Bryan, Hugh | South Carolina Public Radio

"B" is for Bryan, Hugh (1699-1753). Planter, evangelist. Born of the colony’s southern frontier, Bryan was captured by Indians during the Yamassee War. After his release, he settled in St. Helena’s Parish where he became a leading rice planter, cattle raiser, and slaveholder. Bryan became an enthusiastic follower of the evangelist George Whitefield and, under his tutelage, began to apply religious writings of contemporary events. Bryan saw the Stono Rebellion, the 1749 Charleston fire, droughts, and outbreaks of epidemic diseases as God’s displeasure with South Carolina. He actively evangelized his slaves and prophesied that South Carolina would be destroyed by “African Hosts” unless it repented and turned from its misguided ways. The Commons House ordered his arrest. Hugh Bryan fled from the authorities and soon issued a formal apology for his beliefs and actions.