Beauty Spot Plantation – York County

Basic Information

• Location – Hopewell, Broad River, York County

• Origin of name – From 1751 grant with the name listed as "The Butespoote" (1)
  

• Other names – ?

• Current status – Has been subdivided over the years

Timeline

• 1751 – Earliest known date of existence (1)
  

  Guyon Moore was granted 600 acres along the Broad River knows as "The Butespoote" (1).
  

• ? – It seems Guyon Moore never lived in South Carolina. Guyon willed this parcel of land to his son John Moore who did live in the state (1).
  

• ? – House built
  

• ? – John Moore died without children and Beauty Spot passed to his brother, James Moore (1).
  

• 1779 – Beauty Spot Plantation remained in the Moore family as it is believed that James Moore, in his will, divided the property among three sons, Thomas [600 acres], Robert [325 acres], and John [600 acres] (1).
  

• 1787 – Thomas Moore sold his 600 acres to Jacob Brown (1).
  

• Late 1700s – Members of the Rogers family acquired various pieces of Beauty Spot from the Moore brothers (1).
  

• 1805 – Beginning in this year, William Thomson began purchasing the parcels from the Rogers (1).
  

• 1822 – William Thomson's will states that Beauty Spot, where he resided, was to be given to his son Richard Thomson and that the plantation was to be divided among Richard's three sons upon his death. The sons were William Hatten Thomson, Henry Hopson Thomson, and James Maddison Thomson (2).
  

  It is unclear if the ownership transfer of Beauty Spot to Richard Thomson was carried out as the 1822 will stated since it appears the grandsons may have gained legal ownership than sold the property back to their father, or perhaps another relative also called Richard Thomson, via these transactions:
  

• 1826 – William Hatten Thomson and his wife Margaret sold 992 acres to Richard Thomson (1).
  

• 1827 – Richard Thomson purchased 575 acres from Henry Hopson Thomson (1).
  

  After this point, it seems Beauty Spot Plantation continued to be divided within the Thomson family. These subdivided pieces of the plantation grew in number as the various family members' wills would divided their portion among various Thomson heirs.
  

Land

• Primary crop – ?

Slaves

• Number of slaves – ?
  

References & Resources

1. J.L. West, Roots and Recall Submission
   

2. Will of William Thomson - 1822