Gary, Jo Ann, Lois, There were certainly many rice plantations in early SC and not just along the Cooper River and Charleston. You can also look around Georgetown and up the Black and Pee Dee. One thing I'll say is that rice has always been in our blood, and long after we switched to cotton, corn, flax and soybeans --rice remained a daily staple to our meals. We were not meat and potato people, but meat and rice people. I still have it 5-6 times a week. And it must be steamed. We jealously guarded our old rice steamers. Mine is from the 30's or 40's. I never see them like this anymore, until a couple of weeks ago my daughte received a NEW one and it was labelled Charleston Rice Steamer and came with a history of rice in Charleston. I am delighted to learn that a Cooper in NC still grows rice in AR!! I have information on my Cooper line in South Carolina from about 1730. Don't recognize the name Ustacy but I will check tonight.---Bob Robert Cooper Manning, Jr.

Rcmjr@aol.com wrote: .... I am delighted to learn that a Cooper in NC still grows rice in AR!! > I have information on my Cooper line in South Carolina from about 1730. Don't recognize the name Ustacy but I will check tonight.---Bob > Robert Cooper Manning, Jr. OK, Bob, This is too good to pass up. Tell me more. What Cooper line do you have back to 1730, and what Manning line are you from? We are from John Cotton in SC (son of Marcome, we think)in SC through his son Cader, and my maternal grandmother was a Manning, from NC to Clark Co., AR. I have that line back to 1635. Let's compare. Nancy Bray Cooper miminbc@sprynet.com