Baskin is Apr 22, 1799 when in Camden District Court he and others were accused of rioting. Case dismissed. His name is not in the 1790 or 1800 census. He likely died about 1800 and may lie in an unmarked grave in Baskins Cemetery in Lancaster County.²  The will records of Lancaster were destroyed in 1865.

Notes

1. This page covering Andrew Baskin is very much a work in progress. 
   1. For the moment, much of the information on this page is copied verbatim from papers written by Raymond Bell covering the Baskin family.  I'm trying to rewrite the information, and give appropriate credit to the author; but have not yet had the time to do the rewrite.
   2.  The following sections (and their illustrations) are completely the work of Mr. Bell and not my own:
      
      - Augusta County Virginia
      - Other Baskins
      - South Carolina
      - Revolutionary Period
      - Later Years
   3. Raymond Bell's book "Andrew Baskin, Esq., Kershaw and Lancaster Counties, South Carolina" is available online on ancestry.com.
2. Lancaster County
   1. The County was formed in 1785, and was originally part of the Camden District.  Many—if not most—of the original settlers were Scots-Irish.  They named the county after Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, which in turn was named to commemorate the Lancaster family, who had been at war with the Yorks (yet another South Carolina County) in the War of the Roses.  In 1791, the county was further subdivided in portions used to create Kershaw County.
   2. From Raymond Bell: The date of Andrew Baskin's death has not been ascertained. It was likely between Apr. 5-1790 when his stock mark was listed in the Lancaster Co., S.C. Records and Dec. 10-1793 when his three sons are listed as guardians for his Stewart grandchildren. He likely died before Kershaw County was formed - 1791. The Lancaster County probate records have been destroyed.
      
      There is no certain record of the name of his father. Andrew may have been a son of Robert Baskin, who died before February 1749 in Augusta Co., Va. Certainly Andrew was born in Ireland. His name first appears in Augusta Records in 1752. The South Carolina land that he received in 1761 was surveyed in 1756 for another person. There is no record of a son or grandson named Robert. Andrew's oldest son was John. The family tradition that Andrew's father was John Baskin has not been verified.
      
      It seems as if Andrew was related to the Pickens. Perhaps his mother was a Pickens or a sister of one of the Pickens wives. In 1753 Andrew Baskin and John Pickens witnessed a deed together. In 1750 Andrew Pickens and in 1754 John Pickens went to the Waxhaw section of N.C.-S.C. Andrew Baskin followed soon after. A number of Pickens names are found in the Andrew Baskin branch; Eleanor, Andrew, Joseph, Margaret, Samuel.