In 1739, Major George Lucas moved from Antigua to Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife and two daughters. Soon after their arrival, England declared war on Spain and he was recalled to Antigua to join his regiment. His wife in poor health, he left his daughter Eliza, 17, in charge of his three plantations. Following his instructions, she began experimenting with plants at the family estate on Wappoo Creek. She succeeded in growing indigo and producing a rich, blue dye from the leaves, thus bringing a profitable new cash crop to Carolina planters. While her accomplishments were rare for a young lady of the 18th century, they were not outside the scope of what was expected of a woman at that time. This biography, drawn from her surviving letters and other sources, chronicles Eliza Pinckney’s life and explores the 18th century world she inhabited.

Margaret F. Pickett is co-director of Pickett Educational Resources and was a living history interpreter for the National Park Service at Historic Jamestowne for ten years. She lives in Bluffton, South Carolina.

Margaret F. Pickett
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6586-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2528-7
Imprint: McFarland

Preface and Acknowledgments 1
Introduction 5
One The Early Years (1722–1739) 7
Two The Young Adult Years (1739–1744) 24
Three The Married Years (1744–1758) 52
Four The Middle Years (1758–1776) 80
Five The War Years (1776–1783) 125
Six The Final Years (1783–1793) 184
Epilogue 199
Chapter Notes 203
Bibliography 213
Index 215