The first group of settlers of New Windsor (frontier township that straddled what became Edgefield and Orangeburgh Districts) arrived in Charleston on the ship Prince of Wales on 1 Feb 1736/7. The names of the 170 passengers were not written down. They split into 3 groups on arrival, because the immigrants from different cantons didn't get along with one another. The group from canton St. Gall (including 6g grandparents of mine) settled in Saxegotha Township, and the group from canton Graubünden settled mostly in Orangeburgh Township. Those from the Ausser Rhoden half of canton Appenzell followed Capt. John Tobler and pastor Bartholomew Zouberbühler to the Savannah Town trading post (Fort Moore) where New Windsor Township had recently been surveyed. It was a small settlement, and 19 people died of malaria within a year of arrival. The names of the families can be partially reconstructed from land records, and also because people wrote about them. John Tobler kept a diary and wrote letters back to Switzerland, two other passengers also wrote letters home. Pastor Boltzius of the Salzburger settlement in Ebenezer GA kept a lengthy diary, and wrote about his interactions with the New Windsor settlers--including the large number who died or moved away. Some of the family names appear frequently in later records of Edgefield District. These Swiss immigrants are the first documented European settlers of Edgefield District, besides the McGillivray family who ran the trading post from their residences in Augusta and Charleston. There were probably some others whose names did not get written down. The SC records include many variations in spelling. Where possible, Tobler's spelling is used here. Johannes Tobler Bartholomew Zouberbühler (moved to Purrysburgh, died in 1738) Conrad Augster (died) Leonard Bruderer Andrew Duche Ulrich Egger Hans Ulrich Frey (died) John Iller Hans Krüse Christian Liectentage John and Adam Liectentage (brothers) Melchior Liectentage Conrad Lutz Michael, Leonard and Ulrich Meyer (brothers) Gasper Nägele (later Nail) Felix Riz John Schaeffer (died) Jacob Sturzenegger (joined by John Sturzenegger, immigrant to Orangeburgh in 1735) David Züblin (Zubly, moved to Purrysburgh, but David Jr. returned to New Windsor) Hans Zürcher (moved to Purrysburgh) Tobler mentioned in 1745 that "many" residents of New Windsor were moving to PA because of the absence of a Swiss Reformed church, minister, and school. His petition for a ministerial salary was denied, because the established church of South Carolina was Anglican. The small number of original settler families who remained in New Windsor were those who moved inland, and away from the malarial lowlands near the Savannah River. They lived mostly in the Beech Island community and along Town Creek in (current) Aiken Co SC. It is unusual--and fortunate--that this group left such lengthy documentation re their voyage and the early years of the settlement. I ran across the New Windsor history mainly because Tobler wrote down that he heartily disliked my Geiger ancestors, who had sailed with him. The feeling was mutual. Harriet Imrey himrey@ntelos.net